Ethanol Week - June 30, 2014

June 30, 2014

Supreme Court issues its decision on EPA's GHG Tailoring Rule On June 23, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision on the U.S. EPA's Tailoring Rule. It did not, however, address the uncertainty faced by those in the biomass industry with regard to the EPA's treatment of biogenic emissions. READ MORE SHARE
USDA announces plan to survey ethanol producers Over the next several months, the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service will contact ethanol producers across the United States, as the agency is preparing to conduct a monthly Current Agricultural Industry Report survey. READ MORE SHARE
	N.Y. bill would incentivize cellulosic fuels, biomass pellets On June 19, the New York Assembly voted to pass a bill that aims to amend the state's tax law to provide tax credits for the production of cellulosic ethanol, densified biofuel and renewable fuel oil. READ MORE SHARE
Iowa sets new record for first quarter E85 sales The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association has announced Iowa motorists purchased 2.71 million gallons of E85 in the first quarter of 2014, according to data released by the Iowa Department of Revenue. READ MORE SHARE
May RIN data shows increased biofuel production The U.S. EPA has published renewable identification number (RIN) data for May. While overall RIN generation reached nearly 1.48 billion for month, up from nearly 1.45 billion in April, no cellulosic RINs were generated in May. READ MORE SHARE
$15 million available for Advanced Biofuels Payment Program The USDA recently issued a notice of contract proposals for its Advanced Biofuel Payment Program, which provides payments to producers to support and expand production of advanced biofuels. READ MORE SHARE
DOE funds bioenergy projects at 4 universities The U.S. Department of Energy recently awarded $100 million to Energy Frontier Research Centers with the goal of accelerating scientific breakthroughs needed to build the new energy economy. Several of EFRC awards will benefit bioenergy research. READ MORE SHARE
UNICA: Brazilian ethanol production increased in early June The Brazilian sugarcane association, UNICA, has issued a new bi-weekly harvest update, reporting mills in Brazil's south-central region produced 1.72 billion liters (454.90 million gallons) of ethanol during the first two weeks of June. READ MORE SHARE
JBEI GT collection: A new resource for advanced biofuels research Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Joint BioEnergy Institute have unveiled the first glycosyltransferase clone collection specifically targeted for the study of the biosynthesis of plant cell walls. READ MORE SHARE
Murphy USA now offering E15 and E85 in Indianola, Iowa The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association has announced Murphy USA is now offering E15 and E85 at its Indianola, Iowa location. The fueling site is the first of seven Murphy USA locations in Iowa to begin offering these higher ethanol blends. READ MORE SHARE
Celtic Renewables partners on pilot-scale biobutanol project Celtic Renewables, a U.K.-based biofuel company, has signed an agreement with Europe's foremost biotechnology pilot facility to undergo next stage testing of its process to turn whisky by-products into biofuel that can power current vehicles. READ MORE SHARE
Model may help growers mitigate costly droughts A University of Florida-created model may help growers plant at optimal times and avoid crop-destroying drought, which can cost millions of dollars in a given year, according to one of the tool's creators. READ MORE SHARE
China's unofficial US corn ban now includes DDGS While there has still been no official announcement from the Chinese government, the market is rapidly adjusting to the situation in China, after traders were told no new DDGS imports would be issued. READ MORE SHARE
USDA REAP sinks $3.4 billion into rural economies Though the USDA Rural Energy for America Program has been hugely successful since it was first implemented in the 2002 Farm Bill, numerous changes have been implemented over the years in order to maximize program value. READ MORE SHARE
Ethanol safety seminars scheduled for 2 Tennessee cities The Renewable Fuels Association, in partnership with the Knoxville & Holston River Railroad and Nashville & Western Railroad, will host two ethanol safety seminars in Tennessee on June 25 and June 27. READ MORE SHARE
Stora Enso acquires U.S.-based biotechnology company Stora Enso has acquired 100 percent of the shares of Virdia, a developer of extraction and separation technologies for conversion of cellulosic biomass into refined sugars and lignin. The upfront debt-free transaction value is about $33 million. READ MORE SHARE
STB issues order to resolve backlog of grain car shipments On June 20, the Surface Transportation Board took action to help ensure the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. and BNSF Railway Co. resolve the backlog of grain car orders on their respective networks prior to the fall harvest. READ MORE SHARE
Greenbrier announces tank car awards The Greenbrier Companies Inc. announced its first awards from multiple customers for construction of 3,500 units of its new Tank Car of the Future, which is designed for safer transportation of crude, ethanol and other flammables. READ MORE SHARE