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☆ Trump holds big lead in new Iowa poll, but DeSantis and Scott see paths to victory
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Charlie Neibergall, Meg Kinnard | APFormer President Donald Trump holds a double-digit lead over his closest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a major new poll of likely Republican caucusgoers in Iowa released Monday. Trump garnered the support of 42% of respondents, while DeSantis came in second with 19%. In an overture to Iowa voters, Trump also asserted without evidence that he "saved" ethanol and popular entitlement programs. While Trump and DeSantis share a similar overall approval in the state — 63% for Trump and 61% for DeSantis — the Florida governor's support appears to be much shakier than the former president's.

Persons: Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Charlie Neibergall, Meg Kinnard, caucusgoers, DeSantis, George W, Bush, Trump, Scott, Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, Haley —, J, Ann Selzer, GOP caucusgoers Organizations: Florida Gov, South, Trump, South Carolina Gov, New, New Jersey Gov, Des Moines Register, NBC, DeSantis, Iowa, GOP Locations: Florida, South Carolina, Iowa, DeSantis, New Jersey, China, U.S

☆ Astronauts are banned from drinking alcohol at work, but this hasn't stopped them sneaking everything from communion wine to cognac into space
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

NASA and other space agencies have banned alcohol in space because it can damage equipment. But astronauts have found ways around this and smuggled alcohol onto spacecrafts for decades. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon the wine curled slowly and gracefully up the side of the cup. The space agency has since banned astronauts from drinking 12 hours before they fly. Others would hide alcohol in thick books that were hollowed out by removing the pages inside.

Persons: Daniel G Huot, NASA's, Buzz Aldrin, Aldrin, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Igor Volk Organizations: NASA, Service, NASA's Johnson Space Center, BBC, Guardian, Webster Presbyterian Church, Soyuz, Metro, Russian Locations: Wall, Silicon, Houston, Russia

☆ Brazil govt pushes Congress to approve 'green' bills before COP28
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Leticia Fucuchima | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A view of a wind farm is seen in the city of Osorio, in southern Brazil, November 30, 2007. Rollemberg said the government-sponsored bills would be focused on four main topics: establishing a new carbon market, regulating offshore wind power, launching the "Fuel of the Future" project and regulating green hydrogen. That bill might be submitted to Congress as early as next week, the secretary said. It's more than enough time for Congress to pass all the bills," Rollemberg said. The South American nation is set to host the U.N. climate talks in 2025 in the Amazonian town of Belem.

Persons: Jamil Bittar, Rodrigo Rollemberg, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Jair Bolsonaro, Lula, Rollemberg, Leticia Fucuchima, Gabriel Araujo, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Boeing, SAO PAULO, Reuters, United Nations, SAF, Thomson Locations: Osorio, Brazil, BRAZIL, Dubai, Belem

☆ Plant-Based Plastics Gain Favor as Companies Pursue Sustainability Goals
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Plant-based plastic, that is. However, the environmental benefits of plant-based plastics are increasingly appealing to companies promising to use more sustainable materials by the end of the decade. Plants absorb the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide, which cuts the greenhouse-gas emissions from making bioplastics to at least half that of fossil-fuel-based plastics. A Lululemon shirt containing plant-based nylon. Only plant-based plastics that are chemically identical to fossil-fuel–based versions can enter the existing and growing recycling infrastructure.

Persons: Bioplastics haven’t, Michael Carus, “, ” Carus, Eastman, Chris Killian, bioplastics, Warby Parker, ”, Biden, Manav, olefins, Dow, bioethylene, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis, Haley Lowry, Dieter Holger Organizations: Sustainable Business, Kodak, U.S . Defense Department, European, dieter.holger Locations: China, Japan, biomanufacturing, U.S, Iowa

Phillips declined to make an executive available for comment and both ADM and Phillips 66 declined to comment. TECH LINED UPAxens SA, which provides technology to convert oil and biomass to lower-carbon fuels, in May agreed to provide its ethanol-to-fuels conversion technology to Phillips, ADM or a joint venture. ADM already formed a joint venture in 2021 with top U.S. oil refiner Marathon Petroleum Corp (MPC.N) to churn out renewable diesel from soybeans. Top oilseed processor Bunge (BG.N) and Chevron (CVX.N) last year formed Bunge Chevron Ag Renewables to make renewable fuels from soybeans and canola. As part of one deal, Chevron invested $600 million in the joint venture, helping double processing capacity at two Bunge soybean crushing facilities.

