Numerous biofuels representatives testified at a day-long hearing Tuesday in Washington DC on the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rulemaking for the Renewable Fuels Standard.

National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) testified that corn growers have serious concerns about assumptions in the proposed rule regarding indirect land use changes. Ethanol Committee Chairman Steve Ruh says EPA has failed to take into account modern agricultural practices and biotechnology that are increasing both corn yields and ethanol production.

“Over the past nine years, a time when ethanol production grew dramatically, for every bushel required for the increased ethanol market, 2.89 new bushels were grown on the same acres, thus requiring no additional acres be brought into production for the purpose of ethanol,” Ruh testified.

POET VP for science and technology Dr. Mark Stowers told EPA that the model for calculating indirect land use changes is “flawed and has no basis in law or science.”

Stowers urged EPA officials to visit a modern ethanol plant to “obtain real data about the industry, rather than relying on unproven models, hypotheses and assumptions.”

About 60 people testified at the hearing yesterday, split about evenly between those who supported the rule and those who wanted to see changes.

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In a rare move that probably won’t attract the level of controversy or public comments that seem to be standard for EPA announcements these days (e.g.: California waiver), administrator Lisa Jackson will be in Ohio on Wednesday to talk about American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 grants for auto manufacturing communities, specifically clean diesel grants.

The Recovery Act grants are intended for retrofitting construction and transit equipment like school buses to reduce dirty emissions. Read more…. details after the jump. In March, a similar program was announced for Region 8 – which includes the states of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming – that included $7.3 million in clean diesel grants

[Source: EPA]

Continue reading EPA will push clean diesel grant money in Ohio on Wednesday

Filed under: Diesel, Manufacturing/Plants, Legislation and Policy

EPA will push clean diesel grant money in Ohio on Wednesday originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Environmental Protection Agency has officially opened a 60-day comment period for proposed changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard. The comment period will be open until July 27.

In addition to seeking comments on the proposed rulemaking announced earlier this month, EPA is also conducting peer reviews of critical aspects of the lifecycle methodology used to determine the greenhouse gas emissions of various fuels.

EPA has also announced a public hearing to be held for the proposed rule which will be held in Washington, DC on June 9.

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You may remember that the EPA launched a video contest for clean water as an Earth Day awareness effort. The contest was so popular that they actually had to push back the announcement of the winner from May to June. We don’t mind, though, because it was …

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A new policy designed to reduce ship pollution within 200 miles of US shores has been unveilled today (31st March) by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Under the new proposal, US and foreign-flagged ships in this area will be required to use dramatically cleaner fuel and more effective pollution controls for their engines. Once implemented, the proposal will significantly improve air quality in port communities, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

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A new policy designed to reduce ship pollution within 200 miles of US shores has been unveilled today (31st March) by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Under the new proposal, US and foreign-flagged ships in this area will be required to use dramatically cleaner fuel and more effective pollution controls for their engines. Once implemented, the proposal will significantly improve air quality in port communities, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

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Photo via irok

The EPA has announced that computer monitors, digital photo frames and similar display devices will have to be more efficient to earn an Energy Star label – 20% more than conventional options. …

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Senators from ethanol producing states are asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) not to propose regulations assuming that greater U.S. biofuels use would increase carbon dioxide emissions.

Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) spoke on the Senate floor about the issue on Monday, following a letter sent by 12 senators to EPA administrator Lisa Jackson last week.

Grassley expressed fears that EPA is “going down a path of blaming our biofuels producers for land use changes around the globe.”

I’m afraid the climate folks at the EPA are heading in the wrong direction on this. I don’t think they’re bad people, but I’m afraid they don’t understand how American agriculture works. I don’t think they’re aware of the significant crop yield improvements we’ve seen in recent years or the great potential over the next 20 years. I also don’t think they fully understand the benefit of valuable ethanol byproducts, which further reduce the effective land used for fuels production. It defies common sense that the EPA would publish a proposed rulemaking with harmful conclusions for biofuels based on incomplete science and inaccurate assumptions.

Grassley is urging President Obama to take an active role in the issue and keep a close eye on what EPA is doing with regard to indirect land use calculations.

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Do states have CO2 rights?

Today the EPA will open a public hearing on whether states should have the right to regulate CO2 emissions. Automakers, environmentalists and state officials will convene in Arlington, VA today to debate the matter.

Do state CO2 emissions matter any more? Does President Obama’s cap-and-trade program make this issue less relevant?

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President Obama announced in January that he was asking the EPA to reconsider a December 2007 decision by the Bush Administration’s to deny California an emissions rules waiver (for background, read this). Today, the EPA is holding a (the first?) public hearing on the subject in Arlington, Virginia (for specifics, click past the jump). Earlier this year, we heard that the EPA would accept comments from the public for at least 45 to 60 days, but the comment period ends on April 6.

The good news? The EPA says it “will consider written comments submitted during the comment period with the same weight as oral comments presented during the public hearing.” Find out how to submit comments here, and get your typing fingers ready.

[Source: EPA]

Continue reading EPA opens up public comment window on CA emissions waiver

Filed under: Legislation and Policy, Green Daily, USA

EPA opens up public comment window on CA emissions waiver originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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