The real flaw in the Clean Air Act's Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is mandating particular volumes of fuel use each year rather than specifying a share of the total fuel market. RFS Clouds Under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in the Clean Air Act, U.S. EPA gains substantially more flexibility to set future biofuel use levels if it has waived at least 20 percent of the statutory use level for two years in a row by 2016. Congress wrote this "off ramp" out of recognition that technology and the market might not be able to achieve the lofty political goals it originally set. Not coincidentally, the EPA has proposed cutting the RFS by 20.5 percent in 2015 and 21.8 percent in 2016. The ethanol industry sees this as both intentional and...
What You Need to Know Today: A third U.S. border crossing (Columbus, New Mexico) has reopened to Mexican cattle imports following nearly two years of restrictions related to New World screwworm. The reopening could gradually improve feeder cattle availability, although more than 60 confi...
Yesterday, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) released a new report of negotiated cash purchases of cattle under the mandatory price report. The report included Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas. The goal of the report was to solve the confidentiality issues e...
Key Takeaways: U.S. soybean crushing began in 1911 and saw its most rapid expansion during the 1930s amid the broader agricultural and technology revolutions of the time. After peaking in the early 2000s, the soybean crushing industry went through a downturn as poor crush margins forced...
From WPI Consulting
Weighing in on strategic realignment
WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.