Ethanol producers wish the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” rule would come into play right now.
Give me fuel, give me fire: Recently, the Biden administration said it wants toadjust modeling for corn-based ethanol: a shift that will show it isn’t as effective at reducing greenhouse gas emissions as previously thought.
Pleasure to meet ya: This comes just after a December announcement that the government agreed to use the Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (*takes a breath*… GREET) model to measure emissions—a model the National Corn Growers Association is also in favor of. Now, the admin is considering an adjustment that sources say will “more accurately account for environmental damage caused when land is converted to farms to grow corn.”
Corned gasoline: Some sources say this new adjustment will make it harder for ethanol producers to take advantage of some tax credits for sustainable aviation fuel. However, it still leaves some room for subsidies if they partner with corn growers who use sustainable farming practices.
Bittersweet symphonies: Also in ethanol news, the White House will allow year-round sales of ethanol blends in certain states but is pushing the start date to 2025. Currently, ethanol is restricted in the summer months due to environmental concerns.
TL;DR: In short, it’s enviros vs. agriculture, and there’s a presidential election coming up. Ethanol has a lot of things up in the… stalks…
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Congress to EPA: What’s Your BEEF with Meat Packers?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering new regulations that take aim at meat and poultry processors.
And some members of Congress have a BEEF with the EPA’s proposals.
The proposed rules: In late January, the EPA released the details of its proposed “Clean Water Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Meat and Poultry Products Point source category.”
Huh?
Basically, the EPA formally published its proposals to combat wastewater contaminants that come from slaughterhouses.
Okay… that makes more sense.
At the heart of the rules proposal is a concern from environmental groups about nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants that originate from slaughterhouses. In some cases, the wastewater goes directly into waterways. In other cases, the water goes to municipal wastewater treatment facilities.
But not everyone is on board with the EPA’s suggestions…
Congress responds: Last week, two U.S. representatives—Eric Burlison (MO) and Ron Estes (KS)—pushed back against the EPA and introduced the “Banning EPA’s Encroachment of Facilities (BEEF) Act.” If passed and signed by President Biden, the law would prohibit the EPA from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing the rule.
According to the lawmakers, the proposed rules place undue burden on small processors—costs that can be absorbed by larger companies.
Soundbite: “The… proposed regulation isn’t just an attack on family-run small businesses, it’s an attack on rural communities,” said Burlison. “These meat and poultry processors are the lifeblood of our communities. The BEEF Act… lets these hardworking Americans do what they do best, produce safe, affordable food for our families.”
University of Illinois Makes Big Mooves in Milk Production
Pump it up: Scientists led by Matt Wheeler at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are...