Persons: Nathan Frandino, refiner Phillips, Phillips, Axens, Gevo, Stephanie Kelly, Karl Plume, Jarrett Renshaw, Erwin Seba, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Phillips, American West, REUTERS, Daniels, Midland, ADM, Renewable Fuels Association, TECH, Axens SA, Gevo Inc, Marathon Petroleum Corp, Bunge, Chevron, Bunge Chevron Ag Renewables, Thomson Locations: Rodeo , California, American, U.S, Peoria , Illinois, Columbus , Nebraska, Cedar Rapids , Iowa, Houston, , California, California, Paris, North Dakota, Bunge Chevron, New York, Chicago, Washington

☆ Invasive hammerhead worms are longtime New Yorkers, and they may be here to stay
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Invasive hammerhead flatworms have distinctive curved heads, striped bodies ranging in color from light yellow to dark brown, and they can secrete tetrodotoxin — a neurotoxin found in puffer fish and blue-ringed octopuses. Five species of invasive hammerhead worms — four in the genus Bipalium and one in Diversibipalium — are established in North America, said Bruce Snyder, an associate professor of biology at Georgia College and State University. Today, most hammerhead worms (also known as broadhead planarians) are concentrated in the Southeast, where they favor warm, damp habitats. Bazzano Photography/Alamy Stock PhotoTo date, more than 3,000 sightings in southeastern states of just one invasive hammerhead species — Bipalium kewense — have been shared to the citizen scientist database iNaturalist. Hammerhead tetrodotoxin, which disrupts neurons’ signaling to muscles, can sicken pets if they eat the worms, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Persons: CNN —, they’ve, Peter Ducey, ” Ducey, “, Bruce Snyder, they’re, ” Snyder, ”, Hammerhead tetrodotoxin, Ducey, adventitium, Libbie Hyman, Hyman, Snyder, it’s, ” Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, State University of New, Georgia College, State University, US Department of, Species Information, “, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Forestry, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, ”, hammerheads, Pennsylvania State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences, Scientific Locations: Washington , DC, Yorkers, New York, State University of New York, Cortland, “, North America, Southeast Asia, California, Oregon, Maine, New Jersey, Long, Westchester County, New York City, Europe, Asia, Pennsylvania

☆ Boos, corn and criminal charges: Trump and GOP rivals storm Iowa
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Former US president and 2024 Republican Presidential hopeful Donald Trump arrives to speak at the Republican Party of Iowa's 2023 Lincoln Dinner at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 28, 2023. The dynamic between Trump and his would-be challengers has held firm even as Trump racks up criminal charges in multiple cases, with possible additional indictments forthcoming. Republican presidential candidate former Texas Congressman Will Hurd speaks to guests at the Republican Party of Iowa 2023 Lincoln Dinner on July 28, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. Republican presidential candidate businessman Perry Johnson speaks to guests at the Republican Party of Iowa 2023 Lincoln Dinner on July 28, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. "If I weren't running, I would have nobody coming after me," he said at the Lincoln Dinner.

Persons: Donald Trump, Sergio Flores, —, Ron DeSantis —, Trump, DeSantis, Ron DeSantis, Scott Morgan, Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Vivek Ramaswamy, Mike Pence, Will Hurd, Scott Olson, Hurd, Asa Hutchinson, Joe Biden's, Perry Johnson, Biden Organizations: Republican Party of, Iowa, AFP, Getty, Republican, Florida Gov, GOP, Florida Governor, Republican Party of Iowa's, Reuters, Trump, White, Iowa Republicans, Former Texas Rep, Republican Party of Iowa, Former Arkansas Gov, NBC, New York Times, Siena, DeSantis, Biden, The New York Times, Save, Former U.S Locations: Des Moines , Iowa, Iowa, Des Moines, Corn, U.S, South Carolina, Manhattan, Former

☆ A Left-Right Alliance Puts Iowa’s CO2 Pipelines on the Presidential Agenda
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | More About Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The $4.5 billion Summit, $3 billion Navigator and $630 million Wolf Carbon pipelines may not be front and center next month at the first Republican presidential debate. They probably won’t be featured in super PAC advertising or mentioned during Fox News appearances. The Summit, Navigator and Wolf pipelines, fueled by federal tax credits embraced by both parties, would draw carbon dioxide from the factories that turn Iowa corn into ethanol. They would snake through 3,300 miles of farmland in Iowa and other Midwestern states, then pump the planet-warming gas into the bedrock beneath Illinois and North Dakota. And they are pitched as a climate protection measure, though some experts and environmentalists say it is only a partial solution at best.

