Ethanol Week - July 13, 2015

EPA names 9 efficient ethanol producers, bringing total to 40 Nine more ethanol plants have achieved the U.S. EPA’s efficient producer status, bringing the total to 40. The agency posted the newly completed pathway assessments on its website in early July. READ MORE SHARE
USDA accepting applications for loan guarantee program The USDA's Rural Business-Cooperative Service has announced it is soliciting applications for the Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program, which provides loan guarantees to eligible biorefining projects. READ MORE SHARE
	US ethanol exports drop, DDGS exports surge The most recent government data shows ethanol exports hit the lowest level so far this year while distillers grains exports to China set a new record, accounting for 74 percent of total U.S. DDGS exports, according to a RFA analysis. READ MORE SHARE
EIA predicts increased ethanol consumption in short-term outlook The U.S. Energy Information Administration has issued the July edition of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, predicting ethanol production, which averaged 935,000 barrels per day last year, will remain near current levels in 2015 and 2016. READ MORE SHARE
DOE seeks input on use of biofuels blends in small engines In late June, the U.S. Department of Energy released a request for information (RFI) seeking stakeholder input on several topics related to the use of biofuel blends in small engines. Responses are due Aug. 30. READ MORE SHARE
Biofuels industry, farmers advocate against Loudermilk amendment A group of two dozen biofuel trade groups and companies recently issued a letter to members of the U.S. House of Representatives urging them to reject an proposals that amend, repeal, or defund the renewable fuels standard (RFS). READ MORE SHARE
OECD-FOA Agricultural Outlook features ethanol forecast The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations has published a new agricultural outlook predicting that ethanol and biodiesel use will continue to grow over the next decade, although at a slower pace. READ MORE SHARE
White House aims to modernize biotechnology regulatory process On July 2, the White House issued a memo on modernizing the regulatory system for biotechnology products to heads of the U.S. EPA, USDA and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It outlines several actions the agencies will take over the next year. READ MORE SHARE
USGC to focus on ethanol at summer annual meeting Global ethanol supply and demand is set to be an area of focus on Monday morning during the U.S. Grains Council's 55th Annual Board of Delegates Meeting set to be held in Montreal from July 27 to 29, 2015. READ MORE SHARE
Students win infographic challenge with cellulosic ethanol design Bioenergy Technologies Office Director Jonathan Male announced the winner and finalists of the 2015 BioenergizeME Infographic Challenge Pilot in a special webinar awards ceremony. READ MORE SHARE
New data shows EPA's emissions model regarding ethanol is flawed New documents filed with the U.S District Court in Washington D.C. show that the model used by the U.S. EPA to measure tailpipe emissions inaccurately blames ethanol for increased air pollution, according to the Urban Air Initiative. READ MORE SHARE
National Commodity leaders explore Cuba grain market potential Farmer leaders and staff members from the U.S. Grains Council, the National Corn Growers Association and the North Dakota Barley Council traveled to Cuba in late June to see first-hand potential opportunities for expanding U.S. coarse grain exports. READ MORE SHARE
Finding an off switch in wood formation The same process plants use to respond to environmental stress acts as an on/off switch for a key enzyme in wood formation, NC State researchers have found. The discovery improves scientists' understanding of how lignin is formed and can be altered. READ MORE SHARE
ORNL: Unlocking lignin for sustainable biofuel Using high-performance computing, a group of researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory provided insight into how the tightly wound network of molecules that make up the cell wall of plants for easier biofuel processing. READ MORE SHARE
Bacterial boost makes biofuel production more efficient A team of investigators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Michigan State University have created a process for making the work environment less toxic for the organisms that convert cellulosic biomass into bioproducts. READ MORE SHARE
Perennial biofuel crops' water consumption similar to corn Converting large tracts of the Midwest's marginal farming land to perennial biofuel crops carries with it some key unknowns, including how it could affect the balance of water between rainfall, evaporation and movement of soil water to groundwater. READ MORE SHARE