Indirect land use change and DDGs quality are just two of the ethanol-related topics that will be featured at the 2010 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference scheduled for June 7-9 in Atlanta. Geoff Cooper with the Renewable Fuels Association is chair of the “Maximizing DDG Quality” technical session. “We are coming off of a very late, wet harvest that presented …
Purdue Report Disputes Indirect Land Use Findings
A recently completed state-of-the-art analysis from Purdue University concludes that the California Air Resources Board (ARB) overestimated the indirect land use change (ILUC) impact of grain-based ethanol by a factor of two in developing its Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS) one year ago. The Renewable Fuels Association sent a letter sent this week to ARB Chair Mary Nichols pointing out …
Ethanol Report on What’s Wrong With RFS2
In this edition of “The Ethanol Report,” we hear from Geoff Cooper, Vice President of Research and Analysis for the Renewable Fuels Association, about what is right and what is wrong with the rule for the expanded Renewable Fuel Standard released early last month by the Environmental Protection Agency. The good news is that the RFS2 improves upon the rule …
Big Oil Behind Yet Another Biofuels Research Paper
When discussing indirect land use it brings a popular saying to mind: If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound? Only in this situation the saying should be modified as follows: If a tree is cut down in a rainforest in Brazil to sell wood, should corn …
DF Cast: RFS2 Talk at Biodiesel and Ethanol Conferences
Earlier this month, the EPA finally released its new Renewable Fuels Standard, better known as RFS2. It was just in time as both the biodiesel and ethanol industries held their national conferences just days after the announcement, prompting multiple sessions at each gathering to discuss the implications of the new rules. In this edition of the Domestic Fuel Cast, we …
Ethanol Still Being Penalized By EPA
The U.S. Grains Council is holding its 7th Annual International Marketing Conference and 50th Annual Membership Meeting in Mexico. One of the main purposes of this meeting is for the organization to create a new working plan for the development of U.S. grain exports and a bright spot for corn growers has been the growth in the export of DDGS. …
DF Cast: Ethanol, Biodiesel Industries Welcome RFS-2
It’s been a long time in the making, but the Environmental Protection Agency has finally released the new Renewable Fuels Standard … better known as RFS-2. The standard requires that biofuels will have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to the gasoline and diesel fuels they displace and grow in production from last year’s 11.1 billion gallons to 36 billion …
Farm Bureau Pleased with Climate Bill Delay
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) is pleased with a decision by Senate leadership last week to delay consideration of climate change legislation until the spring of 2010. During a recent interview before the delay was announced, AFBF president Bob Stallman said the agricultural organization opposed the climate change bill that was passed by the House, despite provisions included that …
World Biofuels Group Urges Action at Climate Change Conference
A global biofuels organization is urging world leaders to recognize the environmental benefits of renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel. The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) is calling on delegates to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen December 7-18 “to seize the historic opportunity to recognize the environmental importance of biofuels and begin to develop …
Novozymes Responds to Science, Indirect Land Use Debate
The Science magazine article that was published last week and co-authored by Tim Searchinger, a lawyer, has added another level of controversy to the indirect land use change (ILUC) debate. The article suggested the land use effects of fuel produced from various forms of biomass were miscalculated, in part, because they cause deforestation around the world as land is cleared …