Ethanol Week - April 14, 2014

Senate asks for industry input on RFS during biofuel hearing The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry recently held a hearing on advanced biofuels. The event featured testimony from representatives of DuPont, the Advanced Ethanol Council and Airlines for America. READ MORE SHARE
Court hears oral arguments in challenge to 2013 RFS standard On April 7, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia heard oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging the U.S. EPA's final rule for 2013 renewable fuel standard (RFS). The petitioners are asking the court to vacate the EPA's rulemaking. READ MORE SHARE
	RFA, Growth Energy testify on rail congestion at STB hearing On April 10, representatives of the Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy presented testimony at a Surface Transportation Board hearing. The testimony focused on the negative impact that rail congestion is having on the ethanol industry. READ MORE SHARE
Vireol Bio-Energy LLC to open Virginia plant After getting approval in March for a $250,000 grant from Hopewell's City Council, Vireol Bio-Energy LLC announced it is opening its multi-feedstock ethanol plant, which will be the biggest ethanol plant on the East Coast. READ MORE SHARE
FTC proposes new labeling requirements for ethanol blends The Federal Trade Commission has published a proposed rule to amend its Rule for Automotive Fuel Ratings, Certification and Posting that would adopt and revise rating, certification and labeling requirements for ethanol-gasoline blends. READ MORE SHARE
Vander Griend calls for test standards for ethanol blends The ethanol industry needs to call for new fuel testing standards when testing gasoline with varying ethanol content, according to Steve Vander Griend, technical manager of fuel and engine technology at ICM Inc. READ MORE SHARE
Vilsack talks about USDA efforts to further advanced biofuels Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack testified about the farm bill and the rural economy, during a U.S. House of Representatives Committee hearing. As part of that, he talked about the USDA's work to create markets for advanced biofuels. READ MORE SHARE
China eyes advanced ethanol technologies to quench fuel demand China's fast-growing demand for oil, and its continued dependency on sugar-based ethanol, is opening up opportunities for advanced ethanol technologies, according to Lux Research. READ MORE SHARE
McCarthy addresses RFS, biogenic emissions during hearing The U.S. EPA's policies with regard to the renewable fuel standard and biogenic carbon emissions were among the topics discussed during a recent EPA budget hearing held by the House Committee on Appropriations. READ MORE SHARE
Syngenta licenses Adding Cellulosic Ethanol technology Syngenta has announced an agreement with Cellulosic Ethanol Technologies LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Quad County Corn Processors, to license its Adding Cellulosic Ethanol technology, a new process for ethanol plants. READ MORE SHARE
RFA calls CARB's ILUC analysis out of date The Renewable Fuels Association has submitted comments to the California Air Resources Board pertinent to CARB's draft indirect land use change analysis. The comments express concern with many aspects of the draft. READ MORE SHARE
Ceres announces fiscal and business updates Ceres Inc. released its second quarter financial results and an update on its efforts in Brazil during a webcast on April 10. The company said it has increased its planting of sorghum in Brazil, where it is pursuing ethanol and biomass power markets. READ MORE SHARE
Researchers find potential to grow biofuel feedstock on PV farms Growing agave and other carefully chosen plants amid photovoltaic panels could allow solar farms not only to collect sunlight for electricity but also to produce crops for biofuels, according to new computer models by Stanford scientists. READ MORE SHARE
RFA: Poll shows Americans overwhelmingly support the RFS A new national poll conducted by American Viewpoint found 65 percent of adults support the renewable fuel standard (RFS), while just 26 percent are opposed. Support for the RFS has been steadily rising, increasing from 61 percent in 2012. READ MORE SHARE
Wet mill reaches agreement with state attorney general Grain Processing Corp. of Muscatine, Iowa, a wet mill that produces quality alcohol and some fuel ethanol, has been ordered to pay a $1.5 million civil penalty for environmental violations and will transition from coal to natural gas. READ MORE SHARE
ACE says blend wall "cost" reports are incomplete and misleading Ron Lamberty, senior vice president for the American Coalition for Ethanol has called media reports that the "blend wall" cost refiners approximately $1.35 billion last year "incomplete and misleading." READ MORE SHARE
EIA revises forecast for 2014 ethanol production, summer blending The U.S. Energy Information Administration included a slight revision of projected 2014 U.S. ethanol production in the April issue of its Short-Term Energy Outlook. The EIA now predicts 2014 ethanol production will average 908,000 barrels per day. READ MORE SHARE
LanzaTech to move headquarters; Soperton retrofit ongoing LanzaTech will be moving its headquarters to Illinois as it continues to develop its projects in China and Soperton, Ga. The company's process turns industrial and biomass-based gases into ethanol and other chemicals. READ MORE SHARE
Continued strong exports reduces project corn ending stocks In its monthly World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates released April 9, USDA reduced projected U.S. corn ending stocks for 2013/14 by 125 million bushels based on the projected increase in corn exports. READ MORE SHARE
Poplars designed for deconstruction: A major boon to biofuels What began 20 years ago as an innovation to improve paper industry processes and dairy forage digestibility may now open the door to a much more energy- and cost-efficient way to convert biomass into fuel. READ MORE SHARE