CARB is proposing a phased process for introducing alternative diesel fuels to the California market. Prior to supplying any alternative diesel fuel to market, a producer would need to obtain a Memorandum of Exemption (MOE) granted by CARB.… Continue Reading
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce released its fourth white paper on the Renewable Fuel Standard. The white paper discusses the energy impacts of the RFS and the changes in US energy demand in the five years since the RFS passed. The paper calls for comments regarding the impact of the RFS on demand, petroleum … Continue Reading
Voting is underway for the 2013 Hottest Partners in Biofuels and BioBased Products, a poll conducted by our friend Jim Lane of Biofuels Digest. Poll categories include: Distributors Engineering, procurement & construction Enzymes, yeasts & sugars Feedstocks (energy crops) Feedstocks (gases and residues) Finance (early-stage) Finance (commercialization) Lab services Pretreatment systems Professional counselors & consultants … Continue Reading
In a development that will increase liquidity and transparency in the RIN market, two major providers are making RIN future contracts available to be traded. Both CME Group and the IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) will have RIN products available to be traded by mid May.… Continue Reading
On February 21, 2013, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) opened the comment period on a proposed rule that would create a Quality Assurance Program (“QAP”) to combat fraudulently-created Renewable Identification Numbers (“RINs”) – a serial number assigned to a volume of biofuel for the purpose of tracking its production, use and, trade. A public … Continue Reading
The California Public Utilities Commission has commenced a new rulemaking to implement Assembly Bill (AB) 1900, on the use of common carrier gas pipelines for biomethane. In the rulemaking, the CPUC will develop standards and requirements for biomethane injected into pipelines, as well as pipeline access rules to ensure non-discriminatory open access to the system. Under current … Continue Reading
Last Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency released its proposed rule for the 2013 Renewable Fuel Standard (“RFS2”) volume obligations. Every year the EPA is required to determine and publish the annual volume requirements for each class of renewable fuel that obligated parties will have to comply with for the upcoming year under the RFS2 program. The volumes required … Continue Reading
I’m excited to report that my colleague and fellow Renewable + Law blogger Graham Noyes was recently named among the “Top 100 People in Bioenergy” by readers of Biofuels Digest and the publication’s editorial board. Graham was one of only three attorneys to make the list, which was headed by U.S. Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack … Continue Reading
The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced it has denied requests from the Governors of Arkansas and North Carolina to waive Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volume requirements, based on the effects of the drought on feedstocks used to produce renewable fuel in 2012-2013. The petitions, filed in August, triggered a review process to determine … Continue Reading
Stoel Rives has long been a trusted advisor to the biofuels industry. Since the industry’s inception, we have assisted biofuel companies in launching ventures, obtaining financing, ensuring regulatory compliance, licensing technology, negotiating agreements, and leveraging incentives and government programs. As the industry has evolved and expanded, our practice has remained on the cutting edge while … Continue Reading
The deadline for public comments on petitions seeking a waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) expired last night on October 11, 2012. The Governors of Arkansas and North Carolina had submitted separate requests, in letters dated August 13, 2012 and August 14, 2012, asking for a waiver of RFS volume requirements. Under Section 211(o)(7)(A) … Continue Reading
Here’s a California law update from my partner Wayne Rosenbaum in San Diego: The California legislature continues to emphasize the importance of renewable energy for the State’s environment and economy. Of the renewable energy bills passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor this year, three of them focused on biogas. Some of the … Continue Reading
The California Bioenergy Interagency Working Group has released its 2012 Bioenergy Action Plan, with the goal of facilitating the development of bioenergy in California on a variety of levels, including research and development support, streamlining and consolidating permitting, facilitating access to transmission, pipelines, and other distribution networks, and policies and laws to monetize the benefits … Continue Reading
In a decision released this morning, the DC Circuit rejected a challenge to the introduction of E15, a gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol, under an EPA waiver grant. Currently, the national gasoline supply consists largely of E10, a 10 percent ethanol/gasoline blend. With fuel manufacturers confronting mandatory annual increases of renewable fuels under the … Continue Reading
Southwestern Public Service Company (“SPS”), a subsidiary of Xcel, has issued a request for proposals to diversify its existing renewable energy portfolio in New Mexico. SPS is seeking, on an annual basis, approximately 88,705 MWh of “Other” renewable energy generation as defined by the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission Rule 572 NMAC (i.e., other than solar … Continue Reading
Stoel Rives is honored to have been named the top partner in the Professional Counselors and Services category by the readers of Biofuels Digest, the most widely read daily news digest in the biofuels industry. Biofuels Digest Publisher Jim Lane and his team produce a great on-line magazine and some of the best conferences in … Continue Reading
Yesterday the EPA released the third major Notice of Violation ("NOV") against a biofuel producer in the past six months under the Renewable Fuel Standard ("RFS"). The NOV states that EPA has determined that Green Diesel, LLC of Houston, Texas, generated 60,034,033 invalid Renewable Identification Numbers ("RINs') with a current market value of perhaps $85 million. Coming on the heels of the resolution of the Clean Green Diesel and Absolute Fuels NOVs, this NOV is likely to trigger immediate market reaction.… Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
Yesterday, President Obama announced that the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (“USDA”), Energy (“DOE”), and Navy (“USN”, and together with the USDA and DOE, the “Agencies”) will invest up to $510 million over the course of the next three years to support advanced drop-in aviation and marine biofuels to power military and commercial transportation. This is a … Continue Reading
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.… Continue Reading
Puget Sound Clean Cities Coalition has announced that it has roughly $400,000 in unused ARRA grant funds available for alternative fuel vehicle and infrastructure projects. Examples of eligible vehicles include: Vehicles using alternative fuels recognized by the Energy Policy Act (complete list here: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/epact/about/epact_fuels.html); Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles; Electric Hybrid Vehicles (including certain Plug-in Hybrid … Continue Reading
Having first reported to our readers in February that LexisNexis had nominated the Stoel Rives Renewable + Law Blog for its Top 50 Environmental Law & Climate Change Blogs for 2011 award, we are pleased to announce we made the list of winners! In publishing its Top 50 list, LexisNexis declared that our Renewable + … Continue Reading
