New York City Chief Fleet Officer Keith Kerman was honored last week with a Sloan Public Service Award for his extensive environmental and sustainability efforts on behalf of the city. As NYC’s first Chief Fleet Officer, he oversees 31,000 vehicles used by city agencies and offices and has created the nation’s greenest fleet, with nearly 20,000 vehicles using alternative fuels, …
Groups Urge Congress to Extend the Biodiesel Tax Credit
More than a dozen industry stakeholder organizations are asking Congressional leaders to take immediate action on bipartisan legislation to extend the biodiesel tax incentive. Thirteen trade groups representing farmers, rural lenders, crop and biobased oil producers, and biodiesel producers sent a letter this week to House and Senate leadership stressing the urgent need for the rural economy. “America’s farmers and …
Michigan Hall of Fame Honors Biodiesel Ambassador
The Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame has inducted a Biodiesel Ambassador into its ranks. Chris Case was honored for his lifetime commitment to environmental stewardship in the awards created by the Muskegon Environmental Research & Education Society in 2010. National Biodiesel Board CEO Donnell Rehagen says Case is an environmental pioneer whose life’s work has forged a model for sustainable …
Lawmakers Rally for Biodiesel Tax Incentive
The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) hosted a press conference on Capitol Hill Wednesday featuring an all-star lineup of Congressional biofuels champions. The bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers included Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Rep. Abby Finkenauer (D-IA), Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-IA) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro …
Groups Urge EPA to Drop RIN Reform and Get E15 Done
Biofuel stakeholders want EPA to get rid of the excess baggage and get E15 to the finish line before summer driving season starts. The comment period on EPA’s proposed rule “Modifications to Fuel Regulations to Provide Flexibility for E15; Modifications to RFS RIN Market Regulations” ended Monday with major organizations sending in theirs at the end of the day. The …
Biodiesel Means Jobs
The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) and several of its member companies are highlighting the plight of industry workers who are impacted by the uncertainty over the future of the biodiesel tax incentive. “Because the biodiesel tax incentive has been expired for sixteen months, many companies are facing a very uncertain future. With the on-again, off-again nature of the credit, biodiesel …
Teaching Biofuels in Schools
Growth Energy, in partnership with the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE), has just released a new curriculum aimed at educating high school students about biofuels. The curriculum is the first industry-supported biofuels curriculum that provides students a guided in-classroom experience and will offer ag educators the tools needed to provide students with an array of technical skills and historical …
SW Iowa Renewable Energy Sows Seeds for Monarchs
Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy (SIRE) is one step closer to providing monarch butterflies with a new place to fill up on their cross-country journey. The ethanol plant seeded their Monarch Fueling Station this week with the help of local farmer Rick Frost. Habitat Establishment Coordinator Kevin Reynolds helped SIRE established the Monarch Fueling Station last year. “The first year there …
EPA Revisits Proposal to Publish Refinery Waiver Info
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking comment on the current process for issuing Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs) that would allowing names of refineries who have applied for and received waivers to be made public in an effort to expand transparency. EPA has reopened the comment period for 15 days on one aspect of a 2016 proposal “that basic information …
New Iowa Rep Introduces Biodiesel Tax Incentive Extension
Freshman Democrat Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer of Iowa this week introduced the Biodiesel Tax Credit Extension Act, a two-year extension of the biodiesel tax credit. Congress had previously extended the tax credit retroactively for 2017 but left it expired for 2018 and beyond. Producers and businesses at every stage of the biodiesel production and consumption process rely on these tax credits …