September 13, 2022
BY Erin Krueger
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.
Advertisement
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
Advertisement
The U.S. EPA on July 8 hosted virtual public hearing to gather input on the agency’s recently released proposed rule to set 2026 and 2027 RFS RVOs. Members of the biofuel industry were among those to offer testimony during the event.
The USDA’s Risk Management Agency is implementing multiple changes to the Camelina pilot insurance program for the 2026 and succeeding crop years. The changes will expand coverage options and provide greater flexibility for producers.
EcoCeres Inc. has signed a multi-year agreement to supply British Airways with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The fuel will be produced from 100% waste-based biomass feedstock, such as used cooking oil (UCO).
President Trump on July 4 signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” The legislation extends and updates the 45Z credit and revives a tax credit benefiting small biodiesel producers but repeals several other bioenergy-related tax incentives.
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.