On February 2, 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") issued a Notice of Violation ("NOV") of the Renewable Fuel Standard ("RFS") to Absolute Fuels, a company located in Lubbock, Texas. The NOV alleges that between August 31, 2010, and October 11, 2011, Absolute Fuels generated over 48 million Renewable Identification Numbers ("RINs") and that all

Graham Noyes
EPA Enforcement of RFS2 Heats Up
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is exercising its authority and enforcing the requirements of the Clean Air Act’s renewable fuel standard (RFS) program. The EPA issued twenty-four notices of violation on November 7, 2011, to petroleum refiners, importers and exporters of renewable fuel.
Following a filing last month of criminal charges of wire fraud, money…
Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest Releases Report
The Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest (SAFN) is the first stakeholder effort to review the challenges surrounding the production of sustainable aviation fuels and to develop a regional solution.
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Budget Compromise Looks OK for Projects in DOE Loan Guarantee Pipeline
The current version of the budget compromise provides relatively good news for projects seeking DOE loan guarantees.
Continue Reading Budget Compromise Looks OK for Projects in DOE Loan Guarantee Pipeline
Good News and Bad News for DOE’s Loan Guarantee Program
There has been a wave of good and bad news this past week regarding the DOE’s Loan Guarantee Program. On the positive side, Secretary Chu announced on Friday that the Department would be adding an additional compliance period for the Innovative Solicitation. The current deadline for the Part I application under the program is August 24th. Secretary…
EPA Issues Proposed RFS2 Rules for 2011
The EPA has issued proposed RFS2 rules for 2011 that provide some indications that the agency is dedicated to jump starting the advanced biofuels industry.
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Discussion on Kerry Lieberman and EPA with William Brent
Here is a Q&A I did with William Brent, the head of Weber Shandwick’s cleantech practice and blogger at www.mrcleantech.com:
WB: I asked my friend Graham Noyes of law firm Stoel Rives who focuses his practice on bioenergy projects, federal energy incentives and carbon monetization for his thoughts on the Kerry Lieberman bill.
Q…
RFS2 Deadlines are Rapidly Approaching
Several deadlines relating to the implementation of RFS2 are rapidly approaching and should be strictly followed by renewable fuel producers to avoid loss of the value of RINs under the new system. Producers who miss the registration deadline of July 1, 2010 will be unable to generate RINs until they have completed the registration …
Secretary Chu Announces $80M for Biofuels
DOE Secretary Chu’s announcement today regarding $80 million of ARRA funding for biofuels is potentially a positive development for the long-term development of the biofuels industry. What is worriesome from a practical perspective is the division of funding.
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Stoel Rives is Pleased to Support the Efforts of the Evergreen Team
The goal of the award-winning Evergreen production team is to document, promote and present the clean technology story to audiences of decision makers, regulators, citizens and students in Washington State, the Pacific Northwest and international markets.
In December 2009, the Evergreen team traveled to Copenhagen to document the efforts of the Washington delegation at the…