The only action remaining before the ethanol industry has the best holiday present of the season is President Obama’s signature. In what could literally be defined as the 25th hour, Congress passed the tax bill on Thursday that included a one-year tax extension for several key ethanol tax incentives. In the most heated subsidy debate in history, ethanol was the …
The Hail Storm Against the Tax Package Intensifies
While many in the domestic U.S. energy industry were giving sighs of relief yesterday after the Senate passed the one-year extension of the tax package, others were not so calm. Two organizations in particular that are not happy with the renewal of the biofuel portion of the tax package were the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) and Friends of the …
Geological Society of America Unveils Solar System
The Geological Society of America (GSA) is now powered by solar. This month the building began offsetting about 35 percent of its energy use with its new 65 kilowatt (kW) rooftop solar energy system. The solar system will provide the company’s headquarters with 88 megawatt hours per year of energy. This project is one of three renewable energy projects planned …
Senate Passes Tax Package
The Senate has overwhelmingly passed what is likely to be an early Christmas present for everyone, including renewable energy interests, with tax credits for ethanol and biodiesel extended for another year. The vote was 81 to 19 to pass the bill, which was primarily to extend both unemployment benefits and the Bush era tax cuts. The House is expected to …
Opinion Piece Defends Palm Oil Biodiesel
A decision by Hawaiian Electric Co. (HECO) to build a biodiesel plant that will convert palm oil into biodiesel to be used by the utility to produce electricity has garnered the ire of some environmentalists, who decry the use of palm oil for the green fuel. But this opinion piece in the Honolulu Star Advertiser defends the plant. Tom Tanton, …
AWEA Says “Don’t Forget About Wind Tax Credit”
As much of the talk on this blog has focused on the renewal of the biodiesel and ethanol tax credits (see Cindy’s post), the leading advocacy group for wind energy in this country is reminding Congress of the danger of not including its green energy in the package to renew tax credits. This press release from the American Wind Energy …
Senators Write Letter Supporting Ethanol Incentives
While a group of senators yesterday urged an end to ethanol incentives, another group sent a letter supporting an extension of the current tax credit and associated tariff. The letter, sent to Senate leadership and signed by Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Kent Conrad (D-ND) with 13 others, asked that the ethanol incentives be “a high priority on the Senate’s …
RFA Calls on EPA to Update RFS2 ILUC Models
Earlier this month, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) made a positive step for ethanol by updating its indirect land use models in the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). This in effect, will reduce the ILUC penalties in half. Unfortunately, the new rule doesn’t take effect until mid-2011 although LCFS kicks in on January 1, 2011. In light of this …
Global Leaders Want Action During World Climate Summit
International business leaders are calling for immediate action during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-16) and the World Climate Summit (WCS) that are both set to begin on November 29, 2010 in Cancun Mexico. A group of global investors with collective assets worth more than $15 billion are asking global leaders to “take action now in the fight against …
California to Update Land Use for Ethanol
The California Air Resources Board yesterday agreed to update the land use change and other indirect effects of biofuels production under their Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS). The board is asking for updates to the land use values for corn ethanol, sugarcane ethanol, and soy biodiesel, and other feedstocks by spring of 2011 to implement the LCFS, which currently penalizes …