Biofuel organizations welcomed the release Wednesday of USDA’s interim rule on Technical Guidelines for Climate-Smart Agriculture Crops Used as Biofuel Feedstocks, in addition to a beta version Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator, and the Department of Energy release of the 45ZCF-GREET model The rule establishes guidelines for quantifying, reporting, and verifying the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of corn, …
Sec. Vilsack Bids Farewell with Climate-Smart Agriculture Rule
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack held his last official press conference of his tenure at USDA on Wednesday, announcing the publication of an interim rule on Technical Guidelines for Climate-Smart Agriculture Crops Used as Biofuel Feedstocks. The interim rule establishes guidelines for quantifying, reporting, and verifying the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the production of biofuel feedstock commodity crops …
USDA Awards Another $60 Million in HBIIP Grants
On Friday, USDA announced nearly $60 million in grants awarded through Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) to expand access to domestic biofuels in 24 states. The states included are: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. Among …
USDA Increases Corn for Ethanol Forecast
USDA’s World Agricultural Supply & Demand Estimate for December calls for greater corn use for ethanol, larger exports, and lower ending stocks. Corn used to produce ethanol is raised 50 million bushels to 5.5 billion, based on the most recent data from the Grain Crushings and Co-Products Production report and weekly ethanol production data as reported by the Energy Information …
Ag Secretary Nominee Ready to Make Ag Great Again
After a fake news rumor late Friday naming a former U.S. Senator from Georgia, President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday nominated Texas native Brooke Rollins, president and chief executive officer of the America First Policy Institute, to become the 33rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. “As our next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will spearhead the effort to protect American Farmers, who are …
Implementation Plan for SAF Challenge Released
The U.S. Departments of Energy, Transportation, and Agriculture have released the Implementation Framework for the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge Roadmap. The SAF Grand Challenge was launched in 2021 as a government-wide strategy for identifying new technologies to produce SAF on a commercial scale with the overall goal to produce three billion gallons per year of domestic SAF by …
Kip Tom Reflects on Trump Election
Indiana farmer Kip Tom is one of several names being floated as possible Secretary of Agriculture in the new Trump Administration. Tom runs a successful international farming operation and served as Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture during President Trump’s previous term. “When I think about President Trump and comparing 45 to 47, my perception is …
USDA Announces $239 Million for Domestic Biofuels
USDA this week announced the awarding of $39 million in grants to increase the availability of domestic biofuels in 18 states, and an allocation making $200 million available through the new Biobased Market Access and Development Grants from Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds. Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced the awards and funding made possible through the Higher Blends Infrastructure …
USDA Celebrates $3 Billion for Climate-Smart Commodities
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack traveled to Pennsylvania last week to celebrate investing over $3 billion in 135 projects under the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities since its creation in September 2022. Vilsack highlighted the initiative’s success to date, including: – Enrollment of over 3.2 million acres of working land into climate-smart practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon. …
ACE Submits Comments on Climate-Smart Ag Practices
The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) this week submitted virtual comments in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) request for information on the production of biofuel feedstocks using climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices. ACE CEO Brian Jennings emphasized the organization’s key priorities and encouraged USDA to continue engaging with Treasury and leverage ACE’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) projects …