The Environmental Protection Agency’s peer review of the renewable fuel standards lifecycle analysis released today is being characterized by corn and ethanol industry groups as biased, bizarre and puzzling.
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) says the EPA “stacked the deck against biofuels in its process to “peer review” the agency’s indirect land use change analysis (ILUC) conducted for the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) proposed rule” by including as reviewers “several noted anti-ethanol and anti-agriculture activists, including environmental lawyer Timothy Searchinger.”
“EPA has asked the foxes to guard the hen house on this issue,” said RFA President Bob Dinneen. “By adding lawyers and advocates to a scientific review panel, EPA bureaucrats have made a mockery of the Administration’s commitment to sound science.”
Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, responded to the release of the study today by calling on Congress to repeal the ILUC provision in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act.
“We need to stop this nonsense. This is the most bizarre concept I have ever seen. EPA’s peer review proves that too much uncertainty about the economic modeling, data and science exists to allow this to ever become regulation. Even the peer review committee could not agree,” Buis said.
National Corn Growers Association president Bob Dickey says they are disappointed in the lack of objectivity in the review.
“We are dismayed by EPA’s complete disregard for an approach that is fair and balanced. We are also puzzled as to why the United States Department of Agriculture, which has extensive knowledge related to this issue, was in no way included in the peer review process,” Dickey said. “We call upon the EPA to modify its approach to reflect the commitment of President Obama to adhere to policies based on sound science and a transparent process.”
According to EPA, the peer reviewers “are recognized as leading experts in their respective fields, which include: lifecycle assessment, economic modeling, remote sensing imagery, biofuel technologies, soil science, agricultural economics, and climate science.” EPA will consider the peer review results along with public comments received, and implement the reviewer’s technical recommendations to the greatest extent possible.
Hey all you marketers out there – listen up! This week I reviewed a book on how to successfully market your environmentally friendly product through the “Gort Cloud”. What is the Gort Cloud you ask? “The vast but invisible community that has the power to make or break green brands and much of this community and interaction is done online. The Gort Cloud is the discovery of marketing and branding expert Richard Seireeni who is the author of this week’s book, 
Some components of the Gort Cloud include providers, provider support, rule makers and watchdogs, advocacy groups, special – interest authorities, information disseminators, green search engines, social networks, lifestyle movements, reuse, recycle, in-person exchange, competitions, campaign and fundraisers, education and career. Seireeni talks in detail about these components and how to tap into them.
To help the ethanol industry, 
A maker of parts for biodiesel and ethanol operations says it has been awarded a “Notice of Allowance” by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a device that is supposed to make it easier to harvest algae to make biofuels.
A new biodiesel plant in East Tennessee is the first of its kind for that part of the state.
A Texas wind energy company is getting into the bioidesel business.
Federal grants totaling $2.4 billion will be handed out for the development of fuel-saving, battery-powered vehicles.
There’s a new radio show in town… and its focus is something near and dear to the hearts of many of you who read this blog.
O’Hanlon says while most people focus on clean, green and sustainable, his show will feature the economic side of it – job creation, cost savings, cost competitiveness and the opportunity to invest in various technologies and companies in renewables.
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