Ethanol Week - July 14, 2014

RFA scores retailers for E85, E15 offerings; Big Oil gets an 'F' The five Big Oil brands got an "F" in the Renewable Fuels Association's score card for their poor performance in offering E15 or E85. Among stations carrying other refiner-affiliated brands, only Speedway/SuperAmerica and Cenex received high marks. READ MORE SHARE
N.C. funds 6 cellulosic biofuel, bioenergy research projects North Carolina recently awarded six projects a total of $500,000 through the state's Bioenergy Research Initiative, which is a program of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. READ MORE SHARE
	EIA increases ethanol production forecasts in July report The U.S. Energy Information Administration has published the July issue of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, increasing its 2014 and 2015 ethanol production forecasts for the second month in a row. The EIA also announced a new weekly production record. READ MORE SHARE
NGFA proposal to the STB could benefit shippers of ethanol, DDGS The National Grain and Feed Association has submitted an extensive proposal to the Surface Transportation Board, urging the STB to establish new rules and procedures that captive grain shippers could use to challenge unreasonable rail freight rates. READ MORE SHARE
EU announces bioenergy funding under 2 major initiatives The European Union has announced funding under two major initiatives that will benefit bioenergy projects, including EUR 1 billion in NER 300 funding and a new public-private partnership that aims inject EUR 3.7 billion into the biobased economy. READ MORE SHARE
ITA accepting nominations for export advisory committee The International Trade Administration recently published a notice in the Federal Register announcing it is reestablishing the renewable energy and energy efficiency advisory committee and accepting nominations for its membership. READ MORE SHARE
Big corn crop expected, the question being how big? Great growing conditions have the industry speculating on just how big the corn crop will be. USDA's July 11 supply/demand report pegs the 2014 corn crop at 13.86 billion bushels, 65 million bushels below last year's record. READ MORE SHARE
Lux Research: Lignin-derived chemicals to hit market in 2021 As lignin supplies rise on the back of growing cellulosic feedstock utilization, commercialization opportunities of up to $242 billion are emerging in 13 select chemicals, says Lux Research. READ MORE SHARE
WVU researcher to study the genetics of biomass accumulation Jennifer Hawkins, assistant professor of biology at West Virginia University, is working with a team of researchers to examine the genetic controls of tillering in corn, sorghum and foxtail millet. READ MORE SHARE
USGC China DDGS situation update: Impacts in other markets China's new inspection and permit regime for U.S. distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) has created increased interest for DDGS in other markets around the world. Among the first to seize the opportunity was Taiwan. READ MORE SHARE
Andritz to deliver pretreatment technology to Fiberight plant International technology Group Andritz has received an order to supply equipment, engineering, and field services for Fiberight's cellulosic ethanol plant in Blairstown, Iowa. Start-up is planned for the first quarter of 2015. READ MORE SHARE
DOE loan guarantee program targets biofuels, waste-to-energy The U.S. Department of Energy has officially opened a loan guarantee solicitation, making up to $4 million available for innovative renewable energy and energy efficiency projects located in the U.S. that avoid, reduce or sequester greenhouse gases. READ MORE SHARE
Ceres licenses DNA browser software to Bayer CropScience Ceres Inc., an agricultural biotechnology and seed company, has announced that the company has licensed its Persephone genome visualization application to Bayer CropScience. The software was originally developed for in-house use by Ceres. READ MORE SHARE
Report highlights economic impact of the US bioscience industry A new report published Biotechnology Industry Organization and Battelle indicates the U.S. bioscience industry demonstrated strong growth from 2011 to 2012, has navigated the economic recession better than most industries, and is once again growing. READ MORE SHARE
Ethanol reduces oil's damage to climate and US economy As 41 million Americans hit the road to celebrate the country's birthday, they are again reminded of the strain gasoline puts on the family's budget. Fuel consumers want and need choices at the pump. READ MORE SHARE
US Water, ChemCal join forces in corporate merger U.S. Water Services, Inc. the provider of integrated solutions for water treatment, announced the merger of Texas based ChemCal, Inc and U.S. Water. READ MORE SHARE
Syngenta, FFA collaborate on fundraising at Iowa Speedway event Syngenta and lowa FFA chapters will be joining forces to increase awareness of the benefits of American ethanol and to raise money to support flex fuel availability, and the FFA, at the American Ethanol 200 presented by Enogen, on July 11 and 12. READ MORE SHARE
Growth Energy letter addresses continued rail shipment delays In response to a recent order by the Surface Transportation Board, which called on rail providers to resolve backlogs of rail cars for grain orders, but failed to address rail service for ethanol, Tom Buis of Growth Energy sent a letter to STB. READ MORE SHARE
World Bank: Climate-smart development benefits lives, jobs, GDP Advanced biofuels and biomass play supporting roles in several scenarios examined in a recent report from the World Bank Group looking at climate-smart development. The report introduces a new holistic modeling framework. READ MORE SHARE