Ethanol Week - July 15, 2013

House passes Farm Bill, but hurdles remain The U.S. House of Representatives passed a stripped down version of the Farm Bill on July 11. Members of Congress voted 216-208 to approve the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, or H.R. 2642. READ MORE SHARE
2013 National Advanced Biofuels Conference & Expo agenda released The 2013 National Advanced Biofuels Conference & Expo, taking place September 10-12, 2013, in Omaha, Neb., announced its preliminary agenda this week. The event features three program tracks and nearly 70 advanced biofuel presentations. READ MORE SHARE
	Flint Hills Resources to acquire Arthur, Iowa-based ethanol plant Flint Hills Resources LLC has announced an agreement with Platinum Ethanol to acquire its Arthur, Iowa, ethanol plant. The transaction is expected to close later this year, subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory approvals. READ MORE SHARE
EPA publishes notice of data availability for barley ethanol The U.S. EPA has published a notice of data availability pertaining to ethanol produced from barley under the renewable fuel standard (RFS). Public comments will be accepted for 30 days following the publication of the notice in the Federal Register. READ MORE SHARE
UK wheat-to-ethanol plant officially opens for business The Vivergo Fuels Ltd. wheat-to-ethanol plant in Hull, United Kingdom, is officially open and operating. The 420 MMlly (110 MMgy) facility, built for more than $448 million, is a joint venture between AB Sugar, BP and DuPont Industrial Biosciences. READ MORE SHARE
EU committee votes on RED, prompting response from ePURE, UNICA A recent vote by the EU Parliament's Environment Committee has voted to adopt the report of Corinne Lepage, prompting comment by ePURE, which represents the EU ethanol industry, and UNICA, the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association. READ MORE SHARE
Fuels America coalition holds educational briefing in DC A group of biofuels experts gathered July 11, in Washington, D.C., to discuss the so-called blend wall, E15 and progress on the cellulosic ethanol front. The event was hosted by Fuels America, in cooperation with two members of Congress. READ MORE SHARE
Report: ILUC penalties under the RED will harm developing nations A new report published by World Growth argues that the E.U.'s proposal regarding indirect land use change (ILUC) carbon emissions under the Renewable Energy Directive represents a futile effort to curb productive land use in Asia. READ MORE SHARE
Iowa governor signs 'Right to Blend' bill into law Legislation signed by Gov. Terry Branstad will have a positive impact at the pump. The new law, effective as of July 1, preserves an Iowa petroleum marketer's right to blend with Iowa manufactured ethanol and biodiesel. READ MORE SHARE
S.D. offers grants for blender pumps South Dakota is making $500,000 available to support the installation of blender pumps. The Governor's Office of Economic Development has announced the state's Ethanol Infrastructure Incentive Program has kicked off its third round of funding. READ MORE SHARE
ICM announces contract with Paraguay ethanol plant ICM Inc. announced July 8 that that it has signed a contract with INPASA for sale of an evaporator and dryer system at its plant in Nueva Esperanza, Paraguay. READ MORE SHARE
Genscape estimates 96.2 million acres of corn are in production Using satellite technology, Genscape LandViewer has developed a spatial-based algorithm to predict corn planted on a parcel by parcel basis. The tool can more accurately account for last minute planting decisions that were missed by grower surveys. READ MORE SHARE
14 billion bushel corn crop forecast, 858 million above record Even after factoring in reduced beginning stocks for the upcoming corn marketing year and the lower forecasted harvested acres following the acreage report, the USDA is projecting U.S. corn production at just below 14 billion bushels. READ MORE SHARE
House bill aims to reinstate duty on imported ethanol Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., recently introduced legislation that aims to reinstate and extend the additional duty on ethanol. The bill, H.R. 2564, was introduced June 27 and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. READ MORE SHARE
Missouri's first ethanol plant has rich history Board chairman John Eggleston's vision of getting projects done dates to the mid-1990s when he first became chairman of Northeast Missouri Grain Processors Inc., the first group to propose a corn ethanol plant in the state. READ MORE SHARE
EU's Horizon 2020 program invests in biobased industries The European Commission and members of European industry will invest more than EUR 22 billion ($28.70 billion) over the next seven years under the Horizon 2020 research initiative. A portion of that investment will support biobased innovations. READ MORE SHARE
EIA STEO predicts increasing U.S. ethanol production The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released the July edition of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, noting that ethanol production has been increasing since April, reaching 870,000 barrels per day in June. READ MORE SHARE
Federal biomass research committee appoints new co-chair The Biomass Research and Development Initiative Technical Advisory Committee appointed Kevin Kephart as the new co-chair. He will assist the committee in the research, development and production standards of biomass-derived fuels and materials. READ MORE SHARE
Vecoplan sponsors car #23 at NASCAR 'Feed the Children 300' Vecoplan LLC was the proud sponsor of car #23 at the NASCAR Nationwide "Feed the Children 300" on June 28 at Kentucky Speedway. The #23 Vecoplan Ford Mustang was fielded by Rick Ware Racing and driven by Harrison Rhodes. READ MORE SHARE
Intratec report evaluates ethanol-to-ethylene economics A new report takes a close look at the potential for ethylene production from ethanol. Ethylene is the most produced organic chemical in the world, used in the production of multiple polymers and chemicals. READ MORE SHARE
Carbo Analytics wins DOE grant for sugar analysis system Carbo Analytics, a developer of sugar analysis systems, has announced that it has been awarded a $150,000 U.S. DOE grant under the Small Business Innovation Research program for the development of a biofuels sugar analysis system. READ MORE SHARE
EEA report calls for more efficient biomass production, use The European Environment Agency has published a report that says bioenergy production should comply with E.U. objectives to use resources more efficiently. The report contains three future scenarios for bioenergy development in Europe. READ MORE SHARE