Law
« Previous EntriesOshkosh Ethanol Plant Settles Pollution Lawsuit
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008
Bizjournals.com:
Utica Energy LLC, a firm that operates an ethanol production plant in Oshkosh, has agreed to pay $75,000 to settle allegations that the company violated state air and water pollution control laws.
The payment of penalties, fees, and costs will settle a case filed by the Wisconsin Department of Justice at the request of […]
Ethanol Firms Seek More Clarity
Monday, June 9th, 2008Bangkok Post:
Ethanol producers are demanding clearer policies, better tax incentives and regulatory changes that will allow them to sell their output to industries other than energy and fuel producers. Members of the Thai Ethanol Manufacturing Association met yesterday with Industry Minister Suwit Khunkitti to press their case and seek clarification about the the government’s plans […]
Lawmakers Revisit Ethanol Mandates As Prices Soar
Friday, May 2nd, 2008NPR:
Four months ago, Congress sharply raised production targets for ethanol fuel, from the current 7 billion gallons a year to 36 billion gallons by 2022. Now, some lawmakers are asking whether the ethanol mandates come at too high a price.
The mandated, subsidized biofuel uses corn as its main feedstock. Last year’s production required a quarter […]
‘Green’ Lawyer Seeing Red Over Environmental Abuse
Monday, April 21st, 2008“I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait ’til oil and coal run out before we tackle that.” — Thomas Alva Edison
Gary Post Tribune:
The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970. Today, more than half a billion people participate in Earth […]
Ethanol Blend Inventor On Trial
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008Ethanol Producer Magazine:
A decade ago, Colorado businessman William Orr pioneered an ethanol fuel blend he said was the solution to U.S. dependence on foreign oil. However, the government that gave him millions of dollars to fund his research now has him on trial in a federal courtroom, charged with 28 counts of fraud and tax […]
Fuel Or Folly? Ethanol And The Law Of Unintended Consequences
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008San Francisco Chronicle:
In the pantheon of well-intentioned governmental policies gone awry, massive ethanol biofuel production may go down as one of the biggest blunders in history. An unholy alliance of environmentalists, agribusiness, biofuel corporations and politicians has been touting ethanol as the cure to all our environmental ills, when in fact it may be doing […]
Ethanol Water Deal Possible
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008Centralia Morning Sentinel:
City Council met Monday to discuss a proposed sales tax referendum and a proposed water supply agreement for ethanol production.
The sales tax referendum, according to City Manager Grant Kleinhenz, said that a sales tax increase, like the one recently approved by the residents of Salem, would generate revenue for the city that […]
Call For Delay To Biofuels Policy
Monday, March 24th, 2008BBC News:
The UK’s chief environment scientist has called for a delay to a policy demanding inclusion of biofuels into fuel at pumps across the UK.
Professor Robert Watson said ministers should await the results of their inquiry into biofuels’ sustainability.
Some scientists think biofuels’ carbon benefits may be currently outweighed by negative effects from their production.
The Renewable […]
Bill Would Require Lawmakers To Disclose Tax Credits Received
Wednesday, March 5th, 2008Missourinet:
State lawmakers would have to include any state tax credits they receive on their personal financial disclosure statements under a bill being considered by a House committee.
Rep. Shannon Cooper (R-Clinton) says he got the idea during hearings of the Interim Tax Policy Committee in which it came to light that a few Missouri legislators received […]
Ethanol Plants Could Trigger New Water-Use Laws
Monday, February 25th, 2008News-Leader:
Missouri’s rush to expand ethanol production may end up rewriting the state’s water-use laws.
At least that’s what a group of Webster County residents believes will happen as their lawsuit against an ethanol project near Fordland moves through the courts.
Susan Tolliver, a member of the Citizens for Groundwater Protection, spoke about the lawsuit Saturday at the […]
Ethanol Policy To Be Discussd At USD
Friday, February 8th, 2008Sioux Falls Argus Leader:
“Emerging Trends in Agricultural Law: The Law and Policy of Ethanol” will be the focus of the South Dakota Law Review’s annual symposium at the University of South Dakota School of Law today.