Persons: —, Donald J, Trump, Mr, “, that’s, ” Organizations: Fox News, Republican Locations: Iowa, Illinois, North Dakota

☆ These are the states in America that are the least prepared for extreme weather
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Scott Cohn | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Some states are in good shape to handle whatever the climate throws at them, but these are the states most at risk. 2023 Infrastructure score: 228 out of 390 points (Top States grade: B) Climate Extremes Index: 21.16% Properties at risk: 45.2% Renewable energy: 10.6%9. 2023 Infrastructure score: 165 out of 390 points (Top States grade: D) Climate Extremes Index: 8.7% Properties at risk: 2.8% Renewable energy: 12%8. Connecticut is home to the nation's first "green bank," which uses public dollars to leverage private investment in renewable energy. 2023 Infrastructure score: 227 out of 390 points (Top States grade: B) Climate Extremes Index: 21.16% Properties at risk: 61% Renewable energy: 12.5%1.

Persons: Jeremy Porter, York Snow, Joed Viera, Kelly Giddens, Daniel Hinton, Jessica Mcgowan, wades, Tim Boyle, Tony Evers, Scott Olson, Josh Edelson, Gavin Newsom, —, Marcellus, Tom Wolf, Josh Shapiro, Ida, Brendan McDermid, Hurricane Ida, Richard Bunting, Alex Hamilton, Hurricane Irene, Mark Wilson, Joe Biden's, Ted Shaffrey, Hurricane Nicole, Paul Hennessy, Marco Bello Organizations: Street Foundation, CNBC, Business, First, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, U.S, Department of Energy, Afp, Getty, National Weather Service, Micron Technology, Alabama, University of Alabama, Illinois —, Badger State, Gov, Carolina, Carolinas, AFP, EQT Corp, Bloomberg, Reuters, Garden, State, Anadolu Agency, Sunshine State, Farmers Insurance, AAA Locations: States, York, Buffalo , New York, Empire, New York, Syracuse, Alabama TUSCALOOSA, AL, Cedar, Tuscaloosa , Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Gulf, Wisconsin, Prairie du Chien , WI, Hurricane, Charleston , South Carolina, Florida, Georgetown , South Carolina, South Carolina, California, Oroville, Oroville , California, , California, Pennsylvania, Washington Township , Pennsylvania, U.S, Jersey, Oakwood, Elizabeth , New Jersey, Garden State , New Jersey, New Jersey, Delaware, Lewes , Delaware, Rhode, Connecticut, New Haven , Connecticut, Wilbur, , Florida, Louisiana, Kenner , Louisiana

☆ These are the 10 American states that are the most prepared for extreme weather
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Scott Cohn | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

But NOAA puts the Ohio Valley at the low end of its Climate Extremes Index, which considers temperatures, precipitation, drought and hurricanes. 2023 Infrastructure score: 205 out of 390 points (Top States grade: C+) Climate Extremes Index: 8.7% Properties at risk: 2.1% Renewable energy: 12.3%8. 2023 Infrastructure score: 231 out of 390 points (Top States grade: B) Climate Extremes Index: 23.68% Properties at risk: 4.2% Renewable energy: 42.5%5. 2023 Infrastructure score: 254 out of 390 points (Top States grade: A-) Climate Extremes Index: 8.7% Properties at risk: 2.7% Renewable energy: 34.6%2. 2023 Infrastructure score: 193 out of 390 points (Top States grade: C) Climate Extremes Index: 19.78% Properties at risk: 9% Renewable energy: 84%1.

