I just received the following response information from the EPA attributed to Byron Bunker, Director, Compliance Division, Office of Transportation and Air Quality. The EPA representative I spoke with says the agency knows of the biodiesel industry concerns and wanted to provide a response to those concerns. The response is in the form of eight bullet points: 1. EPA is …
Biodiesel, Soybean Groups Criticize Import Decision
Proponents of the biodiesel industry in this country and the feedstocks that make it are blasting the U.S government’s decision to allow Argentinian biodiesel easier access to American markets. The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) and the American Soybean Association (ASA) say the decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ease sustainability requirements of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to …
First RFS Education Ad in Des Moines
After kicking off the new America’s Renewable Future campaign on Thursday last week, the first ads starting appearing in the Des Moines Register on Friday as potential Republican presidential candidates began to gather for the Iowa Freedom Summit. “We want to send an unmistakable message to both parties about the remarkable, bipartisan success story of the Renewable Fuel Standard in …
EPA Seeks Comments on Sorghum-to-Biofuels GHGs
The federal government is seeking public comment on its preliminary analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to the production of biomass sorghum feedstock to make biofuels. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invited the comments after a recent study by the agency that showed biomass sorghum is suitable for the same conversion processes as approved cellulosic feedstocks such as switchgrass …
US Senators Say Yes to Clean Power
A group of U.S. Senators have come out in support of EPA’s Clean Power Plan. The group submitted a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy stating that while the emission reduction goals are admiral, they believe that with modest changes to reflect real-world market and technological conditions, the plan can be more effective as well as better …
EPA Official Testifies About RFS Management
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Air and Radiation Acting Assistant Administrator Janet McCabe testified before a House oversight subcommittee today on the agency’s management of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program. “The EPA recognizes that the delay in issuing the 2014 standards has exacerbated uncertainty in the market for both renewable fuel producers and obligated parties,” said McCabe in …
Brazilian Ethanol Producers Praise EPA Delay
International ethanol interests are weighing in on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to delay finalizing 2014 volume standards under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) until next year. Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) President Elizabeth Farina is glad to see the EPA step back from proposed advanced biofuel targets, a large portion of that fulfilled by sugarcane ethanol. “In 2013, …
Iowans Weigh in on EPA’s RFS Delay
With Iowa being one of the nation’s leaders in ethanol and biodiesel production, it’s no wonder state officials and industry groups joined the national chorus weighing in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision to once again delay a final decision on the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) until next year. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey said while he’s glad …
Ethanol Industry Reacts to EPA Delay
The ethanol industry wasted no time today in reacting to the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement that final 2014 volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard will be put off until next year. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president Bob Dinneen calls it “a cloud of uncertainty with a silver lining.” Deciding not to decide is not a decision. Unfortunately, the announcement …
EPA Delays Final RFS Rules
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed a Notice of Delay today to be published in the Federal Register announcing they will not be finalizing the the 2014 applicable percentage of standards under the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) until next year. “The proposed rule, issued in November 2013, generated a significant number of comments, particularly on the proposal’s ability to …