News
Brazil ethanol tariff hike looms
U.S. Congressman Randy Feenstra of Iowa tells Brownfield he recently met with Chief Ag Negotiator in The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Doug McKalip as the Brazilian government looks to increase the rate in 2024. “He said they’re working on it, they’re trying to stop it. We don’t want to put a tariff on theirs, however (the U.S.) might have to. But what he said is come January or February that they should also have this retroactive and taken off.”
US oil and gas production set to break record in 2023 despite UN climate goals
The United States is poised to extract more oil and gas than ever before in 2023, a year that is certain to be the hottest ever recorded, providing a daunting backdrop to crucial United Nations climate talks that hold the hope of an agreement to end the era of fossil fuels. The US’s status as the world’s leading oil and gas behemoth has only strengthened this year, even amid warnings from Joe Biden himself over the unfolding climate crisis, with the latest federal government forecast showing a record 12.9m barrels of crude oil, more than double what was produced a decade ago, will be extracted in 2023.
Electric vehicles and hybrids grow to a record-high 18% of U.S. light-duty vehicle sales
Sales of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-electric vehicles (BEV) in the United States rose to 17.7% of new light-duty vehicle sales in third-quarter 2023, according to data from Wards Intelligence. Sales of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and BEVs have accounted for 15.8% of all new light-duty vehicle sales in the United States so far this year, compared with 12.3% in 2022 and 8.5% in 2021.
You Can’t Put a RIN in Your Gas Tank
So why does EPA go into contortions to pat themselves on the back by claiming the new volume obligations for ethanol and biodiesel will create RINS? They do that because it is a way to hide their lack of support for higher volumes of ethanol and think we are too dumb to ask the questions above. Let me explain: The RFS is a shell game, or in this case, a RIN game. Think about the basis of the shell game– its objective is to fool you. The dealer moves the ball around under three cups and when you think you know where it is and it is tangible, it’s not there. Well, EPA is the dealer and we wind up betting on the wrong thing.
US prepares wave of methane rules on oil and gas industry
President Joe Biden pledged to use “all available tools” to rein in methane when he was elected three years ago. Now his promise is coming due. Federal agencies are poised to release a battery of rules in the coming months that crack down on the oil and gas sector for releasing the potent greenhouse gas.
Brazil’s Top Fuel Firm Is Betting on Growth in Corn Ethanol
Vibra Energia SA expects to benefit from a corn ethanol production boom in Latin America’s largest economy to expand sales of the biofuel in northern states, which are still heavily dependent on fossil fuels, according to Chief Executive Officer Ernesto Pousada Jr. Brazilian ethanol has been primarily made from sugar cane for decades, and it’s mostly used near production areas in Brazil’s heavily populated southeast region. But production of corn — commonly used in the US to make ethanol — has rapidly expanded northward, triggering a wave of investments in new biofuel-producing facilities that use abundant supplies of the grain as feedstock.
Wolf Carbon Solutions seeks end to carbon pipeline application in Illinois
Wolf Carbon Solutions has moved to withdraw its permit application in Illinois to build a carbon capture pipeline that would transport as much as 12 million tons of carbon dioxide annually to a storage site in the state, according to a company filing in the state regulatory commission docket. Wolf is the latest carbon capture pipeline to face setbacks after Nebraska-based Navigator CO2 Ventures canceled its Heartland Greenway pipeline project in October and Iowa-based Summit Carbon Solutions had its pipeline permit applications denied in North Dakota in August and South Dakota in September.
Why carbon capture is no easy solution to climate change
Technologies that capture carbon dioxide emissions to keep them from the atmosphere are central to the climate strategies of many world governments as they seek to follow through on international commitments to decarbonize by mid-century. As nations gather for the 28th United Nations climate change conference in the United Arab Emirates at the end of November, the question of carbon capture’s future role in a climate-friendly world will be in focus. Here are some details about the state of the industry now, and the obstacles in the way of widespread deploymen
The Renewable Fuel Standard Shattered the “Blend Wall” for Ethanol
Under the RFS, ethanol approached and then soundly broke through the alleged “blend wall.” In 2005, when the original RFS was enacted, the blend rate was approximately 3%. By 2010, it was above 9%. This year it is expected to exceed 10.4%. Given that ethanol is cost-competitive with gasoline, enhances energy security, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 44-52% compared to gasoline, it’s clear that the RFS has been a resounding success.
In Biden’s Climate Law, a Boon for Green Energy, and Wall Street
The 2022 climate law has accelerated investments in clean-energy projects across the United States. It has also delivered financial windfalls for big banks, lawyers, insurance companies and start-up financial firms by creating an expansive new market in green tax credits. The law, signed by President Biden, effectively created a financial trading marketplace that helps smaller companies gain access to funding, with Wall Street taking a cut. Analysts said it could soon facilitate as much as $80 billion a year in transactions that drive investments in technologies meant to reduce fossil fuel emissions and fight climate change.