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October 23, 2015
SBFF will be on hiatus on October 30 and will return Friday, November 6.
Support, Opposition Grow Over Proposed Changes to Biodiesel Tax Credit
On October 21, the Advanced Biofuels Association, along with the Petroleum Marketers Association and other retail fuel groups, expressed opposition to changing the biodiesel and renewable diesel blenders' tax credit. In July, the Senate Finance Committee passed an amendment to the tax extenders package, to change the blenders' credit to a producers' credit, in order to transfer the benefit to fuel producers instead of blenders. The amendment, offered by Senators Grassley (R-IA) and Cantwell (D-WA), is meant to provide support to the domestic biodiesel industry, which maintains that cheaper foreign biodiesel has been allowed to flood the market. The tax credit, as it currently stands, provides $1.00 per gallon for the blending of qualified gallons of biodiesel, no matter what its origin. Therefore, foreign imports of biodiesel are also eligible for the tax credit – a sore point for the U.S. industry.
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110 Groups Urge Congress to Fix Wildfire Funding This Year
A large coalition of forestry, environmental, outdoor, hunting, and conservation groups are circulating a letter in support of wildfire funding in the FY2016 omnibus budget bill. The Partner Caucus on Fire Suppression Funding Solutions (of which EESI is a member) has been urging Congress to address wildfire funding since 2009. Year after year, the wildfire budget issue worsens. At the close of the 2015 wildfire season, more than 50 percent of the U.S. Forest Service budget had been used to fight wildfires over 9 million acres across the Western United States.
Headlines:
1) America's Renewable Future and DuPont Release New Poll Showing Republicans and Democrats United in Support of Renewable Fuel
2) EPA's RFS Proposal Risks Ending America's Rural Renaissance
3) U. Texas Researchers Receive $15 Million for Native Prairie Grass Biofuels Study
4) Farm Groups Warn Renewable Fuel Standard Uncertainty Drives Down US Farm Income
5) Poet Biorefining Plant Uses Wood Waste to Power its Facility
Events:
1) Farming & Water Quality: Conservation Policies Working to Reduce Nutrient Loss
Monday, November 2 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Senate Visitor's Center Room 203-02 East Capitol St. NE & First St. SE
From the Gulf of Mexico’s dead zone to the Des Moines Waterworks lawsuit against drainage districts, water quality challenges are growing and the Farm Bill’s conservation programs are helping farmers in their efforts to reduce nutrient loss. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing examining these water quality challenges and how stakeholders are partnering to implement effective, voluntary, farm-level conservation practices that will provide multiple benefits both to rural and urban areas. The discussion will highlight Farm Bill conservation policies in action, which are helping advance best management practices that improve drinking water quality and farmers' bottom lines by enhancing in-field nutrient management. Farmers know that conserving nutrients makes both economic and environmental sense, but substantial work remains to achieve the widespread adoption necessary to address water quality and stave off regulation.
Please RSVP to expedite check-in.
2) Biomass Thermal DC Summit
November 18 8:30 AM - 5 PM Morning Summit Orientation & Captiol Hill Visits 5:30 PM - 7 PM Congressional Recception
EESI is a supporting organization
The Biomass Thermal Energy Council (BTEC) invites you to participate in the Biomass Thermal DC Summit. A coalition of rural, renewable energy, and natural resource interests from across the U.S. will gather for an education and outreach event. Summit participants will have the opportunity to meet with Senators and Representatives, policy makers, and other renewable energy-related groups regarding the substantial benefits of biomass thermal energy use: increased rural economic activity, energy independence, healthier forests, and effective tax policy.
Please RSVP to participate.
To Contact the Editor: Jessie Stolark at eesi@eesi.org
Please distribute Sustainable Bioenergy, Farms, and Forests to your colleagues. Reproduction of this newsletter is permitted provided that the Environmental and Energy Study Institute is properly acknowledged as the source. Past issues are available here. Free email subscriptions are available here.
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