The role of ethanol in rising food costs will be at the heart of a Senate Agriculture Committee field hearing August 18 in Omaha. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), who is a member of the committee, says the event will be a “pro-fact” hearing, not a pro-ethanol hearing. The committee decided to hold the hearing in the face of what Nelson …
Ethanol Decision is a Win for Consumers
Ethanol producers say the EPA decision to maintain the current level of biofuels blending required under the Renewable Fuels Standard will benefit consumers. The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) says the decision ensures consumers will continue to benefit from an expanding supply of domestically produced renewable fuel, which is helping to lower gas prices. “Today’s decision is an important …
Basis of EPA Decision on Ethanol Waiver
The bottom line for the Environmental Protection Agency when it came to making a decision on the request for a partial waiver of the Renewable Fuels Standard was the impact within the next year. According to EPA, “implementation of the RFS would have no significant impact in the relevant time frame (the 2008/2009 corn season), and the most likely result …
Ethanol Industry Pleased with EPA Decision
Reaction from the ethanol industry started coming out just minutes after the Environmental Protection Agency announced it would deny a request to cut the Renewable Fuels Standard. Renewable Fuels Association President Bob Dinneen calls the decision “an important victory for all Americans.” “Today’s EPA decision recognizes the importance of biofuels to the American economy,” Dinneen said in a statement. “The …
EPA Denies Ethanol Waiver Request
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that it would deny a request by Texas Governor Rick Perry to reduce the Renewable Fuels Standard. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson says they carefully considered the more than 15,000 comments on the issue and found that “the RFS is not causing economic harm but is strengthening our nation’s energy security and supporting American farming …
Cutting Ethanol Production Would Increase Gas Prices
In advance of EPA’s decision to be announced today on the requested partial waiver of the Renewable Fuels Standard, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) is warning that cutting ethanol production will increase gasoline prices “substantially.” The comments were filed in response to a study prepared for the state of Texas by Phillip K. Verleger and Darrel B. Chodorow who …
EPA To Announce Ethanol Waiver Decision
The highly-anticipated decision by the Environmental Protection Agency on whether to grant a partial waiver of the Renewable Fuels Standard will be announced Thursday afternoon. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson and Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator Robert Meyers will hold a press conference at noon central time to officially answer the request from Texas Governor Rick Perry to cut the RFS ethanol …
New Cellulosic Ethanol Partnership
BP and Verenium Corporation have announced the creation of a strategic partnership to accelerate the development and commercialization of cellulosic ethanol. According to a Verenium press release, the partnership “combines a broad technology platform and operational capabilities in an effort to advance the development of a portfolio of low-cost, environmentally sound cellulosic ethanol production facilities in the United States, and …
Ethanol Reality Versus Fantasy
Renewable Fuels Association president Bob Dinneen called on representatives of Florida’s growing biofuels industry to join him and the rest of the industry nationwide in setting the record straight on ethanol and other alternative fuels. At the Florida Farm to Fuel Summit on Thursday, Dinneen told the group that opponents of ethanol have created a “fantasy world that rivals anything …
Ag Secretary Addresses Florida Farm to Fuel Summit
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer traveled to Florida to address the third annual Florida Farm to Fuel Summit in Orlando. “This is the theme park capitol of the world, it is a city of dreams and the power of imagination,” Schafer told the group. “As we sit here in the land of imagination and dreams, it’s up to all …