In this edition of “The Ethanol Report” we get reaction from Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen on the passage by the Senate of the compromise tax package that includes a one-year extension of important tax incentives for ethanol production and use. Dinneen says they are thrilled with passage of the measure, which gives some stability to the …
Biodiesel Tax Incentive Clears Cloture; NBB Optimistic
The federal $1-a-gallon biodiesel blenders credit has cleared an important legislative hurdle, and the National Biodiesel Board is optimistic it will become law. Earlier today, the U.S. Senate voted to end debate (invoking cloture) on the package of tax credits, including the biodiesel incentive, by a bipartisan 83-15 margin. As the vote was going on, I talked to the NBB’s …
Senate Deal Includes Ethanol and Biodiesel
A renewal of the ethanol blenders tax credit, reinstatement of biodiesel incentives and help for wind and solar companies have all reportedly made it into the Senate compromise that extends both unemployment benefits and expiring tax cuts. According to the Renewable Fuels Association, the compromise legislation would extend the current Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) just through 2011 at …
DF Cast: GM Rolls Out First Volts Today
It’s a red letter day for General Motors today, as the very first Chevrolet Volts rolled off the assembly line today at the company’s Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant in Michigan. The Volt is the world’s first electric vehicle that also has a gasoline-powered generator, allowing it to keep on driving past the usual 40-mile battery limit. In this edition of the …
Will The Lame Duck Session Create Mad Ducks?
DomesticFuel reporter Chuck Zimmerman recently had the opportunity to sit down with Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis and get an update on the state of the industry. This week, the lame duck session kicked off and this is a very important session for the biofuels industry as they are facing the expiration of several important tax provisions. “We’re hoping the …
Ethanol Report on California LCFS
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has decided to use the latest research on indirect land use change (ILUC) for implementing the state’s Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS), meaning the current ILUC penalty for corn ethanol likely will be cut by at least half by the spring of 2011. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) says the resolution is good news …
Biodiesel Board Elects First Producer Chairman
The soybean farmers got it going, but producer members are now assuming the leadership at the National Biodiesel Board (NBB). NBB members elected their trade association leadership today, including Gary Haer with Renewable Energy Group (REG) as the first producer to take the chairman role. Members also elected four returning governing board members and three new members to serve on …
Ethanol Report From NAFB
There were lots of ethanol issues to discuss at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting annual Trade Talk event in Kansas City last week. The topics included the lame duck session of Congress, importance of renewing biofuels tax incentives, doing more to invest in cellulosic ethanol, labeling for E15 at the pump, just to name a few. Renewable Fuels Association …
Ethanol Industry Testifies at EPA E15 Hearing
Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis and organization founding member Dave Vander Griend of ICM were the first to testify at a public hearing today in Chicago on EPA’s proposed label for 15 percent ethanol fuel at the pump. Buis stressed that the country has gone through fuel changes before, such as the transition to unleaded, and he is confident the …
New Senator Expects Ethanol Tax Credit Extension
The new Senator-Elect for Kansas believes the ethanol and biodiesel tax credits will be extended by Congress in the lame duck session. “Both of those will be part of this tax package that I think can and will pass during the lame duck session,” said Rep. Jerry Moran (R-KS), who was just elected as senator after 14 years in the …