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Tag:

biodiesel

More Greenwashing 2.0: Another Biofuels Credit Fraud Scheme Exposed

More Greenwashing 2.0: Another Biofuels Credit Fraud Scheme Exposed

written by Eric Lane

In previous posts (e.g., here and here), I’ve discussed cases of fraudulent renewable energy credits and other environmental crimes and argued they ought to be considered greenwashing.

A recent indictment is another case in point.  The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced that a federal grand jury in Houston, Texas indicted an individual for allegedly selling fraudulent renewable identification numbers (RINs).

The indictment alleges that an individual using the name Philip Joseph Rivkin operated and controlled several Houston-based fuel companies including Green Diesel LLC, Fuel Streamers Inc. and Petro Constructors LLC.

The defendant allegedly claimed that Green Diesel produced millions of gallons of biodiesel at its Houston facility then generated and sold about 45 million RINs based on the claim.  However, according to the indictment, Green Diesel did not actually produce any biodiesel at its facility.  The defendant allegedly made millions of dollars selling the fraudulent RINs.

This type of fraudulent activity undermines the policy goal of RINs – to ensure a certain level of renewable fuel in U.S. gasoline – by damaging the market for valid RINs and ultimately reducing the actual volume of biofuels in circulation.

According to a spokesman for a biodiesel trade group quoted in this StarTribune article, the RIN scam has hurt the biofuels industry by making obligated parties more wary of purchasing the credits from biodiesel producers.

The fraud and resulting damage are recognizable when we view the putative RIN purchasers as green consumers, albeit commercial consumers instead of individuals, falling victim to false representations about the validity of renewable energy-based financial products.

In apparent recognition of the damage caused by fraudulent RINs, Biofuels Digest reported that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently finalized additional regulations to ensure oversight of RIN generation and improve the RIN market.



July 24, 2014 0 comment
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Does Biodiesel Suffer From Ethanol’s Bad Rap?

written by Walter Wang

Biodiesel and ethanol both fall under the category of “biofuels,” which describes any fuel synthesized from plant or animal matter. But that’s pretty much where the similarities end.

Biodiesel offers a significantly improved environmental impact compared to both ethanol and

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November 18, 2013 0 comment
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Another Neste Biodiesel Patent Suit is Stayed Pending Reexam

written by Walter Wang

Previous posts (e.g., here and here) have discussed Neste Oil’s patent infringement suits against competitor Dynamic Fuels involving biodiesel fuels and production processes.

Dynamic Fuels is a joint venture of Syntroleum and Tyson Foods that operates refineries capable of

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July 31, 2013 0 comment
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Scientists Find Compounds That Boost Oil Output of Algae

written by Walter Wang

Algae biofuel is an alternative to fossil fuel that uses algae as its source. Several companies and government agencies are funding efforts to reduce capital and operating costs and make algae fuel production commercially viable. Taking an approach similar to that used for discovering new therapeutic drugs, chemists at the University of California, Davis, have

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April 9, 2013 0 comment
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Biofuels Viability

written by Walter Wang

What is green? What is a viable economic alternative? What is reasonable and will do more bad than good? Welcome to Biofuels. Two scientists are challenging the currently accepted norms of biofuel production. A commentary published today in GCB Bioenergy reveals that calculations of greenhouse gas (GHGs)

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June 11, 2012 0 comment
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Lack of Profitability Drives U.S. Company Out of Biofuels Business

written by Yale Environment 360

A U.S.-based company that used genetic engineering to develop a technology to convert sugar into biofuel has announced that it will stop producing the fuel, at least temporarily, because the process simply isn’t profitable.

Amyris, a San Francisco firm that also produces

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May 11, 2012 0 comment
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Biodiesel Saw Record Production in the U.S. in 2011

written by Walter Wang

According to fresh data released by the Environmental Protection Agency, a record 1.1 billion gallons were produced in 2011, a milestone for the biodiesel industry in the U.S. The target required by the agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was 800 million gallons.

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January 31, 2012 0 comment
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U.S. Biofuel Production Increase – Fact or Wishful Thinking?

written by Walter Wang

A recent study, released on 11 October, “Biofuel and Technologies” released by Pike Research states that the global biofuel market will double within the next decade to $183.3 billion from its current level of $82.7 billion, with ethanol production accounting for $78 billion of future worldwide biofuel production, while predicting that biodiesel production will reach $25.5 billion. Perhaps not surprisingly, Pike Research predicts that the US will become the world’s leading biofuel producer, accounting for 71 percent of alternative fuel by 2021.

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October 26, 2011 1 comment
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European Union Biodiesel Production Slumps in 2011

written by Walter Wang

Greening the European Union has suffered a setback.

The European Biodiesel Board is reporting that the European Union biodiesel industry production forecasts are noting a 2011 decrease in output, the first since data has been gathered, down from 2010 figures of 9.57 million tons.

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October 24, 2011 1 comment
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China is Interested in Biofuels – Why Not the West?

written by Walter Wang

Biofuels remain the orphan child of western energy interests – like adopting children, everyone agrees that it’s a good idea, but not many want an alien rugrat in the house.

Now China, arguably the world’s most influential and dynamic economy, is beginning to eye renewables as

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September 14, 2011 0 comment
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Top Ten Cleantech Highlights of Cargill

written by Walter Wang

Cargill is an American private multinational corporation that is involved in a number of businesses, including agricultural commodities, sale and manufacturing of feed and livestock, food ingredient production such as glucose syrup, starch, and vegetable oils and fats used in processed food

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September 13, 2011 0 comment
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Freedom Urges the Public To Say No To Fossil Fuels

written by Walter Wang

A new advocacy film called Freedom wants Americans to wean themselves off oil and embrace alternatives to fossil fuels, which it says is killing us.

Freedom adopts an unabashedly patriotic approach to sustainability advocacy. The trailer includes shots of graveyards where soldiers who’ve died in oil wars

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August 31, 2011 0 comment
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China and Biofuels – Stir-Fry or Fly?

written by Walter Wang

China’s omnivorous global appetite for energy resources is well known.

While biofuel production is one of the rising energy stars of the 21st century, it is unlikely to become a significant source for China in the near future, as the country’s arable land is devoted first and foremost to feeding the country’s

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August 30, 2011 0 comment
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Zimbabwe’s Biodiesel Industry in Trouble

written by Walter Wang

Biofuels have been heavily promoted in the hydrocarbon-poor third world as both a fuel source and a valuable earner of foreign currency.

Now however, The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is seeking to sell is 50 percent holding of Transload (Pvt) Limited, a biodiesel fuel manufacturing joint

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June 16, 2011 1 comment
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