ethanol

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted an emergency waiver permitting the nationwide sale of a fuel blend with higher amounts of ethanol through the summer months, which Iowa fuel and farm leaders say will help farmers, fuel producers and Iowans at the pumps.

South Dakota regulators say Summit Carbon Solutions will need to reapply for a permit application to build a carbon dioxide pipeline. The decision is another setback for the multi-state project.

Summit Carbon Solutions’ plan to build a pipeline across five states included the right to use eminent domain in some states. A South Dakota law says that’s no longer allowed, and an Iowa bill seeks to do the same.

Biofuel advocates say the industry is at an inflection point. They’re calling on the new administration to increase ethanol and biodiesel volumes in the country's fuel supply, expand E15 gasoline and clarify tax credits.

A group of House and Senate Republicans are looking to challenge the constitutionality of Summit Carbon Solutions' proposed pipeline.

Summit Carbon Solutions has proposed new public informational meeting dates for 23 counties that would span about four weeks. The company that recently gained approval from state regulators for its carbon dioxide pipeline system in Iowa wants to proceed with expansion requests for that system starting in late August.

The Iowa Utilities Board approved Summit’s CO2 pipeline project and gave the company the right of eminent domain to build on property where landowners oppose it.

The ethanol industry said capturing carbon emissions from ethanol plants and storing it underground is needed to help the industry keep up with the trend toward greener energy. But it’s unclear what the direct benefit to the farmers who supply corn to the ethanol plant might be.

The CEO of Navigator CO2 Ventures announced Friday that the company will abandon the project, citing "unpredictable" regulatory and government processes, especially in Iowa and South Dakota.

It was the first day of testimony before the Iowa Utilities Board, which will decide whether to approve the pipeline route and Summit’s use of eminent domain.