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By Kathleen M. Roberts On April 25, 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Business-Cooperative Service published in the Federal Register a notice that it is requesting approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of a revision to a currently approved information collection for the Advanced Biofuel Payment Program, which provides funding to eligible advanced biofuel producers to support the production of biofuel products.  The Rural Business-Cooperative...

?  Renewable Fuels Association, “Veterans Encourage President to Include Ethanol, RFS in Energy Plan”   ?   Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, “State Ag Department Greenlights 16 Promising Industrial Hemp Research Projects”   ?  Brookhaven National Laboratory, “Study IDs Link between Sugar Signaling and Regulation of Oil Production in Plants”   ?  University of Manchester, “Bioenergy Gets Graphic with New Illustrated...

On March 7, 2017, the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition sent a letter to President Trump requesting the Administration’s support for changes to various federal policies to strengthen biofuels production and expand markets for ethanol and other biofuels.  The letter, which was signed by Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts and Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, specifically highlights the need for the Trump Administration to change the fuel volatility limitations placed on E15, to update corn...

On February 22, 2017, the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy announced seven recipients of $5.9 million in funding to develop novel ways to use carbon dioxide (CO2) captured from coal-fired power plants.  The projects will focus on converting captured CO2 to useable products.  Recipients of the funding include:   ?  The University of Kentucky Research Foundation will receive nearly $1 million to convert CO2 to bioplastics using microalgae.  In addition to developing a...

On February 4, 2017, the Canadian Department of the Environment and the Department of Health published in the Canada Gazette the draft screening assessment of the commercially relevant fungus, Trichoderma reesei, stating that the organism is nontoxic and does not require regulatory action under Section 77 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). Following a screening assessment, Trichoderma reesei , which is used to convert biomass to biofuels and sugars and to produce food and...

On January 31, 2017, two bills were introduced in the U.S. Congress that propose to reform the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and the national biofuels mandate.  The first bill would require the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to assess the performance, safety, and environmental impact of mid-level ethanol, and the implications of the use of mid-level ethanol blends compared to gasoline blends containing ten percent or less ethanol.  The second bill would reduce the U.S....

The biofuels industry is likely to face increasingly challenging times during the tenures of the new 115 th Congress — which began on January 3 — and the Trump Administration, scheduled to begin this Friday, January 20.   Throughout his campaign for President, Trump repeatedly pledged his support for biofuels and the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Indeed, it is this support that helped Trump win in key Midwestern battleground states, including Iowa. Despite this,...

On October 3, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the proposed Renewables Enhancement and Growth Support Rule.  This proposed rule includes suggestions to improve the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program and related pro-renewable fuel regulations.  Updated regulations included in the proposed rule include allowing biofuel producers to process feedstock and then convert the material into fuels at different facilities, and an expansion to the availability of...

? Danforth Center, "National Science Foundation Supports Stony Creek Colors And Danforth Center Collaboration for Bio-Based Indigo Business Project" ? Business Wire, "Cardolite Corporation Earns USDA Certified Biobased Product Certification For Cardanol Product Line — a Versatile Building Block for High Performance Biomaterials" ? RSC Bio Solutions, "RSC Bio Solutions Launches First-Of-Its Kind EAL Designed to Improve Performance, Increase Uptime and Enhance System...

? The Hill, "Energy Groups Push For Renewal Of Tax Credits" ? Neste, "Neste and Ikea of Sweden Announce Partnership to Deliver Renewable, Bio-Based Plastics" ? Packaging Europe, "Croda Offers CrodaTherm™ 21 for Temperature Controlled Packaging Applications" ? The University of New Orleans, "UNO Computer Science Faculty Awarded More Than $500k for Vital Research" ? Airforce Technology, "US Air Force to Produce Biofuels for US DoD...