Persons: Jeremy Porter, they're, Porter, John Boyd , Jr, Seth Herald, Joe Biden, Adam J, Brian Snyder, Jim Mracek, Andrew Lichtenstein, Helen H, Richardson, Marshall, Jewel Samad, James McGath, Cole Ruud, Nicole Neri, Scott Olson, Biden, Daniel Acker Organizations: Street Foundation, The Boyd Company, Micron, CNBC, First, Atmospheric Administration, U.S . Department of Energy, Tennessee, NOAA, Seth, AFP, Getty, Volunteer State, Michigan, Dewey, Anadolu Agency, Great, Great Lakes State, FEMA, Green, Nebraska, Corbis, Cornhusker, Colorado Firefighters, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Denver Post, Centennial, Kansas, Oklahoma Electric, Sooner State, Energy Department, Washington Post, North Star State, Mount, Iowa, Bloomberg Locations: New York, States, Memphis , Tennessee, Tennessee, Ohio, Royal Oak, MI, Metro Detroit, Royal Oak , Michigan, United States, Great Lakes, Michigan, Vermont, Montpelier , Vermont, Nebraska, Cass County, Boulder , Colorado, Colorado, Dodge City , Kansas, Kansas, Moore , Oklahoma, Sooner, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Stillwater, Stillwater , Minnesota, St, Croix, Dakota, Salem , South Dakota, Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, Gowrie , Iowa, U.S

☆ How to Create the Perfect Nonalcoholic Home Bar
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Oliver Strand | Monica Khemsurov | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It’s no secret that nonalcoholic cocktails are suddenly ubiquitous. Whereas until a few years ago, nondrinkers had to make do with cranberry-splashed club soda, now seemingly every noteworthy bar offers a phony Negroni or a margarita-inspired mocktail. Today, the best bitter aperitifs (the term for nonalcoholic alternatives to spirits like Campari and Aperol) have all the complexity and layered flavors of their boozy counterparts. — Oliver StrandVideo Credit Credit... For our 2023 Summer Entertaining Issue , T stops by dinner parties from Ibiza to Long Island — and shares recipes for the best warm-weather snacks and spritzes. - Host Gift Guide: What T’s editors and contributors are bringing to thank their hosts this summer, including surreal serving spoons and cozy quilts.

Persons: nondrinkers, margarita, ”, Stacey Swenson, Nicholas Bodkins, They’re, —, — Oliver, Yann Nury Organizations: Boisson, distillers, Video Credit Locations: Manhattan, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Ibiza, Long, French, Amsterdam

CHICAGO, July 25 (Reuters) - Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM.N) beat Wall Street expectations for second-quarter profit on Tuesday, as the grain trader and processor benefited from a record Brazilian soybean harvest and robust global demand for grain and oilseeds. ADM, which previously forecast full-year 2023 earnings at $6 to $7 per share, said it would raise its earnings outlook but did not provide details. ADM and its agribusiness peers, including Bunge (BG.N), Cargill and Louis Dreyfus, have capitalized on strong demand for food, feed and biofuel, while global food supply chain disruptions such as lower grain shipments from war-torn Ukraine have boosted prices. ADM's Carbohydrate Solutions unit capitalized on strong demand for sweeteners and starches, though results were dented by weaker ethanol margins. Results in the company's high-margin Nutrition segment struggled in what ADM called a "challenging demand environment."

Persons: Archer, Cargill, Louis Dreyfus, Arunima Kumar, Shilpi Majumdar, Mark Porter Organizations: Daniels, Midland, ADM, Bunge, ADM's Ag Services, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Bengaluru

"The oil market is starting to slowly price in a looming supply crunch," Price Futures Group analyst Phil Flynn said. "Global supplies are starting to tighten and that could accelerate dramatically in the coming weeks. A shutdown of the grain corridor could hit supplies of ethanol and biofuels that are blended with oil products at a time that global grain markets are already tightening, which would lead to refiners using more crude oil, Flynn said. Meanwhile, U.S. energy firms this week reduced the number of oil rigs by seven, their biggest cut since early June, energy services firm Baker Hughes said. At 530, the U.S. oil rig count, an early indicator of future output, is at its lowest since March 2022.

Persons: WTI, Phil Flynn, Flynn, Baker Hughes, Suhail, Mazrouei, Rob Haworth, Shariq Khan, Natalie Grover, Arathy, Andrew Hayley, Marguerita Choy, David Holmes Organizations: Brent, U.S . West Texas, Futures, Energy Information Administration, EIA, UAE Energy, Reuters, P, U.S, Bank Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, China BENGALURU, U.S, Bengaluru, London, Houston, Beijing

NEW YORK, July 12 (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced legislation this week directing the Biden administration to allow oil refiners to purchase compliance credits for U.S. biofuel blending laws at a lower, fixed cost compared to the open market. The proposal would reduce rising compliance costs associated with the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and aim to help struggling refineries stay afloat at a time of great flux in the global energy markets, lawmakers said. Oil refiners argue the mandates are pricey, while biofuel proponents like ethanol producers and corn farmers like the obligations because it increases the market for their products. Renewable fuel credits traded at $1.54 each on Tuesday after the bill came out, down from $1.56 prior, traders said. Credits traded on Wednesday between $1.55 and $1.56 each amid U.S. government data release.

