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ReThink Energy NJ and partners announced that Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ D-12) will introduce legislation to toughen Federal Energy Regulatory Commission oversight by requiring it to apply more comprehensive procedures to its review of proposed pipeline applications before granting a certificate of public convenience and necessity. Watson Coleman made the announcement during a press conference at Baldpate Mountain in ...

The Renewable Fuels Association is pleased with the findings from a recent report that concluded biofuels from crops do not harm food supplies. The report was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the World Bank and other groups. “The high-profile expansion of ethanol production in the United States and Brazil, in tandem with a global price spike in food ...

Vermont Gas announced recently that its 41-mile natural gas pipeline extension will cost 7.8% more than the most recent projections, marking the latest in a series of cost overruns for the project, whose costs are borne largely by ratepayers, according to an article by Vermont Digger. “It’s the fourth time Vermont Gas has upped the price tag,” the article stated. ...

On Wednesday, June 22, President Barack Obama signed S. 2276, the Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of 2016.  This legislation includes a provision that requires an independent study of the regulations placed on jurisdictional propane systems.  This bill has moved quickly through the legislative process in the last few weeks, and its enactment marks a great ...

On June 24, 39 senators sent a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, urging EPA to ensure the final 2017 Renewable Fuel Standard rule “promote[s] growth in the U.S. biofuel sector and capture economic opportunity rather than drive investment overseas.” The 2017 proposal calls on refiners to blend 14.8 billion gallons of conventional biofuels in 2017, slightly below the 15-billion-gallon ...

API Director of Tax and Accounting Policy Stephen Comstock issued the following statement on the Task Force on Tax Reform’s blueprint recently released by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and House Ways and Means Chairman Brady (R-TX). “The industry remains focused on a tax code that can support growth in the economy, and it’s clear that many of the ideas ...

EPA must do more to ensure Americans have access to fuels they want and can safely use in their vehicles until Congress fixes the outdated and broken Renewable Fuel Standard program, API Downstream Group Director Frank Macchiarola said following EPA’s proposal for the 2017 RFS mandates. “Consumers’ interest should come ahead of ethanol interests,” said Macchiarola. “EPA is pushing consumers ...

The National Biodiesel Board called for the Obama Administration to strengthen an EPA proposal released on May 18 that would raise the biodiesel volume requirement under the Renewable Fuel Standard by 100 million gallons in 2018. NBB Vice President of Federal Affairs Anne Steckel said that without stronger growth in the final rule, the administration would be missing an opportunity ...

Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 40 (S.Con.Res.40), expressing opposition toward increasing the 12-percent Federal Excise Tax on heavy trucks and truck bodies. Last year, House Representatives Reid Ribble (R-WI) and Tim Walz (D-MN) introduced companion legislation, H.Con.Res.33. Although concurrent resolutions do not have the force of law, they can make a strong statement. “NTEA commends the Senate ...

The National Biodiesel Board released the following statement from Vice President of Federal Affairs Anne Steckel after Reps. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.), and Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), introduced legislation to extend the biodiesel tax incentive through 2019 and reform it as a domestic production credit: “While oil tax breaks remain permanently written into the tax code, the biodiesel tax incentive is yet ...