In Washington, the USDA has partially deregulated the planting of GMO sugarbeet for this spring, going against a previous federal district court order. The new policy is effective until the agency completes a full Environmental Impact Statement is completed and a final policy decision is made. More on the story. The USDA is also expected […]
In Washington, the USDA is expected to released a new forecast showing that corn stocks are tightening further, which traditionally signals higher corn prices. A survey of 17 traders conducted by Dow Jones Newswires showed stocks dropping to 736 million bushels, almost 1 billion bushels below normal stocks of 1.708 billion bushels. With rising prices, […]
In Wisconsin, the governor has scrapped a $100 million plan to replace two of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s coal-fired boilers with biomass after citing budget difficulties and criticism from at least one environmental organization. The boilers will instead be replaced with natural gas. The move towards biomass was originally in response to a 2008 lawsuit […]
In the Netherlands, Wetlands International has announced that two studies are showing that an increasing part of Malaysia’s palm oil is produced at the expense of huge areas of tropical peat swamp forests. Especially in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, expansion of oil palm plantations may lead to the complete loss of these vast, unique […]
In Oregon, the Oregon Department of Agriculture has issued a letter that Oregon’s in-state biodiesel production capacity has reached at least 15 million gallons on an annualized basis. In compliance with Oregon’s Renewable Fuel Standard, effective April 1, 2011, all diesel fuel sold or offered for sale in Oregon must contain a minimum of 5% […]
In Washington, the DOE is offering Indian tribes $10 million towards evaluating, developing and deploying renewable energy projects on tribal lands. About $1.5 million will be available for capacity building and up to $4 million each for energy efficiency and renewable energy feasibility studies. The DOE’s Tribal Summit with American Indian and Alaska Native leaders […]
In the Netherlands, the national standards institute NEN has launched a sustainability certification scheme with Rotterdam Climate Initiative to certify the sustainability of all kinds of biomass including solid, liquid and gaseous fuels. The scheme has been sent to the European Commission for approval as a voluntary certificate under the Renewable Energy Directive. More on […]
In Washington, the EPA released a draft version of its Triennial Report to Congress on the ecological impacts of increased biofuels production, focused on life cycle analysis, water-soil-air quality, ecosystem impact and the impact of land use change domestically and internationally. The draft report, which can be downloaded here is based on peer-reviewed literature and […]
In Washington, sources indicate that “the interim final rule is at the printer for the federal register” with respect to Section 9003 (Farm Bill) loan guarantees from the USDA, indicating that the new round should be out imminently. The Section 9003 is expected to have funds covering up to $1 billion in new bioenergy loans. […]
In Washington, US Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack went on the communications offensive in the wake of President Obama’s State of the Union Speech. Chu conducted a town hall meeting in which he discussed the opportunity to end taxpayer subsidies for fossil fuels, create three new Energy Innovation Hubs, put one […]
