President’s jobs council recommends ‘all in’ strategy for energy

The Obama administration should open more federal lands to energy development and speed permitting of new pipelines and transmission projects to create jobs and strengthen energy security, according to a panel of business leaders advising the president. In a report delivered today, President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness also recommends sustained investments in research and development, the extension of clean energy tax credits and increased energy efficiency. [ read more … ]

Automakers urge frequent evaluations of 2017-2025 program

Automakers commended the Obama administration for including a midterm review in its 2017-2025 fuel economy program but said they face too many uncertainties in their effort to meet the target, 54.5 mpg.

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Consumer group says new CAFE standards would save car buyers money from day one

Ahead of three public hearings on the Obama administration’s new fuel economy standards, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) released a report yesterday that found higher standards will have immediate benefits for drivers’ pocketbooks. The new corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards require a fleetwide average of 54.5 mpg by model year 2025. CFA’s new research shows that a buyer with a five-year loan on a car that complies with the 2025 standard would start saving money in the first month. [ read more … ]

Agency’s first chief urges White House to refocus message on rules

As Congress begins its second session — and Republicans continue to push their anti-regulatory agenda — the original director of U.S. EPA says the White House should reframe the debate as one of sensible rules rather than no rules at all. “It’s not popular today to say you need rules, but you do, I’m sorry,” former EPA Administrator Bill Ruckelshaus — a moderate Republican — said in a recent interview. “Absent rules limiting human conduct, the tragedy of the commons will apply.” [ read more … ]

LUFT: Market-based future for ethanol

At current oil prices, ethanol is more costly than gasoline while the alcohol fuel methanol, primarily made from natural gas, is cheaper than gasoline on a per-mile basis. But the comparative per-mile economics of ethanol could easily improve if, as a result of a war in the Persian Gulf, the fall of the House of Saud or collapse of Nigeria, oil prices were to soar into uncharted territory. Ethanol contributes more to the U.S. automotive fuel market than the oil we import from Saudi Arabia since the industry sustains nearly a half-million high-paying American jobs. [ read more … ]

Biofuels will fly high, U.S. officials predict

The Obama administration is committed to “help buy down the cost” of building refineries and growing feedstocks for use in producing clean, renewable aviation fuels, even though the current price of such biofuels is at least three times higher than regular jet fuel, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Monday in Chicago. [ read more … ]