I am excited to announce my new role as an editor of Van Politica. Read our inaugural story, about Iowa farmers’ views on the upcoming presidential elections, President Donald J. Trump’s (and his EPA’s) handling of the Renewable Fuel Standard and more. Look for more in coming weeks. A man, a van, and a plan to report on American over […]
Energy & Agriculture
Iowa Farmers, Biofuel Producers Call on Trump to Step In Again on Ethanol Deal
‘Don’t let the EPA undermine your deal again, Mr. President’ Industry Group Has Problem with ‘Partial Exemptions’ Language in EPA Proposal WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 16, 2019)– Farmers and biofuel producers in Iowa are voicing their anger at EPA after the agency released a proposal they say is a far cry from a deal they had reached with President Donald […]
EPA Proposal Would Replace Only SRE Volumes That ‘Would Have’ Been Given Under DOE’s Advice
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oct. 15, 2019– A long-awaited deal on the Renewable Fuel Standard took a more tangible form today when EPA announced it will seek comment on a change to its annual volumes rulemaking from last summer that purportedly would allow it to correct for small refinery exemptions, but early indications are that the biofuels industry isn’t buying […]
Through Washington’s Fog, an Ethanol Deal Emerges: Refiners Not Happy
How many Washington bureaucrats does it take to change a light bulb? Nobody knows, but evidently it takes a surprising number of them to elucidate the terms of ethanol-vs.-oil industry settlement that was midwifed by President Donald J. Trump’s administration. The administration has for months been foreshadowing a deal, the terms of which are still foggy, intended to put […]
Oft-Overlooked Biodiesel May Be Key to Trump’s Bid to Quell Renewable Energy Fight
President Donald Trump hinted last week that he was about to unveil a grand bargain that would settle quarrels between Midwestern farmers who grow biofuel feedstocks, and small petroleum refiners who say the cost of a federal stimulus program to advance renewable fuels falls disproportionately on them and is now leading to refinery shutdowns. The government program at issue […]
Refiners Queuing Up Lawsuits Against EPA over Exemption Inaction
Washington, D.C. — July 23, 2019 A number of small refineries said they are getting ready to sue EPA over the agency’s inaction on their economic hardship petitions for relief under the Renewable Fuel Standard. Two refineries have identified themselves in letters seen by this reporter but not made public. A third notice of intent came from a law […]
Refining Interests, Oil State Senators Want USDA’s Nose Out of SRE Petition Reviews
Washington, D.C. — Sensitive, confidential business information belonging to refining companies became the subject of fresh controversy this week when a lawyer representing small petroleum refineries wrote to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler Tuesday, admonishing him to refrain from sharing the data with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which according to letter’s author, was trying to obtain it. But USDA […]
EPA Announces RIN Reforms, E15 Expansion
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a final rule Friday that gives President Donald Trump what he hopes will be a political boost in the Midwestern corn belt, where many of his supporters live: permission for gasoline retailers to start selling higher blends of ethanol fuel to drivers over the summer months, effective immediately. The agricultural and biofuels industries had […]
U.S. Announces 2nd Round of Financial Aid for Farmers Hit by Trade War
The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced it would plow $16 billion into financial assistance for farmers to help make up for financial losses from President Donald Trump’s trade tit-for-tat with China. “After China decided to renege on commitments they already made, [Trump] directed me immediately to implement a program,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said Thursday in a […]
U.S. Announces 2nd Round of Financial Aid for Farmers Hit by Trade War with China
U.S. Department of Agriculture Announces Farm Aid Program