In Belgium, the European Commission is preparing to launch an investigation into whether US ethanol producers are receiving unfair subsidies before exporting their fuel to Europe. The move is a result of an official complaint by EU ethanol producers and is the precursor to a complaint to the WTO. The investigation that will begin this […]
In Washington, Rep. Dan Boren (R-OK), in co-sponsoring a bill this past summer to eliminate the $0.51 per gallon VEETC subsidy, which went to obligated ethanol blenders, wrote: “The bottom-line is that our constituents don’t want it in their gas, they don’t want it in their cars, and I definitely don’t want it in my […]
In Washington, a top official with the US Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates motor fuels, recently told lawmakers that butanol is one of the nation’s “most promising biofuels.” However, according to companies that plan to make the fuel, butanol faces potential government barriers that provide an advantage to ethanol. These include a special exemption in […]
In Canada, the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance writes: “Today’s release of the IEA’s annual World Energy Outlook in London has again confirmed the end of cheap oil blaming growing energy demand and declining oil reserves. According the Report, oil demand will rise 14% between 2010 and 2035, from 87 million barrels per day (mb/d) in […]
In Nebraska, a new grant awarded by USDA will be used to promote flex fuel vehicles, flex fuel pumps, and driver education. The grant was announced at a meeting of the Nebraska Ethanol Board today. The Nebraska Ethanol Industry Coalition (NEIC), a non-profit educational organization, will be working with the FlexFuel Vehicle Awareness Campaign to […]
In the UK, campaigners including The UK Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance, Biffa, Stenaline, Spire, Shearings and 3663 have formed the SOS biodiesel campaign in hopes of keeping the government from increasing the duty on used cooking oil-based biodiesel by 32 cents per liter in April 2012 as planned. The campaigners say they believe the government’s decision […]
In Minnesota, Commissioners Dave Frederickson of the Department of Agriculture, Commissioner Paul Aasen of the Pollution Control Agency and Commissioner Mike Rothman of the Department of Commerce have submitted a request to delay the state’s B10 policy next year saying the state isn’t ready yet. Though the state produces 64 million gallons of biodiesel annually […]
In the Philippines, the president has issued an executive order that will keep the ad valorem import duty of 10% for pure ethanol imports, which will only be dropped to 1% if the Dept. of Energy provides a certificate proving that the ethanol will be used to supply the country’s E10 policy. More on the […]
In Washington, presidential candidate Jon Huntsman has been receiving criticism from the media regarding his no-subsidy energy policy. On Tuesday, Hunstman said in a speech in Nevada, “I will systemically begin to eliminate every subsidy for energy companies, whether it be oil, natural gas, wind or solar.”– a risky move with the Iowa caucuses coming […]
In Washington, Novozymes said a bill introduced by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) would make harder to bring renewable fuels to market, impacting consumers and sacrificing jobs unnecessarily. Pompeo’s bill, H.R. 3308, would repeal the ethanol, cellulosic biofuel and alcohol fuels tax credit; the tax incentive for biodiesel and renewable diesel; and the investment tax credit […]