The merits of producing ethanol will be discussed by a panel, including Steve Halbrook from the U.S. Farm Foundation, agricultural […]
Petrobras, Samsung Sign Initial Pact On Ethanol - Yonhap
Monday, December 10th, 2007CNNMoney:
Brazil’s state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras, has signed an initial agreement with South Korea’s Samsung Corp. to cooperate in studying production technology and sales of ethanol, Yonhap News Agency reported Sunday.
With the latest agreement, Petrobras intends to expand sales of fuel ethanol to South Korea. The 2 companies may seek to jointly […]
Negotiators Nearing Energy Bill Compromise
Friday, November 30th, 2007United Press International:
U.S. congressional negotiators reportedly are nearing agreement on an energy bill that would boost vehicle efficiency standards and increase biofuel use.
The auto industry and its advocate, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Dingell, D-Mich., accepted achieving a targeted average of 35 miles a gallon for each carmaker’s fleet of new U.S. […]
State Sues Utica Over Ethanol Plant Violations
Thursday, October 11th, 2007Oshkosh Northwestern:
The Wisconsin Department of Justice is suing Utica Energy LLC for violations of state air and water pollution control regulations, including illegally discharging wastewater onto fields and into waterways that feed in to Lake Winnebago.
The complaint, filed in Winnebago County Circuit Court on Aug. 8, indicates Utica violated nine regulations designed to prevent air […]
Approved Application For Ethanol Regularity
Tuesday, October 9th, 2007Chicago Board of Trade Notices:
The Exchange has approved the application of Cornhusker Energy Lexington, LLC for a declaration of ethanol regularity at the firm’s Lexington, NE facility. The approved daily rate of loading is 119,968 gallons, which will allow for the issuance of up to 78 shipping certificates.
Cornhusker Energy Lexington, LLC has designated […]
The New York Times Warns That Ethanol Subsidies May Have Created A ‘Tragic Moment’
Thursday, August 16th, 2007Agricultural Law:
This past Friday, The New York Times published an editorial harshly criticizing ethanol subsidies. (“The Farmer’s Nightmare,” The New York Times - August 10, 2007) The editorial warned: “American farming is poised on the brink of true industrialization, creating a landscape driven by energy production…What we are witnessing is the beginning of the tragic […]
Intellectual Property And Ethanol: Seven Steps For Success
Friday, August 3rd, 2007Ethanol Producer Magazine:
If you thought licensing certain basic processing technology in order to build and operate an ethanol plant would be your only brush with intellectual property (IP), think again. There is likely a patentable gizmo being developed or already in use in every operating ethanol plant. Where there’s a patentable gizmo developed in response […]
Ethanol Blend Petrol Soon To Be Law
Thursday, June 21st, 2007News.com.au:
NSW motorists will soon save four cents a litre on petrol when the State Government passes a bill to mandate minimum ethanol petrol blends.
The Biofuel (Ethanol Content) Bill 2007 was introduced into parliament last night as Premier Morris Iemma took a swipe at the Federal Government for failing to introduce such a national scheme.
If passed […]
Alternative Energy Sources Gets Permit For The First Of Three New Midwest Fuel Ethanol Plants, An Industrial Info News Alert
Tuesday, June 19th, 2007MarketWire:
Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas). Alternative Energy Sources Incorporated has received its final permit from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and is now ready to move into the next phase of development on the company’s first of three new planned MidWest fuel ethanol plants. The first plant is set to be […]
Biodiesel Mandate Bill Introduced
Friday, June 15th, 2007AgWeb:
Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Dick Lugar of Indiana, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Tom Carper of Delaware and Barack Obama of Illinois have introduced legislation that would mandate the use of 1.25 billion gallons of biodiesel per year by 2012.
Biodiesel is just one more way we’re lessening our dependence on foreign oil. Everyday we’re seeing […]