Biofuels
On February 7th, 2014, president Obama signed the latest American farm bill, the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2014. Title IX of the new farm bill, the Energy Title, will authorize a total of $879M in mandatory spending on energy programs through 2023, according to the congressional budget office (CBO). Programs receiving funding…...
President Obama has directed EPA and DOT to develop fuel efficiency and emissions standards for medium- and heavy duty vehicles beyond model year 2018. On February 18, 2014, President Barack Obama directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop the next phase of…...
On January 21, Kilowatt Financial announced $100 million debt facility with Citi to support residential energy efficiency upgrades. One day later, Joule Assets announced a $100 million fund to aggregate energy efficiency and demand response projects for private equity investors. Overview Although creative energy efficiency financing has existed for decades, new mechanisms are emerging to…...
EPA has granted oil industry groups’ petitions to reconsider the 2013 cellulosic biofuel standard based on information obtained after the finalized 2013 RFS. On January 23, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled its decision to grant petitions filed by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) to reconsider…...
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…...
