Archives

February 6, 2015

WRI Report Concludes Biofuels Competing With Food Sources

The World Resources Institute (WRI) issued a working paper, “Avoiding Bioenergy Competition for Food Crops and Land,” as part of its series on “Creating a Sustainable Food Future.” The paper concludes that using land for bioenergy purposes results in that land not being available for growing food or animal feed, and, as such, urges policy changes that would phase-out bioenergy and biofuel from crops. According to a New York Times article, the WRI report urges...
December 18, 2014

Senate Passes Tax Extender Legislation

On December 16, 2014, the Senate followed the House of Representatives and passed tax extender legislation that is expected to be signed by the President. The final package that passed would retroactively extend incentives that expired on December 31, 2013, through the end of 2014. It does not extend the incentives through the end of 2015, as Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) and other leaders would have liked. The final tax extender package...
September 12, 2014

USDA Awards Fulcrum Sierra Biofuels, LLC $105 Million Loan Guarantee

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has guaranteed a $105 million loan through Bank of America, N.A. to help Fulcrum Sierra Biofuels build a plant in McCarran, Nevada that would convert municipal waste into renewable jet fuel. The total project cost is expected to be $266 million and the plant is predicted to produce 11 million gallons of fuel per year. This loan was guaranteed as part of the Biorefinery Assistance Program that is included...
August 29, 2014

EPA Sends Final Targets For 2014 Biofuel To OMB

On August 22, 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent the final 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) rule to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for its review and formal publication in the Federal Register. This much anticipated review is the last step before public release. Nearly nine months behind schedule currently, it is unclear whether OMB will move quickly to release and publish the rule. Typically, OMB can take anywhere between 30...
July 7, 2014

DOE Requests Information On Integrated Biorefinery Practices

On July 2, 2014, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Bioenergy Technology Office published in the Federal Register a "Request for Information (RFI) Regarding Integrated Biorefinery Lessons Learned and Best Practices." According to the RFI, its purpose is "to solicit feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on issues related to lessons learned and best practices...
June 27, 2014

House-Passed Defense Spending Bill Prohibits Spending On Green Energy

On June 20, 2014, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of the fiscal year (FY) 2015 appropriations bill to fund the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), H.R. 4870, including language repealing Section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (Section 526). Section 526 prohibits federal agencies from procuring synfuel unless its lifecycle GHG emissions are less than those for conventional petroleum sources. BRAG reported that last month the U.S. House...
June 27, 2014

NBB Challenges Monroe Energy’s Standing To Challenge 2013 RFS

On June 20, 2014, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit requesting that the court rehear whether Monroe Energy (Monroe), a refining subsidiary of Delta Airlines, had standing to challenge EPA's final rule setting the 2013 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). BRAG reported on the court's recent denial of Monroe's challenge to that final rule. A copy of that report is available online....
May 30, 2014

House And Senate Pass FY 2015 NDAA Legislation With Conflicting Biofuels Provisions

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services passed versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 that included starkly different provisions on biofuels. The House version would severely limit U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) authority to promote the procurement of biofuels. For instance, it included a provision that would allow DOD to procure biofuels only if their costs were "equivalent to"...
May 23, 2014

REG Makes Deal For Full Ownership Of Dynamic Fuels

On May 21, 2014, Renewable Energy Group, Inc. (REG), a leading U.S. biodiesel producer, and Tyson Foods, Inc. (Tyson) announced that they have agreed to REG's acquisition of Tyson's 50 percent ownership position in Dynamic Fuels, LLC (Dynamic Fuels). Contingent upon the closing of REG's December 2013 announced agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Syntroleum Corporation (Syntroleum), the acquisition announced on May 21, 2014, would give REG full ownership of Dynamic...
May 23, 2014

Iowa Governor Signs Law Extending And Enhancing Biofuels Incentives

On May 21, 2014, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad (R) signed into law Senate Bill 2344, legislation to help promote the biofuels industry in the State. A copy of the legislation is available online. It extends the biodiesel production tax credit that was scheduled to expire at the end of 2014, enhances Iowa's E-15 retailer tax credit, and adds biobutanol as a renewable fuel option. This law reinforces Iowa's ongoing support for the biofuels industry....