Congress has failed to renew the biodiesel tax incentive that will expire at the end of this year and the biodiesel industry is hoping they will turn it around and act quickly in 2012 to save thousands of jobs that have been created thanks to the initiative this year. “We’re disappointed,” said Anne Steckel, vice president of federal affairs for …
Congress Urged to Extend Biodiesel Tax Incentive
Representatives of the U.S. biodiesel industry are urging Congress to pass a seamless extension of the biodiesel tax incentive. The $1-per-gallon biodiesel tax credit is slated to expire on Dec. 31. Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House and Senate to extend it for three years. Proponents of the bill testified this week in a hearing on alternative …
Illinois Legislature Extends State Biodiesel Program
The Illinois state legislature has approved an extension of the state’s biodiesel blending program. The bill extends the sunset date for the biodiesel state sales tax incentives to Dec. 31, 2018. Any biodiesel blend of more than 10 percent continues to be eligible for fuel tax exemption. Since the inception of the B11 blending credits in 2004, more biodiesel has …
IRFA Elects 2012 Board of Directors and Officers
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) elected its new 2012 Board of Directors and executive committee during its annual meeting last week. 2012 IRFA Board of Directors include Brad Albin, Renewable Energy Group, who will serve as president; Rick Schwarck, Absolute Energy, vice president; Steve Bleyl, Green Plains Renewable Energy, treasurer and Brian Cahill, Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, secretary. Monte …
Farmers See Biodiesel and Bioheat Use in Big Apple
About 20 U.S. soybean farmers are in New York City this week to see the how the Bioheat Industry is gaining momentum. The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) is hosting the group. Bioheat is biodiesel mixed with home heating oil. Starting in October, 2012, all heating oil sold within New York City will contain at least two percent biodiesel. The group …
GROWMARK Perspective on Energy Policy
2011 has been a challenging year for getting anything done in Washington DC, including as it relates to both agriculture and energy policy. “In agriculture, when it comes to energy, we want reliable, economically competitive sources,” says GROWMARK government affairs director Chuck Spencer. “As a country, what we are looking for is energy security and that’s going to come from …
Life Cycle Analysis Favorable for Biodiesel
Comparing the life cycle analysis of soy products to petroleum products shows clear environmental advantages on the soybean side. Early last year, the United Soybean Board released the findings of a life cycle analysis report that compared several different soy-based products with the same products made from petroleum sources, including soy biodiesel. The peer-reviewed study was done by Omni Tech …
Iowa Biodiesel Interests Plan Radio Ads for Basketball
Iowa’s biodiesel leaders are unveiling new radio ads for Iowa State/Iowa men’s basketball games to promote biodiesel to consumers. “These radio ads are designed to encourage Iowans to learn more about the industry’s starting line-up of performance, quality, support for Iowa agriculture, green-job creation, as well as price and availability,” said Jon Scharingson, Director, Sales and Marketing at Renewable Energy …
Verenium Markets Enzyme for Biodiesel Production
Verenium Corporation is now marketing its successful Purifine® phospholipase C (PLC) enzyme product for use in the pretreatment of oil for biodiesel production. The Purifine® PLC enzyme is designed to improve yields and overall economics of edible oil and biodiesel production. “Since the initial launch of our Purifine® PLC enzymatic degumming process, we have seen rapid adoption and success within …
Largest Government Purchase of Biofuels Announced
The largest government purchase of biofuels for military application was announced today. U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack jointly announced that the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) signed a contract to purchase 450,000 gallons of advanced drop-in biofuel. The biofuel to be purchased is made from a blend of non-food waste (used cooking oil) …