Category: Policy

New Zealand biofuels mandate running up against ILUC and food vs fuel

New Zealand biofuels mandate running up against ILUC and food vs fuel

February 28, 2022 |

In New Zealand, Newsroom reports that the debate about indirect land use change and the use of food crops as biofuels feedstocks have reared their ugly heads ahead of the country’s plan to implement biofuel blending from April 1, 2023. Spooked by pushback received by the European Commission regarding their handling of feedstock sustainability, New […]

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Study shows new EU biofuel policies increase risk of fraudulent UCO imports from Asia

Study shows new EU biofuel policies increase risk of fraudulent UCO imports from Asia

February 27, 2022 |

In Washington, D.C., a new study by the International Council for Clean Transportation notes that as proposed revisions to the European Union’s the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) and new proposals that incentivize the use of renewable fuels in the aviation and marine sectors are likely to stimulate even more demand for UCO imports and […]

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IEA report slams global governments for rising methane emissions

IEA report slams global governments for rising methane emissions

February 24, 2022 |

In France, global methane emissions from the energy sector are about 70% greater than the amount national governments have officially reported, according to new IEA analysis released Wednesday, underlining the urgent need for enhanced monitoring efforts and stronger policy action to drive down emissions of the potent greenhouse gas. Methane is responsible for around 30% […]

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Growth Energy and EPA reach agreement on 2021 and 2022 RVOs

Growth Energy and EPA reach agreement on 2021 and 2022 RVOs

February 23, 2022 |

In Washington, following settlement discussions with Growth Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will file a notice in the Federal Register Thursday seeking comment on a proposed judicial consent decree that would require EPA to finalize the 2021 and 2022 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs), which are the subject of a pending rulemaking, by no […]

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EPA talking “transparency” and getting the RFS “back on track” with SRE ruling

EPA talking “transparency” and getting the RFS “back on track” with SRE ruling

February 22, 2022 |

In Louisiana, Reuters reports a senior Environmental Protection Agency official told the National Ethanol Conference in New Orleans that the EPA is focused on transparency in its rulemaking of the Renewable Fuels Standard to ensure it gets “back on track” and that biofuels are included in the toolbox for transport decarbonization. The agency is reviewing […]

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European Commission looking to tax crop-based biofuels the same as fossil fuels

European Commission looking to tax crop-based biofuels the same as fossil fuels

February 21, 2022 |

In Belgium, Euractiv reports the European Commission is considering taxation of fossil fuels and crop-based biofuels at the same rate as part of the revision of the 2003 Energy Taxation Directive in an effort to transition the biofuel supply more quickly away from agricultural feedstocks. With patchwork fixes of the taxation policy since its implementation, […]

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ACE corrects misrepresentations of RFS environmental outcomes

ACE corrects misrepresentations of RFS environmental outcomes

February 20, 2022 |

In South Dakota, the American Coalition of Ethanol said a report released recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences by Tyler Lark and others brought to life several misrepresentations of the environmental outcomes of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and refutes three key misrepresentations from the report. American Coalition for Ethanol […]

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Sen. Ernst refutes ethanol’s role in high gas prices during Senate committee hearing

Sen. Ernst refutes ethanol’s role in high gas prices during Senate committee hearing

February 17, 2022 |

In Washington, on Wednesday’s Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee hearing, Sen. Joni Ernst began her portion by asking the witnesses about the high cost of fuel and whether the RFS is the cause, to which one witness, Emily Skor of Growth Energy, clarified that it is not the cause. Ernst agreed the RFS […]

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RFA slams NWF-funded RFS study by University of Wisconsin–Madison

RFA slams NWF-funded RFS study by University of Wisconsin–Madison

February 16, 2022 |

In Wisconsin, research led by the University of Wisconsin–Madison and funded by the National Wildlife Federation assessed the environmental impacts of corn ethanol and the policy that governs it, using a combination of econometric analyses, land use data and biophysical modeling. In keeping with their previous “research” on biofuels and the RFS, the RFA says […]

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SAF producers write Congress asking for GREET model to be used in BBB bill

SAF producers write Congress asking for GREET model to be used in BBB bill

February 15, 2022 |

In Washington, Reuters reports Darling Ingredients, Gevo and Marquis Sustainable Aviation Fuel, amongst others, have written a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to use the GREET model use in the Build Back Better Act when it comes to SAF lifecycle emissions. The SAF manufacturers say the bill uses the ICAO model which isn’t as […]

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