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August 15, 2014
The RFS and the Advanced Fuels Pathways Backlog
A long-awaited decision from the Obama administration regarding the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) fuel volumes is expected in September. In the interim, speculation continues about the final volume levels and if the announcement will be further delayed. Just this Tuesday, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) mused to reporters that silence from the administration leads him to believe that the 2014 volumes will not be announced until after the mid-term elections. Since the proposal – to reduce the 2014 volumes by 2.94 billion gallons – was announced last November, the biofuels industry has been hyper-focused on the EPA’s proposed cuts. But there has been little discussion of the fuel pathway process, which certifies if a feedstock or production process qualifies as a renewable fuel. With many feedstocks awaiting approval, could a streamlined pathways process increase advanced fuels production in the near-term?
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USGS Finds Growing Urban Sprawl in Southeast Rivals Threat of Climate Change
According to a study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), urban sprawl in the southeastern United States could literally pave over many of the region’s farms and forests in the next 50 years. Population growth in the Southeast has already outpaced other regions in the United States: it grew 40 percent faster than the rest of the country, adding 77 million people in the last six decades. Modeling future growth based on past and current growth rates, researchers found that urbanization in the area could increase by a staggering 190 percent by 2060. This would result in a 15 percent loss of agricultural land, a 10 percent loss of forests and a 12 percent loss of grasslands as well as negatively impact wildlife, water and air quality.
Event:
Wood Pellet Industry meetings at DOE, Aug 21 or 27
August 21 from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM August 27 from 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM U.S. Department of Energy 1000 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20585
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) collects, analyzes, and disseminates independent and impartial energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment. EIA is in the process of developing a survey to gather statistical information about the growing and increasingly important wood pellet industry in the U.S. and is seeking insights from industry members on the type and granularity of data that will be most useful.
These meetings will cover the same information so you can choose the one that best fits your schedule. If you physically unable to attend, EIA will be hosting these meeting as a WebEx Webinar.There will also be a 60-day Federal Register Notice made available later this year if you want to submit comments on the survey. If you wish to be included on a mailing announcement for this Federal Register Notice or you have any other questions, please contact Tim Shear, tim.shear[at]eia.gov / 202. 586.0403 or Danielle Lowenthal-Savy, danielle.lowenthal-savy[at]eia.gov / 202.586.8586.
To Contact the Editor: Jessie Stolark at [email protected]
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