Just when you thought it couldn’t get any lower, Big Oil manages to take it to another level… a much lower level. In a story from Reuters, the American Petroleum Institute’s Jack Gerard is quoted as comparing the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to cancer. While talking about how Congress should address ethanol Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs), Gerard is reported saying, …
EPA Report Recommends Better Monitoring of RFS
A new internal report recommends the Environmental Protection Agency improve its monitoring of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program. This article in Biodiesel Magazine reports the EPA’s own Inspector General conducted the audit and made the recommendation in response to the generation of millions of dollars of fraudulent renewable identification numbers (RINs). According to the report, the EPA did not …
REG Chief: Biodiesel Set to Meet RFS Obligations
As the government considers the 2014 volume obligation for biodiesel under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the man in charge of the nation’s largest biodiesel producer says his green fuel is ready to meet the mandates. On the E&ETV show OnPoint, Dan Oh, CEO of the Renewable Energy Group (REG) said biodiesel can be relied upon to provide advanced biofuels. …
BIO Tells EPA to Just Say No to Big Oil’s RFS Waiver
Big Oil is trying to get out of its obligations under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), but an organization with close ties to the biofuels industry is calling on the government to stand its ground. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is asking Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy to reject the recent petition from American Petroleum Institute and American …
Senator Calls for Review of RINS Market
Senate Agriculture Committee chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) is asking the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to review allegations of manipulation in the markets for Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs), the tracking mechanism to ensure petroleum blenders and refiners meet their requirements under the Renewable Fuels Standard. Press reports have highlighted potential speculation and manipulation of the unregulated markets, possibly contributing to …
DF Cast: Ethanol Battles for Info & Against the Gov’t
Understanding what the auto industry wants and needs… and how ethanol can meet that… all while battling Big Oil and even the government… that’s the daunting task the ethanol industry has been facing for some time. In this edition of the Domestic Fuel Cast, we talk with Dave Vander Griend, the co-founder and president of one of the world’s largest …
RFS Dominates DC Policymakers Conversations
Fuels America launched an educational program in Washington, D.C. this week to highlight the importance of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The program highlights the key benefits of the energy policy and includes messaging that carpets Metro stations most traveled by policymakers and their staff. “The RFS is important not only for corn farmers but also for our nation as …
Accusing RFS of Driving Food Prices is a Whopper
The National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR), the lobbying arm for the fast food industry, is returning to the Hill today to continue its anti-RFS (Renewable Fuel Standard) campaign. Food preparation is a tough job. With rising criticism for the industry’s high profits relative to low wage practices and advertising schemes, things for the industry are a bit rough these …
API’s Broken Record
The American Petroleum Institute (API) has submitted a report to Congress regarding the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and according to Bob Greco, API’s downstream group director, the RFS is “broken beyond repair”. In a press call, he called the RFS a “reality gap” and argued that with gasoline demand being down decreasing imports and levels of cellulosic biofuels being “disappointing” …
Welcome Back E15
E15 is back. The summer volatility restrictions for E15 end on September 15, 2013 and the 15 percent ethanol blend will again be available to consumers with vehicles 2001 and newer. Due to EPA’s disparate regulatory treatment of volatility for E15 and E10, retailers were forced to change their pump labels on June 1, 2013 and offer E15 to flex-fuel …