Ten US Senators yesterday released a bill to cut the corn ethanol mandate from the Renewable Fuel Standard. The high-profile political battle, which has been called a “fight between Big Corn and Big Oil,” entered a new phase with the introduction of this bi-partisan bill. “I strongly support requiring a shift to low-carbon advanced biofuel,… Keep reading →
Is the Renewable Fuel Standard broken beyond repair? It depends who you ask, but it’s certainly problematic. The RFS enforced by the EPA was originally envisioned as a way to get more biofuel into the US transportation fuel market, but changing technology and consumption patterns have required continual adjustments to the law. The EPA recently… Keep reading →
The last video in a 3-part series from the Advanced Biofuels Association features a San Francisco-based company that’s making renewable diesel fuel in Brazil and renewable jet fuel that is being tested by the US military and commercial airlines. Amyris is training yeast to produce hydrocarbons instead of alcohol. A common challenge cited by all… Keep reading →
Just as the debate over mandated ethanol blending in the US was heating up, the Associated Press published an investigative report focused on the US ethanol industry’s negative environmental impacts. Ethanol supporters are up in arms, claiming the piece is inaccurate, lazy journalism that uses “disproven myths, skewed data, and outright fabrications.” Not surprisingly, US… Keep reading →
The battle over the Renewable Fuel Standard and how much ethanol should be blended into the US fuel system next year is heating up again, with trade groups exchanging punches and lawsuits being filed. The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers are involved in a war of words with the Renewable Fuels Association and the American… Keep reading →
By: Javier E. David As the U.S. prods the oil industry to blend more ethanol into gasoline, charges are flying between refiners and biofuel advocates about the impact of such mandates—and whether the so-called Blend Wall is really a problem at all. Under a law passed in 2007, refiners are required to mix a certain… Keep reading →
The credits – Renewable Index Numbers – created to track compliance with EPA-mandated ethanol blending into the US fuel supply as part of the Renewable Fuel Standard reportedly created a market easily manipulated by Wall Street and other players. [New York Times] Some positive climate change news may be on the horizon when the Intergovernmental… Keep reading →
As the US ethanol industry expanded, it quickly became clear that numerous limitations and complications came with using food crops – primarily corn in the US – to manufacture fuel. As is often the case in modern society, technology was seen as the solution. Ethanol can also be made from non-food feedstock like switch grass,… Keep reading →
EPA’s 2013 Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) require blending of 16.55 billion gallons of renewable fuels into transportation fuel, providing additional lead time and flexibility for compliance. On August 6, 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its finalized volume and percentage standards for four renewable fuel categories – cellulosic, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuels, and total… Keep reading →
It’s an old adage in the energy business that forecasts are always wrong and miscalculations regarding US gasoline demand growth and advanced biofuel supply growth led to a regulatory regime that is increasingly becoming untenable. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week issued its 2013 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) final rule. This year’s volumetric requirement… Keep reading →
