Ethanol Week - April 20, 2015

European Parliament committee votes to approve biofuel agreement On April 14, the environment committee of the European Parliament voted 51-12 to endorse a deal struck by legislators earlier this year that aims to cap the use of first-generation biofuels and accelerate the shift to alternative sources. READ MORE SHARE
EIA outlook predicts increased ethanol production through 2040 The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released its Annual Energy Outlook 2015, which presents updated projections for U.S. energy markets, through 2040 based on six different scenarios. The outlook includes ethanol forecasts. READ MORE SHARE
	Bill aims to alter RVO process, definition for cellulosic biofuel Sen. Jeff Flake, R, Ariz., has introduced legislation that aims to amend the renewable fuel standard to require the cellulosic requirement to be based on actual production and alter the statutory definition of cellulosic biofuels to exclude biogas. READ MORE SHARE
DOE to host webinar on biofuel sustainability April 22 The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has announced plans to host a webinar on biofuel sustainability on April 22, titled "Biofuels for the Environment and Communities." READ MORE SHARE
House bill to expand Reid vapor pressure waiver to E15 introduced Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., recently introduced legislation that aims to expand the U.S. EPA’s existing waiver for Reid vapor pressure to fuels blends containing more than 10 percent ethanol. If signed into law, the bill would expand E15 availability. READ MORE SHARE
Shell announces results of 2015 Eco-Marathon Shell has announced a team from University of Colorado, Boulder, has won the prototype alternative fuels category at the Shell Eco-Marathon held in Detroit this month using an ethanol-powered vehicle. READ MORE SHARE
Cascades invests in biorefinery project at Cabano plant Cascades Inc. has announced an investment in a new technology at its Norampac - Cabano facility. This innovative new process is used to extract hemicellulose, a cellulosic sugar with high value-added potential, from wood chips. READ MORE SHARE
U.K. DECC releases 2014 liquid biofuel data The U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change has released provisional annual energy statistics for 2014, reporting that ethanol accounted for 4.6 percent of gasoline last year. Biodiesel accounted for 3.4 percent of total diesel. READ MORE SHARE
QCCP hits 1 million gallon cellulosic milestone Syngenta recently announced that Quad County Corn Processors has produced its 1 millionth gallon of cellulosic ethanol through the use of Cellerate process technology at its Galva, Iowa, ethanol production facility. READ MORE SHARE
IRFA: E15 could save Iowans $50 million per year In an analysis of a recent Iowa Department of Revenue motor fuel report, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association has revealed that if E15 was widely available Iowa drivers could save more than $50 million per year in fuel costs. READ MORE SHARE
Study highlights economic impacts of Nebraska’s ethanol industry A recent impact study by University of Nebraska-Lincoln economists reveals Nebraska’s ethanol production capacity growth between 1995 and 2014 is tenfold. The study is titled "Economic Impacts of the Ethanol Industry in Nebraska." READ MORE SHARE
NexSteppe demonstrates biomass crops at commercial scale NexSteppe has announced that it sold more than 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of its Palo Alto biomass sorghums in Brazil this past growing season, compared to just over 1,000 hectares in the previous year. READ MORE SHARE
Leaf Resources announces cellulosic sugar patent application Leaf Resources Ltd. has launched its new Hybritech platform for the pulp and paper industry following the lodgment of a patent application for the process last month. The Hybritech platform utilizes Leaf Resources' Glycell process. READ MORE SHARE
Flourishing faster: How to make trees grow bigger and quicker Scientists at The University of Manchester have discovered a way to make trees grow bigger and faster, which could increase supplies of renewable resources and help trees cope with the effects of climate change. READ MORE SHARE
Discovery of plant switch could boost crop, biofuel production A team of Michigan State University researchers has discovered a switch that regulates plant photosynthesis, the process that lets plants store solar energy and use it to grow and produce food. READ MORE SHARE
RFA: E85 station opens in California Pearson Fuels and G&M Oil Co. are celebrating their latest partnership with the grand opening of California's newest E85 station at 499 Sandalwood Drive in Calimesa. There will be a ribbon-cutting celebration on April 15. READ MORE SHARE