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March 27, 2015
President Signs Executive Order to Reduce Federal GHGs By 40 Percent
On March 19, President Obama signed an executive order, “Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade.” It mandates a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by federal agencies by 2025, compared to 2008 levels. The mandate is not insignificant, since the federal government is the largest consumer of energy in the United States. A variety of compliance options are available to agencies, including renewable energy, building efficiency, and alternative vehicle technologies and fuels.
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Research Finds Widespread Use of E15 Would Reduce CO2 Emissions
On March 18, Dr. Steffen Mueller, Principal Research Economist at the Energy Resources Center and Director of the Agriculture and Bioenergy Research Center at the University of Illinois, released an analysis of the impact on greenhouse gas emissions of moving from the standard E10 blend (10 percent ethanol, 90 percent gasoline) to an E15 blend (15 percent ethanol, 85 percent gasoline). According to Dr. Mueller, if just seven states (IA, IL, KS, NC, OH, MI, WI) transitioned to exclusive use of E15 instead of E10, an additional 3.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions would be avoided annually.
Group of Lawmakers Continues to Seek Ways to Block Biofuels, Through Any Means Possible
On March 23, a letter signed by 18 members of Congress to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture asked the subcommittee to include “language to limit continued government support for corn ethanol,” primarily by limiting U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding for blender pumps, which can dispense ethanol blended fuel, and by blocking agency staff from promoting ethanol exports. Reacting to the letter in a press release, Rep. Loebsack (D-IA) aimed to “set the record straight” on ethanol, explaining that the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) does not mandate corn ethanol use, rather, “the transportation fuel marketplace, not the government, has determined that ethanol is currently the most efficient, available and cost effective renewable fuel to meet the standard today.”
Headlines:
1. Petroleum Industry Groups Sue EPA over RFS delays
2. Biodiesel blends of Up to 20 Percent Have Been Approved For Use As Home Heating Oil
3. White House Science Fair Highlights Student Innovations in Advanced Biofuels
Event:
How Can the Federal Government Help Prepare Local Communities for Natural Disasters?
Wednesday, April 1 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
485 Russell Senate Office Building Constitution Avenue and 1st Street, NE
Free and open to the public
Please RSVP to expedite check-in.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing examining the recommendations of the White House State, Local and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. The bipartisan Task Force of 26 governors, mayors, tribal leaders, and other officials spent a year compiling recommendations on how the federal government could help local communities be more resilient to climate change impacts.
Visit http://www.eesi.org/briefings/view/040115resilience for more information.
To Contact the Editor: Jessie Stolark at [email protected]
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