ethanol
EPA’s biofuel targets please no one
In a regulation delayed for months by a lawsuit, the EPA gave biofuels a smaller, but growing, share of the U.S. gasoline market than envisioned when Congress created the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). EPA official Janet McCabe said the regulation meant “ambitious, achievable growth” for biofuels -- but no one was happy with it.
EPA announcement won’t be final word on ethanol mandate
Under a court agreement, the EPA is obliged to announce today the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) - the target for biofuel use - for 2014, 2015 and 2016. The announcement will get the agency back on schedule after missing the statutory deadlines for setting the 2014 and 2015 targets, but it won't resolve the struggle between the oil industry and the smaller renewable fuels lobby of farm groups and biofuel makers.
Full compliance with biofuels mandate difficult, says CBO
The EPA "is much more likely" to relax the so-called Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) than to demand full compliance with the 2007 law that guarantees biofuels a share of the gasoline market, said the Congressional Budget Office. The 2007 energy law sets a target of using 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels annually from 2022, more than double the EPA proposal of 17.4 billion gallons for 2016. Meeting the target for 2022 "would require a large and rapid increase in the use of advanced biofuels and would cause the total percentage of ethanol in the nation's gasoline supply to rise to levels that would require significant changes in the infrastructure of fueling stations," said CBO senior analyst Terry Dinan at a joint hearing of two House Science subcommittees.
World awash in grain despite record consumption
Consumers, livestock and industry will chew through a record 1.99 billion tonnes of food and feed grains this marketing year and world grain stocks still should rise by nearly 2 percent, said the International Grains Council in its monthly Grain Market Report. With the harvest season winding down in the Northern Hemisphere, IGC estimated the grain crop will be only 1 percent smaller than the record set in 2014/15.
Iowans want presidential nominee who likes biofuels
A large majority of Iowans who intend to vote in the state's presidential caucuses say they favor a candidate who supports biofuels and the ethanol mandate, reports the Des Moines Register. The results come from a poll commissioned by America's Renewable Future and DuPont.
Pundit sees problem for Clinton on three rural issues
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could feel some "presidency heartburn" in Iowa and New Hampshire, the states that open the nominating process, because of her position on three issues, says political analyst Matt Baron in The Hill newspaper.
Inspector General to review EPA analysis of biofuels
The Inspector General's office says it will assess whether the EPA properly updated its life-cycle analysis of the Renewable Fuels Standard, which guarantees biofuels a share of the gasoline market.
Uncertainty over ethanol mandate hurts farm income
U.S. farm income is taking a hit due in part to EPA proposals to relax the federal mandate to mix ethanol into gasoline, said the National Farmers Union and the National Corn Growers Association.
EPA likely to raise ethanol proposal modestly, says analyst
Higher-than-expected gasoline use will encourage the EPA to raise the ethanol mandate marginally from the levels proposed in May, says economist Scott Irwin of U-Illinois. The agency is expected to finalize the so-called Renewable Fuel Standard by Nov. 30. Irwin told Ag Insider that his expectation is an increase of 2-3 percent for each of the three years covered by the upcoming regulation - 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Backers ask, ‘Will EPA hit re-set on biofuel targets?’
With the EPA nearing a decision on the biofuel mandate for 2015 and 2016, ethanol makers and corn farmers worry that the agency could trigger an override of ambitious targets written into law for ever-increasing use of renewable fuels through 2022. The so-called re-set, also referred to as an "off ramp," would give the agency the discretion to set the yearly targets at whatever levels it chooses.
USDA to double number of higher-blend fuel pumps
Ethanol mandate is too large, says oil industry
NERA Economic Consulting, in a study commissioned by the oil industry, concluded that the ethanol mandate set by law is too large to be absorbed at current fuel usage by cars and light trucks.
Biofuel makers in the U.S. and Brazil hope China becomes big buyer
China is a tiny market for ethanol imports but producers in the United States and Brazil are stirred by an upturn in sales, says Reuters.
Buis moves from CEO to co-chair of pro-ethanol group
The pro-ethanol trade group Growth Energy said Tom Buis, its chief executive officer since its early days, has been named co-chairman of its board of directors.
Senators ask EPA for much larger biodiesel mandate
Three dozen senators sent a letter to the EPA asking for a much higher mandate for biodiesel than the agency proposed for 2016 and 2017. They say the agency failed to "adequately recognize the domestic biodiesel industry's production capacity and its ability to increase production."
Quad County Corn produces Iowa’s first cellulosic ethanol
Quad County Corn Processors in northwestern Iowa beat two larger rivals to produce the first cellulosic ethanol from a commercial-size plant in Iowa, the No 1 corn-growing and ethanol-making state, says the Des Moines Register. The farmer-owned plant at Galva produced its first gallon on Monday and plans to quickly ramp up to 2 million gallons a year.
Corn ethanol setback “is not expected” with EPA proposal
"The demand for corn for ethanol production appears to be on solid footing for the next 18 months," says economist Darrel Good of U-Illinois. "While growth may be limited, a setback is not expected."
Ethanol makers feel impact of bird-flu epidemic
The impact of the worst epidemic of avian influenza ever to hit U.S. poultry flocks has reached the ethanol industry in the form of smaller sales of distillers dried grains (DDGs), a widely used feed, says DTN.
USDA grant money to boost sales of higher-blend biofuels
The Biden administration awarded $90.3 million in grants to projects in 26 states, from California to Connecticut, to install blender pumps, storage tanks, and other equipment for the sale of fuels, such as E15, with higher-than-usual blends of biofuels, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. With the grants, the USDA has used $221 million of the $500 available through the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program.