According to research from The Pew Charitable Trusts, the U.S. clean energy sector continues to be buffeted by policy uncertainty with 2013 investment down 9 percent from 2012 to $36.7 billion. The annual report, “Who’s Winning the Clean Energy Race? 2013,” found that steep declines in the installation of wind overshadowed a record annual deployment of 4.4 gigawatts of solar. …
USDA Rural Development Supports Biofuel Investment
USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service Administrator Lillian Salerno went on a three-state Midwest tour last week to highlight USDA investments that are helping expand business opportunities in the bio-economy, including biofuels. “Creating jobs and expanding economic opportunity for rural small businesses are top priorities for the Obama Administration,” said Salerno, who visited companies in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. “The new …
ILUC Modeling Still Unverifiable
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released their 2014 Climate Change Mitigation Report. According to the Global Renewable Fuels Association (GRFA), the report confirms that biofuels production is economically beneficial and that Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) modelling is unverifiable. The report, says GRFA spokesperson Bliss Baker, is further proof that biofuels contribute to local economies …
Iowa Gov. Branstad Expands “Fueling Our Future”
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s “Fueling Our Future” program has recognized two retailers for their innovative plans to increase accessibility to higher ethanol and biodiesel blends. Farmers Cooperative based in Mount Ayr, Iowa and Oak Street station based in Inwood, Iowa both received $125,000 to offset the cost of adding renewable fuel infrastructure for biodiesel and ethanol. In addition, he has …
Ethanol Industry Testifies About Railroad Issues
The ethanol industry testified during the Surface Transportation Board hearing to discuss issues related to insufficient rail service that the ethanol industry says has resulted in ethanol prices spikes and ethanol plants having to halt production. Chris Bliley, director of regulatory affairs for Growth Energy said in his testimony, “Make no mistake, these price spikes have not been caused by …
Bioenergy Crops Could Become Invasive Species
While some crops could hold great potential as bioenergy sources, they could also pose a threat as an invasive species. A new study in the journal Invasive Plant Science and Management says that a seed-bearing form of giant miscanthus could be trouble for farmers if it escapes cultivation. The article “The Relative Risk of Invasion: Evaluation of Miscanthus × giganteus …
Alaska Air Includes Biofuels in Sustainability Plan
Alaska Air Group announced some aggressive sustainability goals for 2020, and part of that includes aviation biofuels. This company news release says the goals and how to get there are outlined in a new report from the airline. “We believe running our business sustainably—with an eye on the long run—is simply the right thing to do,” CEO Brad Tilden said. …
Oil-Induced Rail Chaos Driving Up Gas Prices
The railroad industry is America is struggling to keep up with demand and according the Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), this is negatively affecting deliveries of ethanol and biofuel co-products. In a letter to Ed Hamberger, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), Dinneen sent a list of questions that address …
ACE: Blend Wall Cost Reporting Wrong
Several recent media reports have reported that the “blend wall” cost refiners nearly $1.35 billion last year. The blend wall is the amount of ethanol that can be blended into the fuel supply. Today is this considered “E10” and for the most part this has been achieved. The next step to hurdle the so called blend wall is to either …
Oil Spills & Contaminated Gas – Ethanol Takes On API
A recent edition of the New York Times and Politico have published what the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth Energy are calling “good-humored, but factual takedown of Big Oil’s false, hypocritical attacks against clean, renewable ethanol”. In response to American Petroleum Institute’s (API) current national anti-biofuel campaign, the two ethanol associations have published an ad that is an open …