As expected, the California Air Resources Board today filed an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to challenge last week’s ruling that the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) violates the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) responded to the expected action by noting that the judge who issued the …
DuPont and NexSteppe Team for New Bio Feedstocks
Two companies have teamed up to develop advanced feedstocks for biofuels, biopower and biobased products. The collaboration between DuPont and the bio-based firm NexSteppe will be working on new feedstocks for renewable energy, including sweet sorghum and high biomass sorghum hybrids. Under the agreement, DuPont has made an equity investment in NexSteppe, and through its Pioneer Hi-Bred business, will provide …
BASF Invests in Cellulosic Sugar Company
Global chemical giant BASF has invested $30 million in a Pennsylvania-based company that has developed a process to produce cellulosic sugars for renewable chemicals and biofuels. BASF, through subsidiary BASF Biorenewable Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG led a $50 million financing round in the technology firm Renmatix Inc. Renmatix has developed the patented Plantrose™ platform whereby industrial sugar can be …
Corn Growers Pleased with Ruling on California LCFS
Corn growers are pleased with the ruling last week by a Federal District Court judge in Fresno, California that the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) violates the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution and is therefore unconstitutional. The ruling is in response to a suit filed in December 2009 by the Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy asserting that …
Top Ethanol Stories to Watch in 2012
At the end of 2011, the Renewable Fuels Association identified the top five stories of the year for the ethanol industry. With the new year now underway, the RFA has predicted the top stories to watch in 2012. They are: 1. First commercial availability of E15 for use in 2001 and newer vehicles 2. Free and fair trade for ethanol …
Two Abengoa Plants Shut Down Temporarily
Abengoa Bioenergy is starting 2012 by shutting down production indefinitely at the company’s two smallest ethanol plants, located in Portales, New Mexico and Colwich, Kansas. Company officials say the plant closures are temporary and due to current depressed market conditions for ethanol. The two plants amount to 55 million gallons per year of production. Abengoa is a major biofuels producer …
Top Two Iowa Winners Support Renewable Fuels
The two Republican presidential candidates who topped the Iowa Caucus in a virtual dead heat Tuesday night are both considered to be supporters of renewable fuels. According to the Iowans Fueled with Pride Iowa Caucus Voters Guide, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum were two of four candidates who expressed support for major renewable energy issues, including the Renewable Fuels Standard. …
Federal Judge Finds California LCFS Unconstitutional
A Federal District Court judge in Fresno, California has sided with America’s ethanol industry in ruling that the State of California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) violates the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution and is therefore unconstitutional. In a joint statement, Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen and Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis said: “The state of …
EPA Lowers Cellulosic Ethanol Target
Cellulosic ethanol continues to be out of reach for commercial use, according to the latest Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) requirements set by the Environmental Protection Agency for 2012. “EPA has essentially reduced the mandate for cellulosic, recognizing the fact that there aren’t supplies out there to meet it,” said USDA chief economist Joe Glauber. Back in 2007, Congress set a …
EPA Finalizes 2012 Renewable Fuel Standards
After nearly a month delay, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released final Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) requirements for 2012. The final 2012 overall volumes and standards are: Biomass-based diesel (1.0 billion gallons; 0.91 percent) Advanced biofuels (2.0 billion gallons; 1.21 percent) Cellulosic biofuels (8.65 million gallons; 0.006 percent) Total renewable fuels (15.2 billion gallons; 9.23 percent) The percentage standards …