September 13, 2022
BY Erin Voegele
The White House hosted an event Sept. 13 to celebrate the Inflation Reduction Act. The expansive legislative package, signed by President Joe Biden on Aug. 16, includes new tax credits for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), clean transportation fuels and hydrogen. It also expands and extends the 45Q tax credit for carbon capture and storage, includes $500 million in biofuel infrastructure funding, and extends several existing biofuel and bioenergy tax credits.
During his speech, President Joe Biden said the IRA takes the most aggressive action ever to confront the climate crisis and increase our energy security. He also highlighted how the new law will create new clean energy jobs and apprenticeships while lowering energy costs for American families.
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One day prior to the event, on Sept. 12, Biden issued an executive order on the implementation of the energy and infrastructure provisions of the IRA. The executive order, in part, establishes a new White House Office on Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation within the Executive Office of the President. The new office will coordinate the policymaking process with respect to implementing the energy and infrastructure provisions of the IRA and other essential initiatives, according to the White House.
The new office will be headed by the senior advisor for clean energy innovation and implementation. Biden on Sept. 2 appointed John Podesta to serve as senior advisor to the president for clean energy innovation and implementation. Podesta is the founder and chair of the board of directors for the Center for American Progress. He also chairs the board of ClimateWorks Foundation and serves on the board of the Climate Jobs National Resource Center.
The Sept. 12 executive order also establishes a National Climate Task Force to help foster interagency coordination. The task force will be chaired by the senior advisor for clean energy innovation and implementation. The national climate advisor will serve as vice chair. The task force will have more than two dozen members, including the secretary of agriculture, the secretary of energy, and the EPA administrator.
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Reps. Mike Carey, R-Ohio, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, on May 1 introduced legislation that aims to retroactively extend the biodiesel blenders tax credit (BTC) and the second-generation biofuel producer tax credit.
Canada-based Imperial Oil Ltd. on May 2 confirmed that construction on the renewable diesel facility at its Strathcona refinery near Edmonton, Alberta, will be complete during Q2. The project is expected to begin operations in mid-2025.
A new study commissioned by Clean Fuels Alliance America shows the U.S. biomass-based diesel industry generated $42.4 billion in economic activity in 2024, supported 107,400 jobs and paid $6 billion in annual wages.
A broad coalition representing more than 350 trucking fleets, shippers, and supporters of freight movement is urging Congress to extend the biodiesel blenders’ tax credit to lower supply chain costs and protect consumers from inflationary pressures.
BWC Terminals on April 22 celebrated the official completion of its expanded renewable fuels terminal at the Port of Stockton. The facility is designed to safely and efficiently transfer renewable diesel and biodiesel from marine vessels.