U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson announced today that the agency will not meet its July 24 deadline to issue a decision on the renewable fuels standard (RFS) waiver request submitted by Texas Governor Rick Perry.
Johnson said in a statement, “Given the amount of work that remains to sufficiently answer the Texas request for a waiver from the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), it is now clear that a final decision on the request will not be completed by July 24. Rather, additional time is needed to allow staff to adequately respond to the public comments and develop a decision document that explains the technical, economic and legal rationale of our decision.”
EPA received over 15,000 comments on the issue and the agency is also required to consult with the Departments of Agriculture and Energy in considering whether to grant or deny the waiver request.
Johnson stated that “the process remains fair and open and no agreements have been made with any party in regard to the substance and timing of the decision on the waiver request.”
A final decision is now expected in early August.
McCain heralded his 
Construction on the Hankinson facility began in August of 2006 and was completed in June. The opening of the plant was delayed due to market volatility. 
US biofuels development company 
The cellulosic plant in Thailand is co-located with a facility that will produce ethanol from sugar-cane derived sucrose, which is widely abundant in the region. Sugar cane bagasse, the biomass residue from the sugar cane plant, will be the primary source of feedstock for the cellulosic facility, which will be converted into ethanol using Verenium’s process technology.
The tax code currently states that Publicly Traded Partnerships are supposed to earn 90-percent of income from the exploration, transportation, storage or marketing of depletable natural resources like oil, gas and coal. The Harkin-Lugar bill would change the tax code so that these Publicly Traded Partnerships can earn qualified income from the transport, storage or marketing of any renewable liquid fuel approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Cincinnati has received a federal grant to help the city’s mass transit system buy some biodiesel buses.
A beef producer that cranks out 22 million pounds of tallow a week will be turning that waste into another alternative to non-renewable petroleum.
Gov. Dave Heineman, who headlined Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony, said he expects Natural Innovative Renewable Energy to help elevate the Cornhusker state’s biodiesel industry to the same level as its corn-based ethanol production, which now ranks No. 2 in the nation.
Team Ethanol has teamed up with 
Reece Nanfito, senior director of marketing for the 
Driver’s Edge president Steven Tepper says being featured on the No. 17 Team Ethanol car is a great opportunity to draw attention to their effort. “Most people have no idea that the number one killer of young Americans ages 16 to 24 is motor vehicle collisions,” said Tepper. “With the proper behind-the-wheel instruction, these are avoidable tragedies, and that’s what Driver’s Edge is all about.”