Persons: Biden, refiners, ”, Chris Coons, Bob Casey, Brian Fitzpatrick, Joe Biden's, Stephanie Kelly, Susan Heavey Organizations: YORK, U.S . Renewable, Democratic, Republican U.S, Republican, Thomson Locations: U.S

☆ In Ag-Friendly Iowa, Trump Goes After DeSantis on Farming Issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Lisa Lerer | More About Lisa Lerer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ron DeSantis of Florida on Friday over his support for farmers, saying his chief rival for the Republican presidential nomination would be “a catastrophe” for the country’s agriculture industry. Mr. Trump claimed at a rally in Iowa that Mr. DeSantis would outsource American farming jobs overseas and oppose the federal mandate for ethanol, a fuel made from corn and other crops. Support for ethanol, which Iowa is a national leader in producing, is a quadrennial issue in presidential elections in this early voting state. In 2017, Mr. DeSantis supported legislation that would end the renewable fuel standard, a nearly two-decade-old standard that requires refiners to blend biofuel into gasoline nationwide. Then, he eagerly highlighted what he claimed was his rival’s history of opposing an issue that carries outsize political weight in Iowa.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis Organizations: Gov, Republican, North American Free Trade Locations: Florida, Iowa, Bluffs , Iowa

☆ Analysis: Decades of US corn export dominance fade as Brazil seizes top supplier crown
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Karl Plume | Thomson Reuters | Chicago-Based Senior Commodities Correspondent Covering Agricultural Markets | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Brazilian corn exports are expected to flood the global marketplace beginning in July and into the U.S. autumn harvest. China's overall corn imports are down about 10% this year, according to customs data, as buyers there await ample supplies of cheap Brazilian corn in the coming months. Total U.S. corn export sales in April and May were the lowest in at least 22 years, according to weekly USDA export sales data. The period included three weeks in which more purchases were canceled than booked, and the two worst weeks of U.S. corn exports on record. Rapid growth in Brazilian corn production offset loss of much of the corn exports from Ukraine since Russia’s invasion.

Persons: Yahir, Stephen Nicholson, Richard Guebert, They're, Nicholson, Matthew Roberts, Brazil's, We're, Karl Plume, Caroline Stauffer, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Rabobank, . Department of Agriculture, Gulf, Total U.S, Thomson Locations: Brazil, Tuxpan, Veracruz, Mexico, China, Illinois, U.S, Ukraine, United States, BRAZIL, Gulf Coast, Chicago

☆ Sheetz slashes gas price by 50% to $1.776 per gallon. But only for one day
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —An East Coast convenience chain is offering gas at a patriotic price for one day only. Sheetz will be selling gas for $1.776 on the Fourth of July, a nod to the year the Declaration of Independence was signed. The national average for regular gasoline dropped to $3.55 a gallon last Thursday, according to AAA, compared to $4.87 a gallon a year ago. Last November, Sheetz reduced the price of Unleaded 88 to $1.99 a gallon at limited stores during the Thanksgiving holiday week. Sheetz has more than 675 locations in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

Persons: Travis Sheetz, ”, Patrick De Haan, Sheetz Organizations: New, New York CNN, An, Ethanol, AAA Locations: New York, An East Coast, Independence, Pennsylvania , Maryland , Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia

☆ Opinion | Are Biofuels Bad for the Environment?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “A Climate Solution That’s Bad for the Climate,” by Michael Grunwald (Opinion guest essay, June 12):Mr. Grunwald stresses that “corn ethanol and soy biodiesel accelerate food inflation and global hunger” and points out that their production uses up a lot of land. It also uses an inordinate amount of water, which is scarce! Any effort to improve our climate that ignores population growth is looking at only one side of the equation. To the Editor:Michael Grunwald, not today’s farmers, seems mired in the “horse-and-buggy era” of agriculture. Today’s farmers use cutting-edge practices to grow more on less land with fewer resources.

