USDA Adds 14 Biobased Categories for Preferred Federal Purchasing

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the designation of 14 additional biobased product categories which are eligible for federal procurement preference. The USDA’s BioPreferred program’s Round 7 finalization adds 2,500 biobased products for a total of more than 8,900 products now offered for preferred purchasing consideration by federal government agencies and contractors.

US EPA Proposes 2012 Renewable Fuel Standards, 2013 Biomass-Based Diesel Volume

WASHINGTON, January 21 — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed the 2012 percentage standards for four fuel categories that are part of the agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard program (RFS2). EPA continues to support greater use of renewable fuels within the transportation sector every year.

UK DfT Recommends Carbon-14 Analysis to Measure Biofuel Renewable Content

In the consultation document published by the UK Department for Transport (DfT) regarding the implementation of the transport elements of the EU Renewable Energy Directive, the DfT is proposing to determine the renewable portion of partially renewable fuels through carbon-14 dating techniques.

Beta Analytic Comments on US EPA Proposed Rule for Deferral of Biogenic CO2 Emissions

ASTM D6866 lab Beta Analytic Inc. has submitted a public comment on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule for the deferral of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from bioenergy and other biogenic sources. The company is recommending to the EPA that stationary sources combusting mixed fuels use ASTM D6866 testing to accurately measure their biogenic [...]

[Top Story] EPA Clarifies ASTM D6866 Use in Mandatory GHG Reporting Proposed Revisions

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is amending certain provisions of its Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Rule (MRR) to address issues raised after the MRR was first published in October 2009. Revisions will affect, among others, facilities combusting municipal solid waste or tires as fuels. These facilities no longer need to have continuous emission monitoring [...]

Ohio Enacts Law for Biobased Products

Ohio became the first state in the U.S. to establish a law requiring state agencies and state-supported colleges and universities to buy biobased products. Senate Bill 131, introduced in June 2009 by Ohio Senator Karen Gillmor (R-Tiffin), became effective May 31, 2010.

US EPA Amended Renewable Fuel Standard Requires ASTM D6866 Testing for MSW-Derived Biofuels

The US EPA’s amended Renewable Fuel Standard, also called RFS2, requires ASTM D6866 testing to determine the biogenic fraction of transportation fuels derived from municipal solid waste (MSW), where the renewable portion of the fuel cannot be determined based on the relative energy content of the renewable biomass and fossil feedstock. ASTM D6866 can also [...]

Ontario GHG Regulation Identifies ASTM D6866 as Emissions Quantification Method

The Ministry of the Environment of Ontario, Canada, has published Ontario Regulation 452/09, which focuses on greenhouse gas emissions reporting. The guideline accompanying the regulation outlined the standard methods to be used for emissions quantification. ASTM D6866 is the standard identified for the quantification of biomass CO2 emissions from the combustion of fuels with both [...]