The Environmental Protection Agency was very proud of its new “Strongest-Ever Greenhouse Gas Standards for Trucks” released on Friday, but Clean Fuels Alliance America was extremely disappointed in the outcome. EPA did not evaluate use of biodiesel and renewable diesel as part of engine systems to meet the new standards, focusing primarily on tailpipe emissions. However, the agency considered a …
RFA Supports Challenge to EU Maritime Fuel Regulation
The Renewable Fuels Association has filed a petition to support a legal challenge brought by European ethanol producers against the European Union FuelEU Maritime Regulation, which considers crop-based biofuels to have the same emission factors as the least favorable fossil fuel pathway and effectively bans the use of renewable, crop-based marine fuels as a tool for decarbonizing the maritime sector. …
Ethanol Report on GREET Model Delay
GREET is the word that has still not been heard from the Biden Administration as the ethanol industry anxiously awaits a decision on a modified lifecycle analysis model that will be used to assess the eligibility of feedstocks for new tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) recently joined two dozen other biofuel and farm …
Blue Biofuels Makes First Cellulosic Ethanol
Florida-based Blue Biofuels (BIOF) announced this week that a significant milestone has been made in advancing its Cellulose-to-Sugar (CTS) technology towards commercial scale with the production of its first batch of cellulosic ethanol, utilizing the cellulosic sugars created from biomass on its CTS pilot line. Entering into the next phase, BIOF has embarked on the funding process to establish production …
Defenbaugh Carries on Family Tradition
Nicholas Defenbaugh, a senior at Orion Technical College and a maintenance technician at Big River Resources, was one of eight students and young professionals who attended the recent 2024 National Ethanol Conference under the Robert Sather Memorial Scholarship program. Nicholas is carrying on a family tradition working at the plant in Burlington, Iowa which was started by his grandfather Ray …
Zeakal PhotoSeed Corn Could Help Meet SAF Demand
ZeaKal recently announced groundbreaking PhotoSeed™ technology in corn, designed to improve the crop’s oil and sustainability profile without compromising yield or protein. In first year replicated field trials, PhotoSeed increased corn oil composition by an average of 23 percent. PhotoSeed enhances a plant’s photosynthetic capacity, capturing more CO2 and sunlight. This additional carbon capture increases oil production without taking away …
Nebraska Farmer Advocates for Ethanol
When Nebraska farmer Jan tenBensel visits Capitol Hill offices, he represents a lot of voices as chairman of both the Nebraska Ethanol Board and the National Corn Growers Association Ethanol Action Team, but he believes it’s important for all ethanol advocates to make their voices heard wherever they are. “The importance of advocacy is that everybody can do it,” said …
Groups Urge EPA to Issue E15 Emergency Waiver
With ongoing challenges to America’s energy security and summer just around the corner, advocates for agriculture and renewable fuels are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to authorize the summer sale of gasoline blended with up to 15 percent ethanol before May 1. The Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, National Corn Growers Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, National Farmers Union, and …
Lawmakers Pressure Administration on Brazil Ethanol Tariff
Last week, U.S. Reps. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and Darin LaHood (R-IL) led two letters to the Biden administration – one to President Biden and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai urging greater action in developing new markets for biofuels exports, and a second to Tai and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack specifically requesting work toward a full repeal of the Brazilian …
EPA Committee Gives Ag Seat at the Table
EPA Administrator Michael Regan recently responded to recommendations from the agency’s Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee (FRRCC) on how EPA can best support the agriculture sector’s climate mitigation and adaptation goals. FRRCC consists of representatives appointed by the agency that provide independent policy advice and information on a range of environmental issues that are of importance to …