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 …
2011 Renewable Fuels Standards Set
The EPA has finalized the 2011 percentage standards for the four categories of fuel under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2). As such, each producer and importer of gasoline and diesel determines the minimum volume of renewable fuel that it must ensure is used during the year in its transportation fuel. The required use of biofuels will increase each year until …
RFA Calls on EPA to Update RFS2 ILUC Models
Earlier this month, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) made a positive step for ethanol by updating its indirect land use models in the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). This in effect, will reduce the ILUC penalties in half. Unfortunately, the new rule doesn’t take effect until mid-2011 although LCFS kicks in on January 1, 2011. In light of this …
CHS Energy Remains Bullish on Ethanol
CHS Energy is bullish on ethanol. That’s according to CHS Energy Director of Sales Mark Fenner, who was giving interviews at the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting meeting in Kansas City. “We don’t know about the tax incentives, but even without it, I think we’re going to see strong use for ethanol because it is less expensive than traditional …
Brazil Ethanol Industry On Display At COP-16
In an effort to showcase decades of renewable energy use, the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) will be participating in events during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-16) and the World Climate Summit (WCS) which are taking place in tandem in Cancun, Mexico from November 29-December 10. According to UNICA, nearly 50 percent of all of Brazil’s energy comes …
Brazil Starts Ethanol Pipeline Construction
Brazilian energy company Petrobras officially began work this week on a $3.3 billion ethanol pipeline that will be able to transport 21 million cubic meters of ethanol per year from north central Brazil’s Goias state to the Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo states. Once complete, the pipeline will replace daily delivery runs by 1,500 tanker trucks. At present, 95 percent …
Guidance on Ethanol, Biodiesel in Underground Tanks
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is putting out a draft copy of its guidance for the storage of ethanol- and biodiesel-blended fuels in underground storage tanks (USTs). This article from Biodiesel Magazine says that while the agency seems to have a handle on gasoline with more than 10 percent ethanol, there’s a bit more gray area when it comes to …