E2 Round-up: EPA's gift to farmers, new biofuels in short supply, latest on Climategate

Farmers should send a thank you note to the EPA, according to the Washington Post. The paper’s Steven Mufson considers the agency’s ruling on biofuels announced yesterday (here’s Ben’s story on the decision) to be a “big boost” to corn growers.

Not so much for oil refiners, according to this account in the Dallas Morning News.

Noting that back in May EPA found some types of corn ethanol actually had a higher carbon footprint than gasoline, the paper reports the agency reversal announced Wednesday is “sure to disappoint Texas-based refiners and their allies in Congress, who already complain that Washington has embraced renewable fuels at the expense of the oil industry.”

The EPA rules implement a renewable fuels production mandate in a 2007 energy law.

The legislation also required more use of “next-generation” biofuels like ethanol that comes non-edible feedstock. This year 100 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol was to be produced. But this report in the Wall Street Journal says EPA expects the biofuel industry to fall well short of that goal.

The Journal also has a short piece relating to Climategate. An initial inquiry by Penn State University clears one scientist of misconduct. But a formal investigation is ongoing.