Advocating for Public Policies to Promote the Development & Production of Alternative Fuels, Renewable Chemicals, Biobased Products, and Sustainable Aviation Fuels
Alternative Fuels & Chemicals Coalition
AFCC News & Reports
2020
AFCC members are able to have a voice in and directly influence legislation affecting the alternative fuels & chemicals industries
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AFCC News & Reports - December 2020 -
The Renewable Chemicals Act of 2020
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On December 4, 2020, Rep. Pascrell (D-NJ), and Rep. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), introduced the bipartisan bill, The Renewable Chemicals Act of 2020, H.R.8879. The bipartisan legislation will provide tax credits for either the production of renewable chemicals (includes bioplastics) or investment tax credits in production facilities that produce renewable chemicals (includes bioplastics). The bill would establish a production tax credit for renewable chemicals equal to 15 percent of the sales price of each pound of renewable chemical produced by the taxpayer or for the taxpayer by a contract manufacturer and sold for fair market value. The legislation would also establish an investment credit for renewable chemical production facilities equal to 30 percent of the basis of any eligible property that is part of a renewable chemical production facility placed in service by the taxpayer during a particular taxable year.
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AFCC News & Reports - November 2020 - #2:
Innovative Technologies and Practices for the Agriculture Innovation Agenda
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Short descriptions on innovative, new-to-the world technologies were provided by AFCC member companies for consideration by USDA’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda (AIA). This was followed up by several AFCC member companies submitting their separate comments in more detail which are based on their ready-to-go innovative technologies. Their transformative technologies are providing U.S. farmers and ranchers choices, incentives, and a cleaner environment through their climate-smart approaches.
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AFCC News & Reports - November 2020 - #1:
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Act
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AFCC and its member companies applaud Congresswoman Brownley (D, CA) for the introduction of legislation, ‘‘Sustainable Aviation Fuel Act’’. Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) has been certified by regulators as meeting safety requirements and has already been used in over 200,000 flights. SAF can reduce aviation emissions by at least 50 percent compared to conventional fossil jet fuels. If the bill is enacted, it would assist in boosting the nations’ airline economy, assist in job creation in rural areas where most of your SAF facilities are located, have a positive impact on climate change, and will grow the biobased economy.
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AFCC News & Reports - June 2020:
House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Action Plan
The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released a 538-page "Climate Crisis Action Plan" at the end of June. The plan includes several of AFCC's recommendations which were included in comments submitted to the committee last year. “Working together, we will avert the worst impacts of the climate emergency and build a stronger, healthier, and fairer America for everyone,” the report says. Also, in the report is a National Climate Adaptation Program to help states, tribes, and localities prepare for the effects of climate change as well a proposal for launching the "Climate Resilience Service Corps."
AFCC News & Reports - May 2020:
Final USDA Rule for Renewable Chemicals & Biobased Products
USDA has issued the final rule for the production of renewable chemicals and biobased manufactured products in Section 9003, Energy Title IX, in the 2018 Farm Bill. The rule builds on public policy advocacy work in 2014 and 2018 to expand the Section 9003 program from a focus only on the production of biofuels to also include the production of renewable chemicals and biobased products. The final rule defines a biorefinery as a facility, including equipment and processes, that converts renewable biomass or an intermediate ingredient or feedstocks of renewable biomass into biofuels, and/or renewable chemicals, and/or biobased products. The facility may also produce electricity.
AFCC News & Reports - April 2020:
The "new Normal" for Bioplastics Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic
The global COVID-19 pandemic appears to have given plastics a more important role due to the need to securely protect ourselves by wearing plastic face shields or working behind plastic shields, ensuring food and personal items are protected with impermeable packaging and providing gloves for everyday use.
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A majority of these products still come from fossil fuel feedstocks, and thus contribute to the global plastic waste problem.
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While still a relatively small and nascent market, there have been some exciting bioplastics innovations lately. These new innovations could in the immediate future reduce dependence on fossil- fuel-derived plastics, improve our carbon footprint, and mitigate pollutants, thus providing a cleaner and healthier environment.
AFCC News & Reports - March 2020:
AFCC’s March 2020 Hill Actions
In addition to its advocacy for full FY2021 funding for the federal programs important to Alternative Fuels & Chemicals Coalition (AFCC) members (see AFCC’s FY2021 Appropriation Requests), AFCC also took part in two other Hill actions in early March 2020:
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1. The House Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change held a hearing on March 4, 2020 on Addressing America's Plastic Waste Crisis to which AFCC submitted a letter and went on record emphasizing the sustainable, renewable sources of renewable chemicals and bioplastics.
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2. AFCC was a signatory to a Chamber of Commerce letter signed by 39 organizations in support of the bipartisan American Energy Innovation Action (AEIA), released by Senate Energy Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Ranking Member Senator Joe Manchin III, which saw Senate floor debate with amendments the first week of March.
AFCC News & Reports - February 2020 #2:
AFCC Begins Advocacy for FY2020 Federal Agency Appropriations
The Alternative Fuel & Chemicals Coalition (AFCC) has begun its advocacy efforts to secure sufficient funding for federal agency programs that are important to its member companies for fiscal year (FY) 2021.
AFCC has identified 37 programs that are "industry-critical" priorities for its member companies. This is because the authorizations or appropriations for these programs have expired and not been renewed, or because these programs have been targeted for significant cuts or elimination in the President's Budget.
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AFCC has prepare summary and detailed tables of the 53 federal programs that are import to AFCC member companies, along with individual appropriation requests for each of the 37 "industry-critical" priorities.
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For more detail, including what you can do to ensure FY2020 funding for these industry-critical programs, click on the button below.
AFCC News & Reports - February #1:
AFCC Celebrates Success of Its Advocacy for FY2020 Appropriations
The Alternative Fuels & Chemicals Coalition (AFCC) overcame attempts to severely cut or eliminate several priority federal programs, as had been proposed in the President's Budget for fiscal year (FY) 2020.
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AFCC's efforts were directed at maintaining prior year funding levels for the 51 programs that AFCC had identified as important to its member companies.
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AFFC was successful in its efforts.
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​For more details, please click on the button below.
AFCC News & Reports - January 2020 #2:
The U.S. Bioeconomy is Strong, But Faces Challenges
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report Safe Guarding the Bioeconomy, on January 14, 2020, which shows significant advances have occurred since the National Bioeconomy Blueprint first articulated a U.S. definition in 2012.
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The U.S. government is now assessing the national bioeconomy and developing strategies for supporting and safeguarding its continued growth.
AFCC News & Reports - January 2020 #1:
RIN Prices Rise After Court Strikes Down Some SREs
On Friday, January 24, 2020, the 10th District Court of Appeals in Denver vacated the EPA’s small refinery exemptions (SRE’s) for three oil refineries owned by Carl Icahn’s CVR Refining in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, and two Holly Frontier plants in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Woods Cross, Utah.
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Prices from Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) rose sharply in early trading the following Monday.
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In its ruling, the court said that blending exemptions could only be granted to refineries that had been granted such exemptions in the previous year.