biofuels
USDA allots funds for advanced biofuel and Farm to School
A combined $9.6 million will go into grants to support production of advanced biofuels and the bio-economy, said the Agriculture Department. The largest block of money, $5.6 million, was divided among...
EPA delays until 2015 the ethanol mandate for this year
With time running out to set the ethanol mandate for this year, EPA said it "is not in a position to finalize the 2014 RFS standards rule before the end of the year. Accordingly, we intend to take action on the 2014 standards rule in 2015 prior to or in conjunction with action on the 2015 standards rule." EPA proposed a relaxation in the 2014 mandate nearly a year ago, saying the gasoline market was nearly saturated with biofuels at the traditional blend rate of 10 percent, partly because fuel usage is lower than expected.
Biofuels are smaller factor than thought in land conversion
For the most part, farmers put their cropland to more intense use rather than convert forests and grasslands because of demand for biofuels in recent years, says a study by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development.
Meeting biofuel mandate “will be challenging,” says CBO
The Congressional Budget Office says, "In the future, meeting (biofuels) mandates will be challenging" because of the so-called blend wall at the traditional blend of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline and because of the slow development of...
World’s largest cellulosic refinery opens officially
The Spanish energy company Abengoa opened the world's largest cellulosic refinery in Hugoton, about 90 miles southwest of Dodge City, Kansas, said Biofuels Digest.
U.S. contracts for 100 million gallons of “drop in” biofuels
The government awarded three contracts for 100 million gallons of "drop in" biofuels for the Navy. The renewable fuels would be blended 1-to-1 with petroleum in ships and planes. The Pentagon said as the fuels become more widely available, the Navy will make them a regular part of its bulk fuel procurement. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said rural areas would benefit from expansion of the advanced biofuel sector.
Higher biofuel mandate would have little effect on pump price
The government could set the ethanol mandate above the so-called blend wall and have little impact on retail fuel prices, says a paper by two Iowa State University economists. The fuel industry could meet the mandate by lowering price for E85, fuel made with 85 percent ethanol, and selling more of the biofuel. "We find that compliance with ethanol mandates that are feasible to meet with current infrastructure would have small, if any, effects on the retail price of E10," says the paper by Sebastian Pouliot and Bruce Babcock of the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development.
USDA – no sugar-for-ethanol in fiscal 2015
The government does not expect to sell surplus sugar at a discount to ethanol makers during the new fiscal year. Sugar supplies are forecast to be fairly tight during fiscal 2015, shrinking to a carryover of 837 million short tons, compared to a surplus of 2.16 million tons in fiscal 2013.
Risk of biofuel crops turning invasive; controls needed
There are few federal or state safeguards against the introduction of an invasive species as a biofuel crop, say researchers at the University of Illinois in two newly published papers.
Best case for energy crops in Southeast or on marginal land
Energy crops may be best suited for planting on marginal land or in Southeastern states when compared to likely earnings from corn and soybeans, the two most widely grown U.S. crops, say two researchers from the University of Illinois.
Setting ethanol mandate takes longer than expected-EPA
Rulemaking for this year's ethanol mandate "has been more time-consuming than originally anticipated," says the Environmental Protection Agency.
Study casts doubt on corn stover as biofuel feedstock
Using corn residues - stalks, husks and cobs - to make biofuels appears to create more carbon dioxide over their life cycle than the target set by federal standards, says research at the University of Nebraska.
Farm leaders hopeful EPA will relent on biofuels
Sen Debbie Stabenow and Rep Collin Peterson told NAAJ they were optimistic the administration will set a higher mandate for biofuels consumption this year than it initially proposed.
EPA aims for biofuels rule by late spring or early summer
The government could issue an updated target for biofuel use by late spring or early summer, said EPA administrator Gina McCarthy at the North American Agricultural journalists meeting.
Senate panel to vote on CFTC chairman, review biofuels
The Senate Agriculture Committee is scheduled to vote on April 8 on three nominees for commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, including Timothy Massad for chairman.
Cellulosic ethanol in the RFS squeeze
The EPA proposal to relax the ethanol mandate could pinch the market for biofuels made from crop debris, grass and wood, says a front-page story in the Des Moines Register.
Lawmakers would triple lifespan of 45Z clean fuel credit
The 45Z tax credit, intended to encourage the development of sustainable aviation fuel and other low-carbon fuels, would be available until 2034 and limited to domestic feedstocks under companion bills filed in the House and Senate on Tuesday. Farm groups said the legislation would allow time for domestic production to rise while discouraging a flood of imported oil, grease, and tallow.