The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it would require the domestic use of 800 million gallons of biodiesel in 2011. This is consistent with the renewable goals established in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), which expanded the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) and specifically requires a renewable component in U.S. diesel fuel. RFS2 provides specific volume requirements for Advanced Biofuels such as Cellulosic Biofuels, Biomass-based Diesel and undifferentiated Advanced Biofuels. Today, biodiesel is the only widely, accepted, commercial scale Advanced Biofuel produced in the U.S. that meets the definition of Biomass-based Diesel and undifferentiated Advanced Biofuels under the RFS2 program. According to the EPA, biodiesel produced from waste greases, animal fats and agricultural oils reduces greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by as much as 86 percent compared to petroleum diesel. The RFS2 program, consistent with the EPA's announcement, requires a minimum of 800 million gallons of Biomass-based diesel, which included biodiesel, to be entered into the commercial marketplace in 2011. view more

Iowa Governor Chet Culver, who is Chair of the Governors' Biofuels Coalition, told the nation's biodiesel industry that he is more determined than ever to help get the extension of the federal biodiesel tax incentive passed in Congress. view more

With the U.S. Senate poised to consider legislation this week that includes reinstatement of the biodiesel tax incentive, a new poll released by Stanford University found 84 percent of respondents favored federal tax breaks to encourage alternative energy, including water, wind and solar. view more

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act, legislation that among other things retroactively extends the biodiesel tax incentive through December 31, 2010. The measure passed the House by a 215 to 204 margin. view more

Ever since the surprise debut of the Porsche 918 Spyder at the Geneva Auto Show this year, many of us have been salivating at the prospects of its eventual production... and for good reason. With a 0-60 time of around 3 seconds, a lithium-ion battery that can take the car 16 miles on battery power alone, a maximum fuel efficiency of about 78 mpg, and a combined 718 horsepower, this plug-in hybrid supercar seems to have it all. Porsche has said in the past that all they needed was 1,000 firm orders to before they'd start production, and as of this week they have more than 2,000 non-binding submissions of interest. Yesterday Porsche’s Supervisory Board reportedly approved the vehicle for production as a way to show Porsche’s commitment to next generation vehicles and support the German economy. Read more of this story » view more

The workhorse of taxi fleets across the U.S. is the Ford Crown Victoria. Also popular as a cop car, the Crown Vic is known for its body-on-frame design (easy to repair) and impressive cargo and interior space. One area it does not excel in is gas mileage, as the big V8 engine aren’t all that efficient to begin with. Task them with the stop-and-go nature of city driving, and gas mileage plummets. New York City has been trying for several years to force taxi owners to switch to hybrids. A recent ruling by a Federal judge backed up an earlier ruling  that barred the city from mandating hybrid taxis. Read more of this story » view more

E85 Ethanol in California: “I’m not dead...’Ere, he says he’s not dead...Well, he will be soon, he’s very ill...I’m getting better...No you’re not, you’ll be stone dead in a moment….I’m not dead yet.” In scenes that bring to mind the Bring Out Your Dead sketch from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, two prominent ethanol distribution [...] view more

In Texas, Renewable Energy Group (REG) announced that it expects to close the acquisition of 105 Mgy of additional biodiesel production capacity by the end of February. REG said that it expects to acquire, primarily for stock, the 30 Mgy Western Iowa Energy in Wall Lake, Iowa; the 30 Mgy Central Iowa Energy in Newton, [...] view more

In Massachusetts, Ze-gen announced that it has raised .6 million of its .6 million Series B equity round from nine investors, a round which commenced with an initial target of million and originally closed in January 2009. Funds from the round will go towards commercialization of the company’s waste biomass gasification technology. Ze-Gen has previously [...] view more