Reuters — The Biden administration on Wednesday increased the amount of biofuels that oil refiners must blend into the United States’ fuel mix over the next three years, but the plan has angered the biofuel industry, which says mandates for corn-based ethanol and biodiesel are not high enough. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized […] Read more

U.S. to boost biofuel mandates over next three years
Biofuel groups still feel shortchanged

Bunge expects U.S. renewable diesel capacity of about five billion gallons by 2024
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. renewable diesel production capacity will more than double to about five billion gallons by 2024 from about two billion gallons, Bunge CEO Greg Heckman said on Tuesday. The agricultural commodities trader has not altered its own capacity plans due to a U.S. government proposal on biofuels announced last week, Heckman […] Read more

What will King Charles’s reign mean for climate action?
Some projects may be handed to other family members
London | Thomson Reuters Foundation — As Britain’s King Charles III begins his reign after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, environmental campaigners will be watching closely to see if he continues to advocate for climate action and is able to help drive change as monarch. In his first speech to the nation […] Read more

It’s good to be green — canola cleared under new ‘clean fuel’ regulations
Canola sector fought hard for rules that wouldn’t tie growers in red tape
Reading Time: 4 minutes Farmers are closer to having a major new canola market — large-scale biofuel production — following the release of federal Clean Fuel Regulations intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The regulations indicate prairie growers have finally made the cut after years of negotiations between canola industry representatives and government. Canola is now fully accepted as […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn down on Ukrainian export optimism
Soybeans firm on biofuel talk
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat sank on Wednesday for a second straight session to the lowest in nearly two months, as the market gauged diplomatic talks to unblock Ukrainian ports, while U.S. rainfall across the plains added pressure to prices. Corn followed, dropping to a nine-week low, as U.S. farmers caught up on planting […] Read more

U.S. EPA proposes biofuel mandate cuts
Proposal seen as boost to pandemic-hit refiners
New York | Reuters — The Biden administration proposed on Tuesday a reduction in the amount of biofuels that U.S. oil refiners were required to blend into their fuel mix since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The long-awaited decision offers some relief to the U.S. refining industry after the health crisis slammed domestic demand […] Read more

U.S. EPA to propose expanding credit eligibility under biofuel program
New York | Reuters — The Biden administration is expected to propose expanding the kinds of renewable fuel production processes that are eligible to receive credits under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard program, three sources familiar with the matter said. The move could help increase production of advanced biofuels, which include lower-carbon products such as […] Read more

Using more canola for biofuels would be a ‘win win’
Canola Council of Canada backs the federal government’s plan to boost the use of green fuels
Reading Time: 2 minutes Part of the federal government’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is drawing qualified praise from the Canola Council of Canada. The organization says it “sees potential in the federal government’s proposed rules for the Clean Fuel Standard.” The measure is intended to “reduce the carbon intensity of the fuels” and one of those ways […] Read more

Seminar offers the lowdown on industrial hemp
Cannabis legalization has boosted interest in industrial hemp and should lead to less paperwork, too
Reading Time: < 1 minute The pending legalization of cannabis is boosting interest in growing industrial hemp. And it’s expected it will be easier to grow the crop in 2018 once a review of federal regulation on the use of chaff (leaves and flowers) and the licensing procedure is completed. Alberta Agriculture and Forestry is putting on seminars in Vermilion […] Read more
Innovation with the most unlikely material shows all is possible
Human waste has always been a problem, but it is increasingly seen as a resource and that’s spurring the creation of new technologies
Reading Time: 3 minutes I still spend a lot of time in airports and love to use that time to read interesting stories on people, places, politics, science, and technology. It brings to light all that is possible in our world. A little writeup caught my eye in regards to human waste which is a growing problem. In many […] Read more