Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — The trickle-down effect of slumping crude oil prices is being felt in the Canadian biofuel market and softening demand for corn and soybeans. Traditionally, ethanol is cheaper than gasoline, which encouraged processors to blend more than the mandated amount, according to Andrea Kent, president of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA). “When […] Read more
Crude’s slide hampers demand for Canadian biofuel
U.S. EPA finalizes 2016 renewables target at 18.1B gallons
Reading Time: 2 minutes New York | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants energy companies to blend 18.1 billion gallons (68.5 billion litres) of biofuels into the nation’s fuel supply next year, more than in a proposal laid out in May, it said in announcing final rules on renewables use for 2014-16 on Monday. The EPA’s long-awaited […] Read more
U.S. EPA launches probe into benefits of biofuels program
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s in-house investigators have launched a review of the environmental benefits stemming from the country’s decade-old program requiring the use of corn-based ethanol in gasoline. The investigation, to be conducted by the Inspector General for EPA, will examine whether the agency has complied with reporting requirements and […] Read more
U.S. seeks middle ground on biofuel targets, pleasing few
Reading Time: 3 minutes New York | Reuters — U.S. regulators on Friday unveiled much-delayed biofuel targets that sought to strike a middle ground for the nation’s contentious renewable fuels policy but still met with threats of legal action from two of the biggest industries, oil and corn. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decided to raise its previous target […] Read more
U.S. EPA strikes deal on biofuel blending targets with oil groups
Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters –– Oil refiners who have complained that U.S. federal regulators missed deadlines to issue rules on blending renewable fuels into the nation’s supply of gasoline and diesel fuel are set to get long-awaited targets from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Under a deal the EPA announced Friday with two oil industry groups […] Read more
U.S. EPA to propose biofuels standards this spring
Reading Time: < 1 minute Grapevine, Tex. | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to put out a proposal that will address Renewable Fuels Standards for 2014, 2015 and 2016 this spring, an agency official at an industry conference in Grapevine, Tex., said Thursday. The agency will address all three years at once and plans to look at […] Read more
A sea of soybeans
Argentina believes it can be the brightest spot on the world’s agricultural map, mainly thanks to its phenomenal capacity to grow 50 million acres of soybeans
Reading Time: 3 minutes When the world thinks of Argentina and agriculture, it may drool over slabs of grilled beef big enough to fill any plate. But when Argentina thinks of agriculture, it thinks of something even bigger — the soybean. Argentina is becoming a dominant global player in farm production, says Gustavo López, a market research consultant for […] Read more
Get it built
Starting a biodiesel plant can make going on ‘Dragon’s Den’ look like a walk in the park
Reading Time: 7 minutes Long before the foundations ever got poured, or even dreamed of, Zenneth Faye was already on the road toward Milligan Biofuels Inc., Canada’s first canola-based biodiesel fuel plant, in Foam Lake, Sask. In fact, he traces his role in its origins to the mid-1980s, when he got involved with Saskatchewan Canola Growers Association and he […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
