Officials with the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) say a letter criticizing biofuels sent to British Prime Minister David Cameron by a group led by two of the world’s largest multinational food companies is “biased and misleading.” “Nestlé Chairman, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe who co-authored this misguided attack on biofuels has no credibility on this issue,” said Bliss Baker, spokesperson for the …
RFA Offers Communications Training Webinar
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) will host a free Communications Training webinar on Wednesday, June 19 at 1 p.m. CT. The training session is open to all RFA member companies and anyone interested in helping local ethanol plants promote the value of ethanol is encouraged to participate. The webinar will focus on different methods of community engagement: Website and Newsletter …
API Files E15 Brief with Supreme Court
The American Petroleum Institute (API) filed a brief with the Supreme Court this week regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) approval of a blend of E15, 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline. API claims that the ethanol fuel blend has been shown to damage millions of cars on the road. “E15 could leave millions of consumers with broken down …
RFS Hearing – Study in Hyprocrisy
The U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Health Care and Entitlements held a hearing to discuss the future of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS),”Up Against the Blend Wall: Examining EPA’s Role in the Renewable Fuel Standard.” While many were on the witness list, none actually worked in the biofuels industry. The ethanol industry was quick to …
Corn Growers React to Rice Climate & Corn Study
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is questioning the results of a recent study from Rice University and University of California that looked 40 years ahead at farming and climate change. The study finds corn ethanol has water issues that outweigh potential reductions in tailpipe emissions. In response, NCGA is saying they need to go back to the “research table”. …
ICM & NCAT Sign Software Deal
ICM has signed a software development and marketing agreement with Houston, Texas -based NCAT, Inc. to co-develop and market the Inseo Suite line of software services. ICM has been granted exclusive rights to market the first release to Inseo Suite, the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Module, to the biofuels and alcohol manufacturing industry worldwide The Inseo Suite application utilizes NCAT’s …
Climate Change Raises Stakes on US Biofuels Policy
According to a new study by Rice University and the University of California at Davis, if the climate continues to evolve as predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the U.S. stands little to no chance of satisfying its current biofuels goals. The study, published in journal Environmental Science and Technology suggests that in 40 years, a hotter planet …
Study: EPA Lacks Transparency in Feedstock Approvals
A study from a pair of University of Illinois researchers says the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lacks “transparency and clarity” when it comes to approving new feedstocks for biofuels as new pathway determinations. In farmdocdaily.com, James McCubbins and Bryan Endres say that if it’s not biodiesel or corn ethanol, it seems to take a lot longer to get the agency’s …
Project Volt Gas Volt – A Breakthrough Program?
During the EU Parliament in Brussels, a “breakthrough” green renewable energy program coined Project Volt Gas Volt was called for to make fossil fuel and first generation biofuel use obsolete. The call was made by Corinne Lepage, Member of the European Parliament (also the former French Minister of the Environment) and American Professor of Management, Robert I. Bell. According to …
Free Ethanol Seminars Coming in Nebraska
The next two Ethanol Safety Seminars will take place in Grand Island and Columbus, Nebraska on June 12, 2013 and June 13, 2013. The safety seminars are sponsored by the Nebraska Central Railroad and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). The sessions are FREE to attend and open to the public. Attendees will receive in-depth information on proper training techniques that …