Through industry presentations and publications as well as through our blog, our energy attorneys are dedicated to helping you stay informed and knowledgeable about legal developments that affect your business. Visit our website for the latest calendar of events. Upcoming highlights include: Renewable Energy World Conference & Expo North America 2011 March 8-10, 2011 – … Continue Reading
On December 7, 2010 the United States Patent Office published several new biofuels-related patents, including one to Amyris Biotechnologies relating to a jet fuel or diesel fuel including a bioengineered isoprenoid component. US Patent 7,846,712 (Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC) claims an isolated polynucleotide having an amino acid sequence that is at least 95% identical … Continue Reading
DOE announced on December 14, 2010 that funds will be made available for small-scale process integration projects that support the development of advanced biofuels. The biofuels could replace gasoline or diesel without requiring special upgrades or changes to the vehicle or fueling infrastructure. The funding opportunity announcement, reference number DE-FOA-0000337 (the “FOA”) will provide up to … Continue Reading
On Friday, December 10, 2010, EPA published in the Federal Register its final rule governing the underground injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) for geologic sequestration (GS) under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). EPA released a pre-publication version of this rule back on November 22, 2010. Stoel Rives previewed the pre-publication version on our Renewable … Continue Reading
On December 2, 2010, the United States Patent Office published two Novozymes applications relating to bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass and an Iogen application relating to bioethanol production from lignocellulosic. On the same date, the World Intellectual Property Organization published a Solazyme application relating to biodiesel, renewable diesel and jet fuel production. US Patent Pub. … Continue Reading
EPA has completed the roll out of the complex RFS2 program by setting renewable fuel quantity requirements for 2011. EPA severely curtailed the cellulosic biofuels standard from 250 million gallons to six million gallons based on limited industry growth. Looking forward to 2012, however, the agency identified a potential surge to 300 million gallons of … Continue Reading
Don’t forget that the deadline for Phase I grant applications under the U.S. Department of Energy’s ("DOE") Small Business Innovation Research ("SBIR") and Small Business Technology Transfer ("STTR") programs is 8:00 p.m. Eastern, November 15, 2010. Qualified small businesses with strong research capabilities in science or engineering in any of the research areas identified in … Continue Reading
The Congressional Research Service has put out a useful and concise summary of federal programs that provide direct and indirect incentives for biofuels. The report lists over eighteen active programs administered by five different agencies including the U.S. Department of Agriculture; Department of Energy and Internal Revenue Service. For each program, the report lists the authorizing … Continue Reading
On September 28, 2010, the House of Representatives passed the Algae-based Renewable Fuel Promotion Act of 2010 (H.R. 4168). The Act amends the Internal Revenue Code to (1) expand the definition of "cellulosic biofuel" to include algae-based biofuel for purposes of the cellulosic biofuel producer tax credit; and (2) provide for accelerated depreciation of property used in … Continue Reading
An alert written by Stoel Rives partners Seth Hilton and John McKinsey: The California Energy Commission RPS staff has proposed some significant and potentially important revisions to the RPS Eligibility Guidebook and the Overall Program Guidebook. Written comments on the proposed revisions are due September 10, 2010, by 5:00 p.m. The CEC will consider approval of … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
From our colleague Edna Vassilovski: On July 29, 2010, the following U.S. patent applications were published relating to biofuels: U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20100191022 (Undisclosed assignee) relates to the use of Arundo donax feedstock in a gasification process to produce ethanol. According to the application, ethanol is produced substantially without by-products except for an ash … Continue Reading
From our colleague Edna Vassilovski: The following U.S. patent applications published this week relating to biofuels. U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20100184161 (The Regents of the University of California) discloses a thermophilic endo-beta-1,4 xylanase derived from Acidothermus cellulolyticus useful in the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic material. U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20100184151 (Iogen) discloses a process in which … Continue Reading
From our colleague Edna Vassilovski: July 15, 2010: WIPO published over a dozen patent applications relating to biofuels. DuPont, Novozymes, BP Biofuels UK, Xyleco and Borregaard Industries each had one or more PCT applications publish as follows: 1. DuPont. Seven PCT applications published relating to pretreatment of biomass for second generation biofuels. The majority of … Continue Reading
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.… Continue Reading
On June 30, 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE") launched its Technology Commercialization Portal (the "Portal"). The Portal is an online resource that provides a mechanism for investors, entrepreneurs and companies to identify new technologies coming out of DOE laboratories and other participating research institutions. Relevant technologies include: Advanced Materials Biomass and Biofuels Building Energy Efficiency Electricity Transmission and … Continue Reading
The DOE announced today that it will provide up to $11 million over three years for improving the conversion via pyrolysis of non-food biomass to biofuels, that can use the existing fueling infrastructure. (Pyrolosis is the process that decomposes biomass using heat without oxygen to produce bio-oil.) Successful applications for projects will (among … Continue Reading
The Washington State Department of Commerce (formerly the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development or CTED) has announced that it is attempting to revise Washington’s comprehensive energy plan (the “State Energy Strategy”). The State Energy Strategy was last revised in 2003, and it does not serve current energy realities and forecasts. Therefore, the Washington State … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
This year’s International BIOMASS Conference and Expo will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 4-6. The 6 program tracks will provide specified topic panels and discussions on Crop Residues, Dedicated Energy Crops, Forest and Wood Processing Residues, Livestock and Poultry Wastes, MSW and Urban Wastes as well as Food Processing Residues. Please join Mark … Continue Reading
A quick follow up on my post last month regarding my colleague Graham Noyes’ white paper on the EPA’s sweeping revision of the federal Advanced Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2). On April 20, Graham and his co-author Clayton McMartin will participate in a live Q&A webinar with Biofuels Journal publisher Myke Feinman on the new RFS2. … Continue Reading
My colleague Graham Noyes and Clayton McMartin of Clean Fuels Clearinghouse recently published a white paper on the massive and staggeringly complex revision of the federal Advanced Fuel Standard (RFS) issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on February 3, 2010. Graham and Clayton describe how this second generation renewable fuel initiative (RFS2) will bring … Continue Reading
President Obama met today with a bipartisan group of governors from around the country and announced a series of steps the administration is taking to boost biofuels production in the United States. The President’s Biofuels Interagency Working Group released a report spelling out ways to promote the development of the biofuels industry in the United States … Continue Reading
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.… Continue Reading
