On November 23, 2016, EPA Administrator, Gina McCarthy, signed the final rule on the RFS volume standards for 2017 and biobased diesel standards for 2018. This final rule will increase the renewable fuel volume requirements as reported in the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®) post “EPA Releases Proposed Renewable Fuel Volume Requirements.” The proposed volume requirements are: ? Cellulosic biofuel, from 230 million gallons in 2016 to 311...
On November 22, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a notice in the Federal Register of an opportunity to comment on petitions requesting EPA initiate a rulemaking process to reconsider its regulations that impose the obligation for compliance with the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) annual standards on gasoline and diesel fuel refiners and importers, as well as on EPA’s proposed denial of the petitions. As the notice states, EPA is looking for petitioners to...
December 2, 2016
White House Publishes Mid-Century Strategy For Deep Decarbonization
On November 16, 2016, the White House filed the Mid-Century Strategy for Deep Decarbonization with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change under the Paris climate deal. The strategy highlights the role that U.S. government-funded research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) had on the technological advances of the last century, and the potential to increase the pace and reduce the costs of decarbonization using the full power of U.S. RD&D efforts focused on clean...
November 18, 2016
ASTM and CEN Issue Call For Abstract Submissions For Workshop On Degradable, Biodegradable, And Biob
ASTM Committee D20 on Plastics and CEN TC411 issued a call for presentation abstracts for the Workshop on Degradable, Biodegradable, and Biobased Products Standards. The 2017 workshop is designed to facilitate a discussion on standards development and implementation regarding testing and specification of biobased, degradable, and biodegradable materials. Topics for presentation and panel discussions include: ? Biobased/renewable resource content testing,...
November 18, 2016
RSB Announces Revision Of Principles & Criteria
On November 8, 2016, the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) announced its members voted unanimously to publish revised Principles & Criteria that streamline the requirements and make them more user-friendly. The decision was announced at the Annual Assembly of Delegates meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam. RSB stated the amendments will offer: ? A new user-friendly format, enabling easy understanding of how to apply the standard; ? Streamlined and...
November 18, 2016
European Commission Announces €222.7 Million Investment In Sustainable And Low-Carbon Projects
On November 3, 2016, the European Commission announced that 144 new green and low-carbon projects from 23 Member States will be funded by a €222.7 million investment from the European Union (EU) budget, which will be combined with €175.9 from additional investments. The funding comes from the LIFE programme, the EU’s funding body for the environment and climate action, with the goal of progressing Europe towards a more sustainable future. The selected projects align...
November 18, 2016
EPA Approves Redfield Energy’s Efficient Producer Petition
On October 27, 2016, EPA approved an Efficient Producer petition submitted by Redfield Energy, LLC (Redfield Energy) granting “a pathway for the generation of renewable fuel (D-code 6) Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program for the production of non-grandfathered ethanol” produced by dry milling. The Efficient Producer petition process is designed to accelerate the registration process for starch and grain sorghum ethanol...
November 18, 2016
EPA Publishes Proposed Renewables Enhancement And Growth Support Rule
As previously reported in the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group’s (BRAG®) Biobased and Renewable Products Update of November 11, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a notice in the Federal Register of a public hearing for the proposed “Renewables Enhancement and Growth Support Rule.” The proposed rule updates the regulatory structure to allow biofuel producers to process and convert biomass at different facilities, update fuel...
November 11, 2016
EPA Announces Public Hearing For Proposed Renewables Enhancement and Growth Support Rule
On November 10, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a notice in the Federal Register for a public hearing for the proposed “Renewables Enhancement and Growth Support Rule.” The proposed rule, available on EPA’s website, was signed by EPA’s Administrator on October 3, 2016, but has not yet been published in the Federal Register. This proposed rule will enhance the renewable fuel standard (RFS) program as well as other fuel regulations...
November 11, 2016
BIO Issues Call For Panel Session Proposals For 2017 World Congress On Industrial Biotechnology
On November 1, 2016, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) issued a call for panel session proposals for the 2017 World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology. Leaders from biotechnology, bioenergy, chemical, consumer products manufacturing, and agricultural industries as well as academia and financial sectors industries are invited to submit proposals to present on groundbreaking research and partnerships in the industrial biobased industry. Specific program tracks for the ...