Renewable Fuels Standard
Ethanol still an export winner thanks to biofuels mandates
Thanks to the prolonged decline of petroleum prices, gasoline costs less than ethanol nowadays. But the upside-down situation is not likely to impair exports, says Good in an article at farmdoc daily.
At ethanol industry meeting, it’s all about the octane
The U.S. produced a record 14.7 billion gallons of corn ethanol last year, notwithstanding the dispute over the federal biofuels mandate and perennial jostling with the oil industry for market share.
Cruz wins Iowa caucus with ethanol as backseat issue
With the support of evangelical conservatives, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz won Iowa's Republican presidential caucus with a plurality of 28 percent despite the efforts of the ethanol industry to help a friendlier candidate to victory.
‘The trouble with Iowa’
Leading into the Feb. 1 precinct caucuses that begin the presidential nomination process, Harper's says in a cover story that "it seems to defy reason" that Iowa, a farm state with a population of 3 million, "should play such an out-sized role. But Iowa is not over. In fact, it may be more relevant than ever."
Challenge to biofuel mandate in the offing
Farm, biofuel and biotech groups petitioned the U.S. appeals court in Washington to hear a challenge to the EPA's relaxation of the renewable fuel mandate for this year, reports DTN.
Cruz backs five-year phase-out of ethanol mandate
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who leads in the polls ahead of the Republican presidential caucuses in Iowa on Feb. 1, "told folks at town-hall meetings in northwest Iowa that he supports phasing out the Renewable Fuels Standard through 2022," reports DTN.
Congress has a barn-burner of a week ahead
Congress will try to wrap up every possible major issue this week in a sprint to adjournment for the year, scheduled for Friday. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told representatives "to keep their schedules flexible as we approach the end of the year." The heavy lifting would come in two bills - the catch-all appropriations bill to fund the government for the rest of fiscal 2016 and a tax "extenders" bill.
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.
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.
Clinton: Focus the farm safety net on family operations
As president, Hillary Clinton says she would focus the farm safety net - crop supports, crop insurances and disaster relief - on "farmers and ranchers that truly need it the most, not those who have the biggest businesses or the best connections. We will change the formula."
Ethanol boosters dominate EPA hearing on biofuel mandates
An EPA hearing in Kansas City on an agency proposal to relax the biofuel mandate for 2015 and 2016 "turned into somewhat of a pro-ethanol hearing and rally with the vast majority of those who testified telling EPA not to mess with the RFS," reports DTN.
EPA eases biofuels mandate that aided farmers
Months behind schedule, the EPA said it would set the biofuels share of the gasoline market well below the level specified by law because the fuel market is saturated with corn-based ethanol and second-generation biofuels are in scant supply. Farm groups and the ethanol industry said the agency was being short-sighted in its decision, and that the move would allow the oil industry to throttle a home-grown competitor. The American Petroleum Institute called for congressional repeal of the 2007 biofuels mandate.
Change RFS to help our sector, says advanced biofuels group
The Advanced Biofuels Association called for changes to the Renewable Fuels Standard, which guarantees a share of the gasoline market to renewable fuels, so the sector can expand from demonstration plants to full-scale commercial operations.
Senators unveil bill to repeal corn ethanol mandate
Portions of the Renewable Fuels Standard that effectively mandate the use of corn-based ethanol would be repealed under a bill introduced by Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Jeff Flake of Arizona.
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.
Two words for ethanol lawsuit – distribution capacity
Conventional wisdom says EPA will release the overdue 2014 ethanol mandate after Tuesday's midterm elections and lawsuits will follow, no matter what target is set for ethanol's share of the gasoline market.