In Washington, the Renewable Fuels Association replied to comments reportedly made by Senators John McCain of Arizona and John Barrasso of Wyoming in meetings with Brazilian officials, in which they questioned the legality of the ethanol tariff. The RFA responds: “a 2008 letter to Senator Feinstein from U.S. Trade Representative, Susan Schwab, states that the […]
In Washington, the EPA announced that they are deferring greenhouse gas (GHG) permitting requirements for carbon dioxide emissions from biomass-fired and other biogenic sources, for a period of three years. “We appreciate EPA’s sensible approach to this complex issue and look forward to working with the agency on a commonsense solution,” said RFA President and […]
In Washington state, the Commissioner for Public Lands says he will propose legislation to use wood waste as a feedstock for renewable jet fuel. He wants the Department of Natural Resources to launch a pilot project under its forest biomass program to study manufacturing methods, markets and supply sources to convert forest wood waste to […]
In Brussels, the European ethanol association ePure is investigating possible dumping of US ethanol on the European market via cheap E90 exports. The blended ethanol is subject to 6.5% import duty rather than the significantly higher import duties against pure ethanol, equaling a roughly $210 savings per cubic meter. More on the story. Meanwhile, In […]
In Washington, more than a half dozen Senators are standing up against the recent approval by the Environmental Protection Agency to boost ethanol blend levels to 15%, saying that higher blends can damage cars—especially in boats, power tools and planes—and more research needs to be done. More on the story.
In Florida, a U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle successfully completed a biofuels trial at Eglin Air Force Base using Hydrotreated Renewable Jet (HRJ) blended with traditional JP-8 jet fuel. Ground testing also included a blend of JP-8 jet fuel, HRJ, and a synthetic fuel made from coal. This is Pratt & Whitney’s second military engine […]
In Thailand, the Government agreed to raise biodiesel subsidies from .35 to .85 baht per liter for B3 biodiesel and to 1.50 baht for B5. The structure of the subsidy gives .20 baht to the pump price and .30 baht to the service stations. Without the subsidy, the going rates for B3 diesel would have […]
In Washington, the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association just filed suit against the Environmental Protection Agency over the decision to allow the sale of gasoline containing higher blends of corn-based ethanol, the second major group to protest the ruling. In October, the Obama administration approved gas stations to start selling the ethanol blend for vehicles […]
In Indiana, Purdue University released a policy study suggesting that the U.S. does not have the necessary infrastructure to meet the federal mandate for renewable fuel use with ethanol, but could meet the standard with significant increases in cellulosic and next-generation biofuels. Researchers at Purdue used U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency data […]
In Paraguay, industrial and policy leaders are gathering this week to solve the problem faced by biodiesel producers: low biodiesel prices. The national petroleum company is offering producers prices far below production costs, so policy suggestions include increasing the blend to 5% from the current 1%, as well as exporting animal fats to Brazil for […]
