On Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service issued long-awaited new guidelines for tax credits for sustainable aviation fuel. The rules are intended to spur production of SAF that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% compared to petroleum-based jet fuel.
Daryl Haack has been farming since the mid-1960s and is one of the founding board members of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) and Little Sioux Corn Processors (Little Sioux), an ethanol plant near Marcus, Iowa, northeast of Sioux City. He has watched the biofuels industry grow from the ground up. He sat down with Successful Farming to reminisce on how the industry began and discuss where it is headed.
Biofabrication has been selling the promise of a harmless, resilient, and versatile alternative to traditional materials for nearly a decade, and yet the industry has never truly scaled. Efforts are often stymied by complex, labor-intensive, and expensive processes.
Just about every industry is working to reduce carbon emissions, but reduction won’t be enough. To prevent the worst effects of global warming, carbon that has already been emitted needs to be removed from the atmosphere, which is why there is a new and fast-growing industry around carbon capture.
The steep rise of e-commerce has been a boon for consumers, but the packaging that goes with it is a massive downside for the planet. All that single-use plastic and Styrofoam, especially for cold packaging, is contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and consequently climate change.
Sustainability is at the root of Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat’s marketing strategy, with the plant-based meat giants claiming their products are better for the planet than traditional meat. But their proof for these claims are increasingly coming under question from investors and scientists over a lack of independent data and a failure to consider the emissions associated with sourcing soy and other commodities used in plant-based burgers.
SBTi — a global organization that validates that corporations’ net-zero goals align with climate science — said it will release a discussion paper along with its draft proposal about potential changes to the scope 3 guidelines in its Corporate Net-Zero Standard in July.
As expected, the EPA issued an emergency waiver allowing nationwide E15 sales again this summer. In an April 19 letter to state governors announcing the decision, EPA Administrator Michael Regan says Russia’s war on Ukraine has profoundly impacted global and domestic energy markets for several years. He also cited conflicts in the Middle East that have disrupted shipping routes and crude oil supplies. Additionally, OPEC continues to cut oil production, further restricting global supply.
Brazilian company Raizen SA made the country’s first shipment of sugar-cane ethanol to be converted into green jet fuel in a U.S. plant, as competition heats up to supply the nascent market.
Got big plans for Earth Day? It's right around the corner, April 22, but feel free to celebrate all week long with these 10 great ideas for teaching kids about Earth Day and what they can do to help take care of our planet.
