Ted Cruz Says Imperiled Biofuel Overhaul Plan Not Dead

A day after a tentative agreement to overhaul U.S. biofuel policy appeared to collapse amid farm-state concerns, EPA chief Scott Pruitt met to discuss the issue with the lead senator pushing for the changes: Ted Cruz. Pruitt, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, declined to comment on the June 6 meeting, but Cruz said it included discussion about the Renewable Fuel Standard and had been planned well before reports June 4 that a White House-brokered accord was unraveling.

Ted Cruz Says Imperiled Biofuel Overhaul Plan Is Not Dead

A day after a tentative agreement to overhaul U.S. biofuel policy appeared to collapse amid farm-state concerns, Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt met with the lead senator pushing for the changes: Ted Cruz. Pruitt had dinner with Cruz, a Texas Republican, at a Washington steakhouse blocks from the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday night.

Trump to lay out biofuels plan in meeting with senators: sources

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to lay out his plans for the nation's biofuel policy on Tuesday in a closed door briefing with senators, after months of hearing arguments about the hotly contested regulation, according to two sources. FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during an 'Unleashing American Energy' event at the Department of Energy in Washington, U.S., June 29, 2017.

Trump ethanol moves may be worse for farmers than soy tariff

Based on his own back-of-the-envelope calculations, Minnesota farmer Kirby Hettver could lose tens of thousands of dollars of earnings because of President Donald Trump. But damaging as the brewing trade war with China may turn out to be for Hettver and other American soybean farmers, he says the greater financial impact could come if Trump moves ahead with changes to the U.S. ethanol mandate, known as the Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS.

Biofuel plant managers ask Trump to defend RFS

Managers at 150 biofuel production centers across the heartland sent a letter to President Donald Trump, urging the White House to "stand strong in defense of the Renewable Fuel Standard." Growth Energy joined the plant managers in calling for Reid Vapor Pressure relief and asking the administration to reject Sen. Ted Cruz's proposals.

Edible oil of choice in South Korea is palm

Palm oil has become the most popular edible oil in South Korea, according to a Feb. 7 Global Agricultural Information Network report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture . The report said that while soybean oil and corn oil was used predominantly in South Korea during the 1970s and 1980s, the industry has shifted to meet the changing demands of the country's cosmetic, food and biofuel industries.

U.S. senator urges FBI to probe Icahn over biofuels push

A Democratic U.S. Senator on Wednesday urged the FBI to launch a criminal probe into whether billionaire investor Carl Icahn broke the law when he called for a change in the federal biofuel program that would have enriched him personally while he was an adviser to President Donald Trump. "It appears Mr. Icahn potentially violated the principal conflict of interest statute ... abused his role as a special adviser to the president of the United States on issues relating to regulatory reform," by participating in a government matter that affects his financial interests, Senator Tammy Duckworth of ethanol-producing Illinois said in a letter to the FBI, a copy of which was seen by Reuters.

More rational policies in our future?

In the wake of President Trump's exit from the Paris climate treaty, reactions from other quarters were predictably swift, nasty, sanctimonious and hypocritical. Al Gore paused near one of the private jets he takes to hector lesser mortals to say the action will bring "a global weather apocalypse."

Big Corn courts old foe Big Oil to combat electric car threat

A U.S. biofuels lobbying group on Tuesday said it is seeking to work with longtime rival the oil industry to fight the threat to both from subsidies for electric vehicles. The two industries have been at loggerheads for years as they seek sway with Washington over how much biofuel should be included in gasoline and diesel.

USDA awarding $8.8M to 108 companies to support the production of advanced biofuel

The US Department of Agriculture is awarding $8.8 million to 108 companies in 39 states to boost the production of advanced biofuels. The funding is being provided through USDA's Advanced Biofuel Payment Program, which was established in the 2008 Farm Bill.