Persons: Michael Grunwald, Grunwald, Charles H Locations: Marblehead, Mass

☆ Big Ethanol vs. Electric Vehicles
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/ethanol-electric-vehicle-subsidies-biden-administration-environmental-protection-agency-chuck-grassley-e0ba614f

Persons: Dow Jones Organizations: biden

[1/2] Choices at the gas pump including ethanol or no ethanol gas are seen in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., January 29, 2020. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to finalize biofuel blending volumes at 20.94 billion gallons in 2023, 21.54 billion gallons in 2024 and 22.33 billion gallons in 2025, the sources said. That compares with the initial proposal announced in December of 20.82 billion in 2023, 21.87 billion in 2024, and 22.68 billion in 2025. But the finalized volumes include just 15 billion gallons of conventional biofuels like corn-based ethanol in all three years, plus a 250 million-gallon supplemental amount for 2023, the sources said. Ethanol producers and corn farmers like the mandates because they provide a market for their products, while the oil industry finds the requirements too pricey.

Persons: Brian Snyder, Biden, Emily Skor, Stephanie Kelly, Jarrett Renshaw, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, The, Environmental Protection Agency, Congress, Growth Energy, EPA, U.S . Renewable, EV, Thomson Locations: Des Moines , Iowa, U.S, The U.S, New York, Philadelphia

NEW YORK, June 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to release a final rule on biofuel blending volume mandates for the years 2023-2025 by June 21, after seeking a one-week extension on a deadline for the rule, according to a court document on Tuesday. The EPA was set to issue a final rule by Wednesday under a court-ordered deadline, but has agreed to an extension with industry trade group Growth Energy, the filing showed. The final rule is set to mark a new chapter of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program, which is more than a decade old. The EPA is expected to abandon that part of the proposal in the final rule, Reuters previously reported, citing sources. It is unclear whether those requirements will change in the final rule.

Persons: Stephanie Kelly, Jarrett Renshaw, Paul Simao, Barbara Lewis Organizations: YORK, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Growth Energy, Reuters, U.S, District of Columbia, Renewable, Thomson

☆ Opinion | The Climate Solution That’s Horrible for the Climate
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Michael Grunwald | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

As America rushes to generate more renewable electricity, it has become fashionable to fret that solar and wind farms use too much land. But America is also racing to produce more renewable fuels, and they use much, much more land to displace much, much less fossil fuel. And that’s mainly because they’re inefficient land hogs. That’s a huge waste of precious land the world needs to store carbon that can stabilize our warming climate and grow crops that can help feed the growing population. Like direct payments, countercyclical payments, loan deficiency payments and other U.S. farm programs, biofuel subsidies redistribute tax dollars from the 99 percent of Americans who don’t farm to the roughly 1 percent who do.

Persons: they’re Organizations: Environmental Protection Agency Locations: California, That’s, Washington, America

RenovaBio is a carbon market that gives Brazilian biofuel producers an additional revenue source. Those carbon credits are sold to fuel distributors in Brazil who have targets to cut emissions, or in a secondary market at Brazil's B3 exchange. The lawmakers in a letter to the USTR complained about the implementation in Brazil in February of an import tariff of 16% on U.S. ethanol. "Brazilian ethanol producers have access to our Renewable Fuel Standard and California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard program, which recognize the inherent value of low-carbon biofuels," the letter said. "This treatment is not reciprocated by Brazil, where U.S. ethanol producers, after two years, have yet to be approved for Brazil's biofuel program."

Persons: Katherine Tai, Marcelo Teixeira, Mark Porter Organizations: YORK, U.S ., Trade, Thomson Locations: Brazil, U.S, RenovaBio

☆ California’s Green-Fuel Program Gets Too Popular for Its Own Good
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Bob Henderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Anaergia’s Rialto bioenergy facility in California captures the methane emissions of up to 1,000 tons a day of food waste and turns it into fuel. Photo: AnaergiaA boom in the production of green trucking fuel is punishing renewable-energy producers across the country, thanks to the shifting market for California’s low-carbon fuel credits. U.S. production of so-called renewable diesel, which is made from feedstocks such as beef tallow and soybean oil, has tripled over the past three years. Truckers and fuel producers say the gains are driven by federal incentives and the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard program, which issues resellable credits to firms that sell low-carbon fuels such as ethanol in California.

☆ Nigeria is the world's biggest cassava producer. So why doesn't it make money off exports?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Korey Isbell | Victoria Barranco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Nigeria is the globe's biggest producer of cassava, or yuca. It could stand to earn billions from exports of flour, sorbitol, bubble tea, and ethanol.

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