The Low Carbon Fuel Standard is set to go into effect in less than two weeks yet there are concerns among the ethanol industry that regulations will be implemented without having the appropriate reporting and compliance tools in place. Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association submitted a letter earlier this week to Dean Simeroth, Chief of …
Biodiesel Makers Worry About Hit During Tax Break Wait
Biodiesel producers are worried the wait for the renewal … or even worse, the failure of renewal … of a crucial tax credit, set to expire in just more than a month, could be a death knell for the industry. The Houston Chronicle reports that despite efforts already underway in the U.S. House and Senate to renew the $1 per …
Biodiesel Board Asks Congress to Extend Tax Incentive
An important tax incentive on biodiesel is about to expire, and the National Biodiesel Board is scrambling to get it renewed. Biodiesel Magazine reports that the NBB is lobbying lawmakers to renew the $1-per-gallon biodiesel tax incentive, which encourages biodiesel use by making it competitive with petroleum diesel fuel. NBB argues that if the incentive is allowed to expire on …
Lawmakers to Close Paper Biofuels Loophole
Paper companies that have been cashing in on an alternative fuels tax credit could soon see that loophole close. This story from Reuters says lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives say they will end those paper companies’ ability to collect a $1-a-gallon tax credit that the companies have getting by adding black liquor, a by-product of producing paper, to …
Climate Bill Set for Markup without Republicans
The Kerry-Boxer climate bill is set for markup tomorrow (Tuesday, Nov. 3) in the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee… whether or not any Republicans decide to come along. The “Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act,” introduced by Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) is set for passage out of committee. According to this story from …
BIO to Congress: Don’t Put Biofuels in Double Jeopardy
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is trying to head off any possible efforts to subject biodiesel and ethanol to another set of greenhouse gas emission regulations that would effectively put the green fuels under a double jeopardy situation. Arguing that biofuels are already regulated under the Renewable Fuels Standard, BIO has sent a letter to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chair …
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 …
Renewable Energy Interests Praise, Criticize Boxer-Kerry Climate Bill
Backers of weaning the U.S. off of non-renewable, foreign petroleum are giving mixed reviews to the latest climate bill introduced today in the U.S. Senate. Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) debuted the “Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act,” an 821-page bill designed to “create clean energy jobs, reduce pollution, and protect American security by enhancing domestic …
Biodiesel Industry Split Over End of B99 Bill
While the biodiesel industry’s biggest advocacy group is praising a bill that could make B99 a thing of the past, not all biodiesel makers are glad to see the change. This article from Biodiesel Magazine says the Biodiesel Tax Incentive Reform and Extension Act, introduced last month by U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), is being hailed …
Wind Energy Gets Billion Dollar Boost from Congress
Wind turbines could become more efficient and reliable, with some help from a $1-billion program that has just passed the U.S. House. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) is the sponsor of the measure that the San Francisco Chronicle says aims to ensure that the biggest of the wind-generating turbines will be the most cost effective… important if wind energy is to …