All of the major ethanol organizations in the country have made statements refuting an article in Science journal this week regarding indirect land use change effects of biofuels. “Fixing a Critical Climate Accounting Error”, authored by recognized ethanol-detractor Timothy Searchinger, argues that biofuels and other bio-based energies should be accountable for the biogenic tailpipe and “smokestack” CO2 emissions that are …
DF Cast: Study Shows Biodiesel’s Energy Balance
Last week, we told you new research shows how green biodiesel is. I finally got a chance to catch up with National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe to talk a little bit about this important study… and what it will mean as the Environmental Protection Agency considers a new Renewable Fuels Standard, RFS-2. In this edition of the Domestic Fuel …
Ethanol Report on Petroleum Impacts
This edition of “The Ethanol Report” features comments from Geoff Cooper with the Renewable Fuels Association on his remarks to the annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Journalists on the issue of international indirect land use change and new reports about the environmental impacts of petroleum. You can subscribe to this twice monthly podcast by following this link. Listen …
Growth Energy Urges California to Do Low Carbon Right
Growth Energy filed new scientific data last week challenging California’s proposal to use international indirect land use change assessments as part of the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). In April, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) initially approved the LCFS regulation which included provisions that could ultimately eliminate corn ethanol from the California market. “Growth Energy supports a Low …
GAO Report Gets Mixed Reviews from Ethanol Groups
Ethanol organizations received a Government Accounting Office report on biofuels this week with mixed reviews. On the plus side, the GAO report indicated that using indirect land use change to evaluate the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions for biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard may be difficult due to uncertainty in how that can accurately be measured. According to the report, …
DF Cast: RFA, NBB Submit RFS-2 Comments
Back in May, the EPA put out its proposal for the new Renewable Fuels Standard… aka RFS-2… that got a lot of people talking about what is in the new standard. Some of the biggest backers of some of the greenest fuels, ethanol and biodiesel, are worried RFS-2 will actually keep these mainstays of the renewables out of the program …
NBB, RFA Submit Biodiesel, Ethanol Comments to EPA
The comment period for the EPA’s proposed Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) has come and gone, and the leaders in the biodiesel and ethanol industries have turned in the comments they’ve collected from their members and interested parties. The National Biodiesel Board’s main contention is that the proposal contains several significant flaws: • EPA’s GHG [Greenhouse Gas] methodology relies on outdated …
Ethanol Group Finalizing Comments to EPA
The Renewable Fuels Association today released comments to be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency regarding proposed regulations to implement the expanded renewable fuel standard (RFS) program enacted by Congress in the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) in 2007. “Reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil was part of the Energy Security Act, providing economic opportunity and job creation and …
EPA Admits Uncertainty in Indirect Land Use
A group of Midwest senators led by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) dropped an amendment to appropriations legislation that would have prohibited the EPA from spending funds to include international indirect land use change (ILUC) emissions in the implementation of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). Sen. Harkin withdrew his amendment after receiving a letter from EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson that promised …
Don’t Penalize Biofuels
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a rule based on Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) that would penalize biofuel production such as corn-ethanol. The ethanol industry has banned together to fight this potential ruling, and today Growth Energy urged Congressional support of an amendment authored by Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. Specifically, the Harkin amendment to the Interior-Environment Appropriations bill, …