With uncertainty around the major federal wind incentive, the Sierra Club has launched a national ad campaign urging Congress to reauthorize the critical incentive for domestic wind energy investments. The campaign focuses on Members of Congress with wind manufacturing jobs in their districts and states that are at risk of the Wind Production Tax Credit is not renewed. The first …
Calif. to Crack Down on Biodiesel Feedstock Thieves
Theft of kitchen grease to be made into biodiesel has been a growing problem, as entrepreneurs and home brewers have caught on to the low-cost way to make the fuel. In California, according to the Crown City News, a measure to crack down on stealing what used to be just thrown out is advancing in the state legislature, passing by …
Rural Wind Energy Development Act Introduced
A bill to help rural areas get more power from the wind has been introduced. Representatives Earl Blumenauer (OR-03) and Tom Cole (OK-04) say their Rural Wind Energy Development Act will provide an investment tax credit to ranchers, farmers, and small businesses to offset the up-front costs of owning a distributed wind turbine. Small wind turbines (generating up to 20 …
Iowa Gov Signs Biodiesel, Ethanol Measures into Law
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has signed into law measures seen as good for ethanol and biodiesel in his state, a move much welcomed in an area that is a major player in the renewable fuel market. Branstad was joined by other state dignitaries, as well as officials from the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) and ethanol producer POET, which hosted …
Renewable Energy Takes Hit in Farm Bill Funding
Funding for some rural renewable energy programs is taking a hit. Ethanol Producer Magazine reports the House Appropriations Committee cut the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) down to just $15 million, down from last year’s levels of $25 million, and Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) for fiscal year 2015 is proposed to be funded at just $30 million, down …
Minnesota is First to Mandate B10 Biodiesel
The land of 10,000 lakes becomes the first for another 10… a 10 percent biodiesel mandate. The move from a B5 to B10 blending requirement for summer months starting this July 1st was welcomed by the growers of the most popular feedstock, soybeans. “I’m very pleased that common sense is still alive and well and that our legislators voted for …
Senate Dems Against Obama on Biodiesel Proposal
Normally, they would be considered pretty staunch allies of President Obama. But a group of Democratic U.S. Senators have taken the Administration to task for its handling of the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to drastically reduce the amount of biodiesel required to be blended into the Nation’s fuel supply. “The EPA’s preliminary November rule will be disastrous,” said Illinois Senator …
Ag Subcommittee Hears Pros and Cons of RFS
The food versus fuel debate arose once again in front of Congress. At last week’s U.S. House Ag Subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C., opponents and proponents of the Renewable Fuels Standard presented their arguments on the RFS and its impact on the livestock industry. One of the biggest opponents of the RFS is the poultry industry. Their members argued that …
Oklahoma Institutes “Sun” Tariff
The Oklahoma legislature has passed a bill that institutes a tax on the sun and wind (distributed generation). Beginning November 1, 2014, residents who use solar or wind energy and want to connect their renewable energy to the grid, must begin paying a “solar surcharge” to utilities for the privilege. The bill was signed into law on April 21 (notably …
Iowa Moves Forward Biodiesel, Ethanol Incentives
While the fate of some national biofuels incentives remain up in the air, Iowa takes the bull by the horns and passes its own incentives for biodiesel and ethanol. The State House has followed the State Senate’s lead and passed SF2344, a measure that provides a incentive to producers $.02 per gallon refundable credit on the first 25 million gallons …