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 of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, asking that recently drafted cap-and-trade legislation be amended to clearly state that biofuels, including the biofuel component of fuel blends, are not obligated under the emissions cap:
Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO’s Industrial & Environmental Section, stated, “When it comes to climate change legislation, Congress has focused a great deal of attention on stationary emission sources, such as coal-fired power plants. We cannot, however, achieve a low-carbon future without biofuels, because biofuels can play a key role in reducing direct CO2 emissions from the transportation sector. While fossil fuels release carbon that has been stored deep underground for millions of years into the atmosphere, biofuels recycle atmospheric carbon. In some cases, biomass production can sequester more carbon in the soil than is released into the atmosphere through biofuel combustion. Biofuels should therefore not be treated in the same manner as fossil fuels under any climate change cap-and-trade legislation.
BIO goes on to point out that under the RFS, biofuels are already required to achieve substantial lifecycle greenhouse gas improvements compared to petroleum-based fuels.
Vehicles went through chassis dynamometer testing as part of the study. The dynamometer simulated different road and vehicle operating conditions, allowing researchers to fully measure a number of important data points to measure the performance of different ethanol blends.
According to the company, the offering is expected to price before 9:30 am EDT on Tuesday, October 6. Lazard Capital Markets LLC is acting as the sole book-running manager for the offering.
Richard Jundzil, 
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Chris Standlee, Executive Vice President of Abengoa Bioenergy, was reelected Chairman of the Board for a third term. Chris was first elected chair in October 2007. Joining Standlee in reelection as an officer is long time RFA member and ethanol industry veteran Nate Kimpel. Kimpel, General Manager of New Energy Corporation in South Bend, Indiana, will continue to serve as RFA Treasurer. Bob Dinneen was also reelected as President of the association, a post he has held since 2001.
On the plus side, the GAO report indicated that using indirect land use change to evaluate the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions for biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard may be difficult due to uncertainty in how that can accurately be measured. According to the report, “Many researchers told GAO there is general agreement on the approach for measuring the direct effects of biofuels production on lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions but disagreement about how to estimate the indirect effects on global land use change, which EPA is required to assess in determining RFS compliance. In particular, researchers disagree about what nonagricultural lands will be converted to sustain world food production to replace land used to grow biofuels crops.”
According to the Alexandria Times, about thirty gallons of ethanol was spilled on a concrete pade at the Norfolk Southern Corporation’s “transloading” facility this morning and the facility failed to notify the Alexandria Fire Department about the spill.