Reading Time: 3 minutes New York/Washington | Reuters — President Donald Trump’s administration has been scrambling to stem the tide of rising anger in Farm Belt states after its decision this month to allow numerous oil refiners to mix less ethanol into their gasoline, sources told Reuters on Tuesday. Trump held a two-hour meeting on Monday with members of […] Read more
White House seen aiming to calm U.S. farmer unrest over biofuels
U.S. refiners urge EPA to keep biofuel waiver requests secret from USDA
Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — A law firm representing small U.S. refineries has urged the Environmental Protection Agency to keep refiners’ applications for waivers from the nation’s biofuel policy secret from the Department of Agriculture, arguing that the petitions include confidential business information. The request, made by Perkins Coie in a letter to the EPA dated […] Read more
U.S. EPA proposes hike in 2020 biofuel mandate
Reading Time: 3 minutes Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Friday proposed refiners increase the volume of biofuels blended into their annual fuel output but did not reallocate the waived amounts under the hardship program, drawing ire from powerful corn and biofuel groups as well as Republican senators. The EPA is charged with setting […] Read more
New marine fuel rules to boost diesel prices for at least a year, analysts say
Reading Time: 3 minutes Houston | Reuters — Global prices for diesel and marine fuels should rise by October ahead of a January switchover to new, very low-sulphur marine fuels, and remain higher for at least a year as refiners shift production to make more of the new fuels, analysts said. Marine fuels containing no more than 0.5 per […] Read more
U.S. refiner group sues Trump EPA over E15 gasoline
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — The main U.S. refining industry association said on Monday it sued to block the Trump administration’s effort to expand sales of higher ethanol blends of gasoline, arguing the move exceeded the administration’s authority. The legal challenge from the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) association escalated a battle between the oil and corn […] Read more
Trump’s EPA unveils plan to pump up ethanol as Big Oil cries foul
Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday released its proposed rule lifting a summer ban on higher-ethanol blends of gasoline to help farmers, putting the agency on a collision course with Big Oil which has called the move illegal. The proposal to broaden sales of the so-called E15 rule marks the latest flashpoint […] Read more
Expanding E15 sales would have limited U.S. market impact, analysts say
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago | Reuters — The Trump administration’s plan to allow year-round sales of higher-grade corn ethanol would have limited impact on the depressed U.S. ethanol market, with record supplies and prices for the fuel hovering near the lowest in a decade, analysts said. President Donald Trump announced the decision last week ahead of a campaign […] Read more
U.S. biofuels industry, advocates see hope in Pruitt’s successor
Reading Time: 2 minutes New York | Reuters — Corn growers and biofuel producers cheered the resignation of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt in the hope that his successor may give them more access and fewer threats to reducing domestic requirements. Pruitt led U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive efforts to roll back environmental protections. He drew the […] Read more
U.S. EPA proposes higher 2019 biofuels mandate
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed setting a blending mandate of 19.88 billion gallons for 2019 under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), three per cent higher from this year’s and in line with expectations. The agency also said it is considering a number of measures to bring some transparency to the […] Read more
China signals to state giants: ‘Buy American’ oil and grains
Reading Time: 3 minutes Singapore/Beijing | Reuters –– China will import record volumes of U.S. oil and is likely to ship more U.S. soy after Beijing signalled to state-run refiners and grains purchasers they should buy more to help ease tensions between the two top economies, trade sources said on Wednesday. China pledged at the weekend to increase imports […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
