Policy News

California has not taken full advantage of opportunities to increase its in-state production of biofuel, despite state policies that encourage biofuel consumption, according to a report by the Climate Change and Business Research Initiative at the UCLA and UC Berkeley law schools.  Coming on the heels of new Environmental Protection Agency rules on biofuels requirements, the…
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Bangladeshi Minister of Agriculture Matia Chowdhury has criticised large multinational corporations for promoting biofuels. The minister spoke at a keynote on the 40th anniversary of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington, D.C., US. Chowdhury pointed out that diverting more land to be used for maize cultivation results in a reduced soyabean and wheat…
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The Indian transport minister, a long-time proponent of biofuels, is encouraging India’s industry to take up biofuels more widely. Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari advises the construction and transportation sectors to use biodiesel to keep air pollution in check as the Indian government sets a target to expand its road system by 60,000km. ‘The industry should be…
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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the final volume requirements for bioethanol under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for the years 2014, 2015, and 2016. In addition, the final volume requirements for biodiesel for 2014 and 2017. The EPA has increased the required levels from its earlier suggestion in June, and hopes that the rule will boost renewable fuel production and…
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Nearly 100 biodiesel leaders from across the US are pressing lawmakers on Capitol Hill to reinstate the biodiesel tax incentive. The $1-per-gallon incentive expired on 31 December, 2014, marking the fourth time in six years the US Congress has allowed it to lapse. The continued uncertainty surrounding the incentive has severely stymied investment and growth in the industry, claims the National…
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The US federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and its overreliance on corn ethanol has created additional environmental problems in its 10-year history, claims a recent study by University of Tennessee (UT). The study states that the current US biofuels policy has resulted in unmet targets for cutting air pollution, water contamination, and soil erosion. The authors – Drs. Daniel G. De La…
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The Brazilian government wants to increase the share of biodiesel in mineral diesel in order to hit the country’s greenhouse gas reduction targets. Ricardo Dornelles, the head of the Energy Ministry’s biofuels department, made the announcement while talking at the International Biodiesel Conference in Sao Paulo. The measure is part of the proposals Brazil's intends to put forth at the…
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The German Bioethanol Industry Association (BDBe) has published updated versions of the two European Directives 2009/28/EC 'Renewable Energies' and 98/70/EC 'Fuel Quality' in German and English. The Directive 2015/1513/EU was adopted by the EU Council of Minsters on 13 July this year to amend these directives. The amending directive was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJ…
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A recent national US survey shows that biodiesel is an increasingly popular alternative fuel and that support for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is on the rise, according to the National Biodiesel Board (NBB). With just one month until the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) releases the final RFS rule, 80% of voters support a renewable fuel standard, with 10% opposing it and the rest…
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Governor of California Jerry Brown has signed into law Assembly Bill 1032 (AB1032), which corrects a tax problem with biodiesel and clears the way for a significant increase in the volume of biodiesel blended in the US state. The bill, introduced by Assembly Member Rudy Salas and sponsored by the California Biodiesel Alliance (CBA), amends Section 60501 of the Revenue and Taxation Code by adding…
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The state House of Representatives in Pennsylvania, US, has voted to remove the ethanol-blending mandate for petrol sold in the state. In 2008, Pennsylvania set a requirement for sold petrol to be blended with a minimum of 10% ethanol whenever in-state ethanol production exceeded 350 million gallons. However, Republican State Representative Seth Grove says the in-state production has not once…
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The EU will extend anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on imported US biodiesel until 2020, according to Reuters. The duties were extended in an EU attempt to maintain its defence against trade in renewable fuels. The EU argues that should the duties, originally set in 2009 on certain US biodiesel producers, be lifted, the resulting increase in imports could damage European biofuels…
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The US tax authority IRS has published a notice informing claimants about the federal income tax treatment of fuel credits under sections 6426(c) and (d) of the internal revenue code. These sections regulate the federal payments made to biodiesel and alternative fuel producers in compensation for producing these fuels. The section 6426(c) allows a blender of a biodiesel (including renewable…
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