New York | Reuters — Two men pleaded guilty in a U.S. court on Wednesday to conspiracy, fraud and making false statements related to the U.S. government’s controversial policy designed to boost use of renewable fuels, according to court documents. The case comes in the last four weeks of a contentious U.S. presidential election campaign […] Read more
U.S. biodiesel executives plead guilty over fraud scheme
Trump biofuel proposals echo those of backer Icahn
New York | Reuters — Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump on Thursday appeared to weigh into a debate over a controversial U.S. biofuels program with a proposal that would back the position of billionaire investor Carl Icahn, one of his wealthiest backers. In a factsheet on economic policy, the Trump campaign slammed a system of […] Read more
Clinton campaign studying alternative to U.S. ethanol mandate
Washington/San Francisco | Reuters — Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign has solicited advice from California regulators on how to revamp a federal regulation requiring biofuels such as corn-based ethanol be blended into the nation’s gasoline supply, according to campaign and state officials. The move is the clearest sign yet that, if elected, Clinton […] Read more
Report finds ethanol, bioenergy no threat to food security
New York | Reuters — Bioenergy produced from crops does not threaten food supplies, researchers funded by the U.S. government, World Bank and others said in a report Tuesday, dealing a potential blow to critics of the country’s biofuels program. There is no clear relationship between biofuels and higher prices that threaten access to food, […] Read more
Crude’s slide hampers demand for Canadian biofuel
CNS Canada — The trickle-down effect of slumping crude oil prices is being felt in the Canadian biofuel market and softening demand for corn and soybeans. Traditionally, ethanol is cheaper than gasoline, which encouraged processors to blend more than the mandated amount, according to Andrea Kent, president of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA). “When […] Read more
U.S. EPA finalizes 2016 renewables target at 18.1B gallons
New York | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants energy companies to blend 18.1 billion gallons (68.5 billion litres) of biofuels into the nation’s fuel supply next year, more than in a proposal laid out in May, it said in announcing final rules on renewables use for 2014-16 on Monday. The EPA’s long-awaited […] Read more
U.S. EPA launches probe into benefits of biofuels program
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s in-house investigators have launched a review of the environmental benefits stemming from the country’s decade-old program requiring the use of corn-based ethanol in gasoline. The investigation, to be conducted by the Inspector General for EPA, will examine whether the agency has complied with reporting requirements and […] Read more
U.S. seeks middle ground on biofuel targets, pleasing few
New York | Reuters — U.S. regulators on Friday unveiled much-delayed biofuel targets that sought to strike a middle ground for the nation’s contentious renewable fuels policy but still met with threats of legal action from two of the biggest industries, oil and corn. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decided to raise its previous target […] Read more
U.S. EPA strikes deal on biofuel blending targets with oil groups
Washington | Reuters –– Oil refiners who have complained that U.S. federal regulators missed deadlines to issue rules on blending renewable fuels into the nation’s supply of gasoline and diesel fuel are set to get long-awaited targets from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Under a deal the EPA announced Friday with two oil industry groups […] Read more
U.S. EPA to propose biofuels standards this spring
Grapevine, Tex. | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to put out a proposal that will address Renewable Fuels Standards for 2014, 2015 and 2016 this spring, an agency official at an industry conference in Grapevine, Tex., said Thursday. The agency will address all three years at once and plans to look at […] Read more
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