September 18, 2014
BY ePURE
Brussels—The European renewable ethanol association, ePURE, has appointed Robert Wright as its new secretary general. Wright will take up the position immediately.
Wright brings a wealth of experience to the role, including over 20 years working in European Union public policy and public affairs having worked for the EU Commission and in the energy and high technology sectors.
“I am delighted to be joining ePURE and to take up the challenge of representing Europe’s ethanol sector,” he said. “This industry is central to building a biobased economy in Europe in terms of addressing energy security in transport, producing much-needed domestic animal feed, and contributing to rural development. Ethanol produced in Europe is amongst the most sustainable products in the world but I am aware that challenging times lie ahead, and the industry must work hard to ensure that ethanol has a future role to play as a transport fuel.”
Advertisement
Advertisement
His predecessor, Rob Vierhout officially stepped down from the position at the end of his four terms on Sept. 17.
“Being the secretary general of ePURE has been an extraordinary privilege,” Vierhout said. “I am proud of what this industry has achieved over the past four years since the inception of ePURE and I wish it, and my successor, continued success in the future. The association began with 11 members, now we have 58 members which shows that ePURE has become a credible player in the global ethanol market.”
Advertisement
Advertisement
The U.S. exported 31,160.5 metric tons of biodiesel and biodiesel blends of B30 and greater in May, according to data released by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service on July 3. Biodiesel imports were 2,226.2 metric tons for the month.
CARB on June 27 announced amendments to the state’s LCFS regulations will take effect beginning on July 1. The amended regulations were approved by the agency in November 2024, but implementation was delayed due to regulatory clarity issues.
Legislation introduced in the California Senate on June 23 aims to cap the price of Low Carbon Fuel Standard credits as part of a larger effort to overhaul the state’s fuel regulations and mitigate rising gas prices.
The government of Brazil on June 25 announced it will increase the mandatory blend of ethanol in gasoline from 27% to 30% and the mandatory blend of biodiesel in diesel from 14% to 15%, effective Aug. 1.
The U.S. EIA reduced its 2025 and 2026 production forecasts for a category of biofuels that includes SAF in its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, released June 10. The forecast for 2025 renewable diesel production was also revised down.