Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen commented on the markup Tuesday by the Senate Finance Committee of a tax extenders bill that contains several provisions of importance to the biofuels industry. The bill contains a two-year extension of the Second Generation Biofuel Producer Tax Credit, the Special Depreciation Allowance for Seond Generation Biofuel Plant Property, and the Alternative …
EPA Administrator Talks to Corn Growers
Speaking to members of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) meeting in Washington DC this week, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy talked about recent agency actions, including the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS). More than 300 farmers and staffers were on hand to hear McCarthy’s explanation of the RFS and WOTUS decisions, as well …
Corn Congress and RFS Rally
Members of the National Corn Growers Association were on Capitol Hill this week talking about issues important to them, especially the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). More than 300 corn farmers joined members of Congress and ethanol industry leaders at a rally Wednesday calling attention to the proposed cutting of the RFS` for corn ethanol. In addition, corn growers were talking …
Priority Issues for GROWMARK
GROWMARK Executive Director for Corporate and Government Relations Chuck Spencer is keeping an eye on many legislative and regulatory issues on both the state and national level that could impact grower members of the cooperative. In this interview, Spencer comments on EPA’s Waters of the United States regulation and proposed volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard, food labeling, and …
2015 Bioenergy Conference
On June 23–24, the U.S. Department of Energy hosted the eighth annual Bioenergy Conference: Opportunities in a Changing Energy Landscape. Co-hosted with the Clean Energy Research and Education Foundation (CEREF), this year’s conference focused on opportunities and challenges in our current highly dynamic energy ecosystem. View the 2015 BioEnergy 2015 photo album Sen Klobuchar: Time to Govern by Opportunity – …
#RFSWorks Hearing and Rally
Hundreds of ethanol supporters showed up in Kansas City, Kansas on June 25, 2015 for a public hearing on the EPA’s proposed volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and a Rally for Rural America. The hearing heard testimony from over 200 stakeholders, including corn farmers, ethanol and biodiesel producers. The rally featured comments from the governors and agriculture …
GROWMARK Testifies for Food Labeling Bill
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing Thursday that demonstrated an urgent need to pass the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act this year to create a uniform national food labeling standard for products made with genetically modified organisms. Among those testifying at the hearing in support of the bill for agriculture was GROWMARK president …
2015 ASTA Annual Meeting
The 132nd annual meeting of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) was held June 17-20, 2015 in Washington DC. With a focus on advocacy, seed industry representatives met with their elected officials in Congress to talk about important issues such as trade, pollinator health and labeling. Participants heard from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, elected new officers for the coming year, …
Canada and Mexico on COOL Retaliation
With the World Trade Organization Wednesday to hear formal requests from Mexico and Canada to retaliate against the United States over Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for meat products, a Global Business Dialogue panel at the National Press Club Tuesday was very timely. The panel, which was sponsored by the National Pork Producers Council, featured representatives from both countries discussing …
Nebraska Gov on European Ag Trade Mission
CNH Industrial welcomed Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts last week at the Expo Milano “Sustainable Farm Pavilion” sponsored by its agricultural machinery brand New Holland Agriculture. Ricketts is pictured here with New Holland Agriculture Brand President Carlo Lambro. The governor was accompanied by a delegation that met with CNH Industrial management to discuss activities and investment in Nebraska through its manufacturing …
House Votes to Repeal COOL for Meat
By a vote of 300 to 131, the House of Representatives passed legislation late Wednesday to repeal Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for beef, pork and chicken. “I am thankful for the support of my colleagues today in passing this common-sense, bipartisan bill that is a necessary targeted response to avoid retaliation from Canada and Mexico,” said House Agriculture Committee …
AFBF Releases WOTUS Analysis
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) today released its analysis of the EPA’s Waters of the United States (WOTUS) final rule and concerns the organizations has about its impact on farmers and ranchers. The Farm Bureau analysis, now available online, is headlined “No, No, No! No Clarity, No Certainty, No Limits on Agency Power.” Among the main concerns Farm Bureau …
EPA Proposes RFS Volume Obligations
Beating the announced deadline of June 1, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed the volume requirements under the RFS program for 2014, 2015, and 2016 for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel. EPA is also proposing the volume requirement for biomass-based diesel for 2017. EPA is proposing to set the renewable fuel standards for 2014 …
New Food Bio Security Facility Groundbreaking
This week Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack helped to break ground on the National Bio and Agro Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, Kansas. Secretaries Johnson and Vilsack were joined by a number of dignitaries on Wednesday to celebrate the groundbreaking, including Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, Sens. Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran of Kansas, …
NRCS Launches Conservation Gateway
Farmers, ranchers and private forest landowners can now do business with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) through a new Conservation Client Gateway web portal. NRCS chief Jason Weller says the portal will allow producers will have the ability to work with conservation planners online to access Farm Bill programs, request assistance and track payments for …