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May 28, 2026

We Need Another Hero: Fossil Fuels Versus Renewable Energy Production — Which Is the Alternative? (Part 2)

Read Part 1: We Need Another Hero: Fossil Fuels Versus Renewable Energy Production -- Which Is the Alternative? (Part 1) Energy diversification cannot happen without substantial -- and well thought-out -- infrastructure investment. Electric vehicle (EV) adoption, industrial electrification, artificial intelligence (AI) data center expansion, and advanced manufacturing all require enormous amounts of reliable electricity and transmission capacity. Recognizing this challenge, the Biden...
May 26, 2026

We Need Another Hero: Fossil Fuels Versus Renewable Energy Production — Which Is the Alternative? (Part 1)

For decades, energy policy debates in the United States have largely centered on a familiar tension: economic growth versus environmental protection. Today, however, that framing increasingly feels incomplete. Around the world, the transition toward electrification, advanced energy infrastructure, and diversified power systems are no longer being driven solely by desires to protect the planet. It is increasingly being driven by economics, industrial competitiveness, national security, and...
April 7, 2023

GAO Recommends Agencies Track Progress toward Federal Sustainable Aviation Fuel Goals

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton   The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) publicly released a report on March 27, 2023, entitled Sustainable Aviation Fuel: Agencies Should Track Progress toward Ambitious Federal Goals. According to GAO, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production and use in the United States have increased in recent years; this fuel is now used by airlines at two major commercial airports in California. GAO states that while U.S. production reached 15.8...
January 8, 2021

Canada Announces Proposed Clean Fuel Regulations

By  Lynn L. Bergeson and Ligia Duarte Botelho, M.A. On December 19, 2020, the Government of Canada’s Department of the Environment published a proposed rule titled Clean Fuel Regulations. The proposed rule addresses Canada’s concerns in achieving its net-zero emissions by 2050 under the Paris Agreement. In an effort to reduce the largest sources of greenhouse gases (GHG), the Clean Fuel Regulations would require liquid fossil fuel primary suppliers to reduce the carbon...
January 13, 2017

Extension of New York’s Clean Heating Fuel Tax Credit

The New York State Clean Heating Fuel Tax Credit has been extended through 2020.  The personal income tax credit, which was initially authorized in 2006, is provided to eligible taxpayers for biodiesel purchases used for residential space and water heating.  For each percent of biodiesel blended with conventional home heating oil, a tax credit of $0.01/gallon is available up to a maximum of $0.20/gallon.  A partial credit will be calculated for buildings with a shared oil storage...
December 2, 2016

USDA Funding Leads To First Wood-To-Jet Fuel Commercial Flight

On November 14, 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and its partners celebrated the successful journey of the first commercial flight powered in part by a new renewable fuel made from wood waste. The demonstration flight, operated by Alaska Airlines, was made possible due to a five-year $39.6 million research project to develop a viable renewable fuel source from cellulose-rich wood harvest leftovers funded by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and led by...