Nobody seems to be happy about the tax breaks/unemployment benefits deal announced by President Obama yesterday and no one is sure what all it ultimately will include, but Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says that ethanol blenders tax credit and associated tariff, as well as the biodiesel tax credit may be in it. During his regular weekly conference call with reporters …
2010 Green Fuels Awards Announced
The 2010 Green Fuels Award recipients have been announced by the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association during the 7th Annual Canadian Renewable Fuels Summit in Ottawa-Gatineau. The awards honor pioneers in the development and commercialization of low carbon renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel in Canada. The Fuel Change Award 2010 was presented to Husky Energy Inc. for their promotion …
Congress May Make Deal on Tax Cuts
After defeating a compromise measure proposed by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) to extend the Bush tax cuts only for the middle class, the talk on Capitol Hill is now turning to a deal that would keep all of the tax cuts in exchange for extending unemployment benefits. Baucus had proposed a compromise amendment late Thursday that would have continued unemployment …
Deforestation Decline Debunks Land Use Change Theory
Rainforest deforestation rates have reached new lows, which further challenges the theory of international land use change that has been used to penalize corn ethanol for its carbon footprint. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced today that deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon declined 14 percent from August 2009 to July 2010, reaching the lowest rates ever recorded …
Senators Write Letter Supporting Ethanol Incentives
While a group of senators yesterday urged an end to ethanol incentives, another group sent a letter supporting an extension of the current tax credit and associated tariff. The letter, sent to Senate leadership and signed by Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Kent Conrad (D-ND) with 13 others, asked that the ethanol incentives be “a high priority on the Senate’s …
Canadians Look to Up Biodiesel, Ethanol Requirements
On the heels of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency setting the Renewable Fuels Standards for 2011, our friends north of the border are looking at increasing the amount of ethanol and biodiesel in fuel in Canada. The Toronto Sun reports the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association wants to see the federal government double the ethanol-in-gasoline mandate from 5 percent to 10 …
Thank You EPA!
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is celebrating 40 years on December 2, 2010. To commemorate their anniversary, Green For All, a national organization dedicated to building a green economy, launched ThankYouEPA.com. The site lists several of EPA’s more important accomplishments and encourages Americans to share those successes through social media tools like Facebook and Twitter. EPA’s actions have…. • …
Big Ethanol NASCAR Announcement Coming This Week
The famed fountains of the Bellagio in Las Vegas will be the site of a big announcement this Thursday afternoon by NASCAR and Growth Energy. The announcement will be made by NASCAR CEO Brian France and Hall of Fame Driver Rusty Wallace, along with Growth Energy Co-Chairman (Ret.) Gen. Wesley Clark during the NASCAR Champions Week in Las Vegas. Growth …
Some Senators Urge End to Ethanol Incentives
U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ), together with 15 other senators, today sent a letter to the Senate leadership expressing their “lack of support for extending the current 54-cent-per-gallon tariff on ethanol imports and the 45-cent-per-gallon subsidy for blending ethanol into gasoline.” Calling the incentives for domestic ethanol production “fiscally indefensible,” the senators wrote that ending them …
ACORE Forum to Spotlight Renewable Energy Policy
Renewable energy policy will be in the spotlight next week at the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) forum being held December 8-9 in Washington, D.C. According to ACORE, the Phase II Renewable Energy in America National Policy Forum will feature bi-partisan discussion of key energy issues. Each panel will begin with a topical presentation, followed by a conservative point …