Some biodiesel plants in North Dakota could be enjoying new operations incentives, if a proposed bill passes that state’s legislature and gains the governor’s signature. The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reports the measure, currently before the state legislature’s Energy Development and Transmission Committee, would give up to $1.5 million in incentives annually: The amount would be determined by multiplying the number …
Bobbing In Petroleum
As the ethanol industry continues to fight for its subsidies before they expire at the end of the year, and the biodiesel industry has been fighting to survive without the $1 tax credit, the U.S. Senate did not even hesitate to preserve the oil industry’s subsidies. In addition, the Senate has yet to pass any comprehensive energy policy that would …
Energy Dept. Extends Loan Application Deadline
Renewable energy projects will have a little more time to apply for federal government loan guarantees. Biomass Magazine reports the U.S. Department of Energy has moved the deadline for the July 2009 energy efficiency, renewable energy and advanced transmission and distribution technologies solicitations six weeks later to October 5th of this year: The newly-created Round 8, Part I of the …
Kerry Proposes New Biodiesel Tax Break Renewal Route
The renewal of the $1-a-gallon biodiesel tax credit seems to have been left in the doldrums as the U.S. Senate went to August recess without agreement on the number of amendments to the Small Business Bill, which contained a renewal of the incentive. But Biodiesel Magazine reports that a whole new bill, “The Clean Energy Technology Leadership Act of 2010,” …
New York Officially Passes Bioheat Legislation
In a follow-up to a story written last week, New York has officially passed air quality legislation that includes a provision to ensure that only Bioheat, a blend of heating oil and biodiesel, is used with the city. The unanimous vote, 45-0, ensures that starting October 2012, all home heating and oil will contain at least 2 percent biodiesel. The …
CARB Proposes LCFS Soil Sustainability Provisions
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is far from over on discrediting biofuels as part of their mandated policy known as the Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS). For the past year, the ethanol industry has been embroiled in a fight for proper reflections of biofuel’s indirect greenhouse gas emissions, aka indirect land use. Now, CARB has created a working group …
Senator Reid Introduces Limited Energy Bill
With the climate bill in flux in the Senate, there are new concerns surfacing that climate legislation is dead in the water, stalling political efforts to revive the economy though the development of clean tech jobs. In response, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) responded last week by proposing a new piece of limited energy legislation that would limit offshore …
Truckstop Operators Lobby for Biodiesel Incentive Renewal
The group that represents truckstops and travel plazas is urging renewal of the federal $1-a-gallon biodiesel tax incentive. Refrigerated Transporter reports that NATSO has teamed up with other partners in the industry, such as the National Association of Convenience Stores, the Petroleum Marketers Association of America, and the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America, to send a letter to …
What Role Will Sugarcane Ethanol Play in the US?
I have my eye on California. They are leading the way in “green” policies; yet they make it difficult for companies with “green” products to get permits. They are also in the middle of a new Governors campaign and I can’t help but wonder if a new Governor will undo or improve any of the state’s current policies. One in …
Loss of Biodiesel Incentive Killings Plants, Mandates
It’s been more than six months since the federal $1-a-gallon biodiesel tax incentive was allowed to expire, and more refineries … and even some mandates … are in serious trouble. This story from News14 in Charlotte, North Carolina says Patriot Biodiesel in Greensboro is in danger of closing because of the loss of the credit: “People aren’t buying biodiesel, not …