For months we’ve been pointing out the brokenness of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the federal law requiring ever-increasing use of ethanol in the nation’s fuel supply. We’ve written about the impending “blend wall,” the point where the RFS would require blending more ethanol into gasoline than could be safely used as E10, potentially putting motorists at risk… Keep reading →
Rumors swirled today that the US EPA would finally announce the 2014 renewable volume obligations – quantity of ethanol and biofuels to be blended into the fuel supply – until the agency surprised many by postponing the announcement until next year. The renewable fuel standard, as the law is known, has been controversial for years.… Keep reading →
The UN Environment Program released a report ahead of the upcoming international climate meetings in Lima, Peru that finds global carbon neutrality should be attained by mid-to-late century. “Countries are giving increasing attention to where they realistically need to be by 2025, 2030 and beyond in order to limit a global temperature rise to below… Keep reading →
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) today released the 2015 Fuel Economy Guide, providing consumers with a valuable resource to help them choose the most fuel-efficient and low greenhouse gas emitting vehicles that meet their needs. In comparison to previous years, the 2015 models include a greater number of… Keep reading →
Linc Energy recently received a research & development license for Underground Coal Gasification (UCG), the first issued in the USA in twenty years. Linc Energy is moving ahead with a demonstration phase project in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, one of the country’s most active coal mining regions. In addition to the R&D license, the EPA… Keep reading →
EPA’s current estimate of the completion time for a draft of its study of the risks posed by hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) to drinking water is now projected by the agency to be developed in early 2015. This is based on comments in a letter originating from EPA’s Region 8 office stating that the study on the risks posed by fracking to drinking water won’t reach draft final form until “early 2015”. [Region 8 Letter]
A federal appeals court has lifted the stay of EPA’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule which addresses interstate transport of air pollution that affects downwind states’ ability to meet air quality standards. On October 23, 2014, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit granted the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) motion to lift… Keep reading →
On Tuesday, EPA issued a Notice of Data Availability, requesting further comment on some specific issues that have been raised since it published its draft Clean Power Plan in June. My immediate reaction? My head hurts.
The movement to natural gas-fired and renewable energy solutions for U.S. power generators is continuing its rapid march. Utilities are aligning their generation portfolio assets to address increased federal regulations concerning cross-state air emissions, proposed carbon emissions rules and surface water regulations, as well as renewable portfolio standards. These trends were evident from the results of the 2014… Keep reading →
The main reason carbon emissions are unlikely to decrease in the short term? Coal. Leave it to Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Robert Bryce to rain on the renewable energy parade. It’s not that he is anti-renewable energy, or even pro coal, but his analysis starkly demonstrates current energy fundamentals and projected trends, which are heavily… Keep reading →
