Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is defending the Obama Administration’s proposal to cut the 2014 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) as part of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for the amount of renewable fuels to be blended into gasoline and diesel. But some of the people he spoke to, along with several biofuel advocates, are questioning the legality of the cuts. …
Repub. & Dem. Senators Call for Biodiesel Support
Nearly a third of the U.S. Senate, with lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle, calls for support from the Obama Administration regarding biodiesel and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The National Biodiesel Board says the group represents people from Washington state to Minnesota to Maine and calls for a volume requirement of at least 1.7 billion gallons next …
Legislation Introduced to Support Renewable Electricity
U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-NM) and Mark Udall (D-CO) have introduced a bill that if passed, would establish a national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES). The bill would require utilities to generate 25 percent of their power from wind, solar and other renewable energy sources by 2025. The first cousins, say the bill would create jobs, reduce pollution, reduce dependence on …
Energy-Efficiency Standards Could Save Consumers $$
According to a new report, Energy Efficiency Performance Standards: The Cornerstone of Consumer-Friendly Energy Policy, consumers could save nearly $1,000 on annual household energy costs if energy-efficient performance standards were more prevalent and understood. The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) report also finds a broad consensus among a variety of independent policy evaluations that energy-efficiency performance standards, when effectively implemented, …
House Hears Debate on Wind Production Credit
Some pretty ill winds are blowing around Washington, D.C. these days, and some of those are directed at the wind energy industry. As I told you yesterday about what would come, Republicans launched their attack in the House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee on Energy Policy, arguing, according to this blog post from The Hill, that the production tax credit …
Wind Production Tax Credit Part of House Hearing
As lawmakers battle over the budget and Obamacare, the wind production tax credit could also come under fire. This blog posting from the political paper, The Hill, says House Republicans today are taking aim at the credits at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing. “With the federal government currently at a standstill over budget negotiations, it is imperative …
Emotions Mixed on EU Biofuels Vote
There are very mixed emotions with the European Union’s (EU) vote on the biofuels and indirect land use change (ILUC) that took place earlier this week. The EU voted for 6 percent cap. In October of 2012, MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) were voting to cap the amount of land-based and food-based biofuels used in transport fuel. In October, …
Legislation Would Save $65B In Energy Costs
According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), proposed bipartisan energy efficiency legislation has the potential to save the nation billions while creating domestic jobs and reducing energy waste. The Energy Savings & Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013 (S. 1392) was introduced by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) and is pending floor consideration when …
Biodiesel Board CEO Tells Congress RFS is Working
As lawmakers debated the value of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), the CEO of the National Biodiesel Board made the case on CSPAN that his group’s green fuel is delivering on those RFS promises. “First, under the RFS, the advanced biofuel and biomass-based diesel categories programs are working. And second, with the help of the RFS, biodiesel is reducing consumer …
Hartzler Cites “Priority and Balance” in Energy Bill
The U.S. House has passed a $30 billion energy and water bill that has some significant cuts to renewable energy programs. Led by Republicans, the measure passed mostly along party lines. Missouri GOP Rep. Vicky Hartzler, who sits on two key committees tied to the bill, Agriculture and Budget, acknowledged in an interview with Cindy that many of her rural …