Biofuels
President Obama has ordered a comprehensive energy strategy review to ensure federal policies continue to address changing energy requirements. On January 9, 2014, President Obama signed a memorandum establishing a Quadrennial Energy Review (QER) to enhance the federal government’s capability to provide a comprehensive and integrated energy strategy to meet challenges posed by rising energy…...
Governor Cuomo’s 2014 State of the State agenda includes new clean energy and climate initiatives with a grid resiliency and distributed generation focus. In his State of the State (SOS) address on January 8, 2014, New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo reaffirmed his commitment to clean energy, proposing significant initiatives to address energy and…...
EIA’s latest Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) projects a 56 percent increase in natural gas production by 2040, overtaking coal as the largest share of U.S. electric power generation. On December 16, 2013, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released the AEO 2014 Early Release Overview presenting updated projections for U.S. energy markets through 2040. The AEO…...
The Corn Ethanol Mandate Elimination Act of 2013 would repeal the RFS corn ethanol mandate, allowing the corn ethanol industry to directly compete with oil. On December 12, 2013, a group of 10 Senators led by Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) introduced the 2013 Corn Ethanol Mandate Elimination Act to repeal the corn…...
EPA has proposed standards for the 2014 Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) program, lowering its annual mandates for the first time and has sought input on waiver petitions to address E10 Blend Wall concerns. Overview On November 15, 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the 2014 RFS requirements to establish annual volumes and percentage standards…...
The API has challenged EPA’s 2013 RFS mandate, claiming that the volumetric targets are unrealistic. On October 8, 2013, the American Petroleum Institute (API) filed a lawsuit in the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2013 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumetric requirements, claiming the 6 million gallon (MG)…...
The biofuels industry has benefited from the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) since 2005. The standard has since expanded and been a source of debate largely centered on the reliance of U.S. fuel consumption estimates, the feasibility of production levels for various feedstocks, and reaching minimum greenhouse gas reduction levels when weighting direct and indirect greenhouse…...
Governor Cuomo took the first step in the New York Green Bank capitalization process to facilitate private capital flow for clean energy projects. On September 10, 2013, New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo formally launched the $1 billion Green Bank initiative, the central part of innovative clean energy proposals announced during his 2013 State…...
The Navy has announced $30 million in funding to Hawaii-based “Energy Excelerator” that supports emerging clean energy technologies. On September 9, 2013, the Department of Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced $30 million funding to support Energy Excelerator, a Hawaii-based accelerator program for clean energy start-ups. The funding triples investment over the three-year operation…...
Industry groups have petitioned EPA to lower the 2014 RFS ethanol mandate to below 10 percent of projected gasoline demand. On August 13, 2013, the American Petroleum Institute and the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a partial waiver of volume requirements under the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)…...
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…...
The nation’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol production plant is expected to produce eight million gallons of cellulosic ethanol and generate six megawatts of renewable power annually. On August 1, 2013, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced the Indian River BioEnergy Center in Vero Beach, Florida as the nation’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol production plant. The facility,…...