American Coalition for Ethanol CEO Brian Jennings says he expects the Treasury Department to provide clear direction on Inflation Reduction Act clean fuel and sustainable aviation fuel tax credits “sooner rather than later.” But he’s concerned about the pace of the agency’s progress.
Speaking to Agri-Pulse on the sidelines of ACE’s annual conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Jennings said Treasury is “way behind." Under the IRA’s language, the agency will need to provide guidance for the tax credits by the beginning of 2025, but Jennings said the ethanol industry wants it “well before then.”
“These are expensive endeavors that you anticipate are going to provide a nice return on your investment,” Jennings said. "But if you don’t know the rules to how that tax incentive will be carried out, it can get very dicey for you, and it can create uncertainty. So we need more information sooner rather than later so these shareholders for ethanol facilities are empowered with the information they need to make smart decisions."
Take note: Jennings also advocated for the use of the Argonne National Laboratory’s GREET model for these tax credits. He said it uses more updated information on land use change and was the model members of Congress were envisioning when they passed the bill.
Miller-Meeks talks up Iowa’s caucus process
Iowa Republican lawmaker Mariannette Miller-Meeks says the state needs to remain at the beginning of the presidential selection process, in part because of the kinds of campaigning necessary to win the heavily rural state.
“If you do the groundwork in Iowa, that propels you to the top,” she said.
Even if the Democrats have opted to begin their primary process in South Carolina, Miller-Meeks said that in Iowa, “you can do a little bit without a lot of funds.”
The latest Newsmakers episode – including Miller-Meeks’ thoughts on which candidate has worked her home state well – will be posted today at Agri-Pulse.com.
200 members named to ag trade advisory committees
USDA and the U.S. Trade Representative have named 130 new members to seven policy and technical advisory committees focused on various aspects of trade.
The agencies also reappointed 70 members to the panels, chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
New members will serve until August 2027, with additional appointments anticipated over the next four years. A release from USDA says individuals are encouraged to apply at any time and would be reviewed periodically.
The Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee includes a who’s who from major commodity groups, such as John Bode of the Corn Refiners Association, Andy LaVigne of the American Seed Trade Association, David Puglia of Western Growers and Colin Woodall of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
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There are also technical advisory committees to offer insight on animals and animal products; fruits and vegetables; grains, feed, oilseeds and planting seeds; processed foods; sweeteners and sweetener products; and tobacco, cotton, peanuts and hemp.
California rice growers get a new herbicide
Rice growers in California will be getting a new tool to control weeds, following an EPA decision to approve pyraclonil for use in the state.
The agency has approved both a technical product that can be formulated into other products, and an end-use herbicide for pre- and early post-emergence control of grass, sedge, and broadleaf weeds in water-seeded rice in California only. “Notably, it may help control barnyardgrass and watergrass, two problematic weed species for rice growers in the state,” EPA said.
The registration approval comes with mitigation requirements for threatened and endangered species. EPA also said “there are no human health risk concerns from the registered uses of pyraclonil.”
EPA published a rule Thursday establishing allowable levels on rice, which had been requested by Nichino America.
New study casts doubt on value of carbon emissions from forest projects
Emission reductions from forest conservation projects that are sometimes used to “offset” carbon emissions from other sources have been overestimated. That’s according to a new analysis from the American Association for the Advancement of Science published in Science.
“Most projects did not substantially reduce deforestation, and … the few that did, reduced it much less than had been claimed,” the summary noted.
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