As work on the Transportation Bill progressed in the Senate Tuesday, two amendments that would have extended tax incentives for renewable energy sources were defeated. An amendment offered by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) failed on a tie vote of 49-49, since 60 votes were needed for passage. The amendment would have extended a variety of incentives, including the Cellulosic Biofuels …
Support for Stabenow Transportation Bill Amendment
Biofuels organizations are strongly urging lawmakers to approve an amendment to the Transportation Bill (S.1813) offered by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) that would extend tax incentives for biodiesel and cellulosic ethanol. “We applaud Sen. Stabenow for introducing this amendment and we urge all senators to support it,” said Anne Steckel, vice president of federal affairs at the National Biodiesel Board. …
State of the Advanced Ethanol Industry
A panel of advanced ethanol company executives at the National Ethanol Conference was at the same time optimistic and sobering about the future of next generation biofuel production. “We openly acknowledged the ‘elephant in the room’ and that is that some of the numbers that people were talking about are bigger than we can expect in the immediate term,” said …
AEC Asks EPA Not to Grant Waiver to Oil Industry
The Advanced Ethanol Council (AEC) is asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) not to grant a retroactive waiver to the oil industry for the cellulosic requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in 2011. Under the 2011 RFS, the EPA required petroleum refiners and importers to blend 6.6 million gallons of cellulosic biofuels in 2011 or buy waiver credits …
Advanced Ethanol Group Asks for Tax Extensions
The Advanced Ethanol Council (AEC) this week urged Senate Ag Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Ranking Member Pat Roberts (R-KS) to include two key tax extensions for advanced and cellulosic ethanol producers in the next farm bill. In a letter to the committee leaders, AEC Executive Director Brooke Coleman wrote, “The Cellulosic Biofuels Producer Tax Credit (PTC) — created …
USDA Approves Support for Oregon Cellulosic Plant
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved a conditional commitment of $232.5 million to build a cellulosic ethanol plant in Boardman, Oregon. The commitment was made to ZeaChem Boardman Biorefinery, LLC (ZBB) through the Biorefinery Assistance Program. ZBB plans to operate a 25 million gallon per year biorefinery to be constructed on an industrial site in northeast Oregon, along the …
Industry Says Cellulosic Ethanol Progress is Being Made
In response to recent media reports about cellulosic ethanol shortfalls, including a story in the New York Times, the advanced ethanol industry is stressing that progress is being made. “In a very difficult financial and policy environment, the first wave of commercial advanced ethanol production facilities are under construction in a number of states across the country,” said Advanced Ethanol …
Ethanol Industry Wants Cellulosic Incentives Continued
Advanced biofuel producers are calling on Congress to take action now to ensure that tax incentives for cellulosic ethanol continue past 2012. In a letter to Congressional leaders, the Advanced Ethanol Council (AEC) asked for a multi-year extension of the Cellulosic Biofuels Producer Tax Credit (PTC) and the Special Depreciation Allowance for Cellulosic Biofuel Plant Property, both of which are …
Ethanol Industry Left Out of Hearing Again
The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology’s Subcommittee on Energy and Environment is holding a hearing today on “Conflicts and Unintended Consequences of Motor Fuel Standards” with a witness list that the ethanol industry claims is biased against biofuels. “This is the second time this year that this subcommittee has held a hearing on ethanol without bothering to include …
RFA Announces 2012 Leadership
All officers of the Renewable Fuels Association were re-elected to serve another term at the ethanol organization’s annual membership meeting held this week in Washington DC. Chuck Woodside of KAAPA Ethanol in Minden, Nebraska was re-elected as Chairman of the Board. Also re-elected were Vice Chairman Neill McKinstray, Ethanol Division Vice President and General Manager, The Andersons, Inc.; Treasurer Randall …