Department of Energy

Hours after being sworn in as the new U.S. secretary of transportation, Sean Duffy took aim at the way the government regulates miles per gallon for cars and trucks — a principal way it regulates air pollution and climate change.

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates more than 10 million acres will be converted to solar energy by 2050, and the American Farmland Trust projects over 80% could be sited on agricultural lands.

The Department of Treasury released guidance on its sustainable aviation fuel credit program that allows corn and soybeans to qualify as feedstocks for SAF with stipulations.

The announcement of guidance on eligibility for the sustainable aviation fuel tax credit was met with both concern and optimism.

Local, state and international representatives marked the grand opening of the North American Insect Innovation Center pilot facility.

Corn growers are positioned to meet the needs of the sustainable aviation fuel industry, but hurdles remain.

The Illinois Soybean Association announced the opening of its Soy Innovation Center aimed to support and catalyze the state of Illinois’ goal to be a national leader in sustainable technology and innovation.

Farm, aviation and biofuel groups voiced support for a science-based approach to measure greenhouse gas emission reductions in Sustainable Aviation Fuel.

The U.S. Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service released guidance on the Sustainable Aviation Fuel tax credit.

A strong crush demand market, tight supplies and continued demand from China gives soybeans a bullish potential that could be tempered by a large South American crop.

Sixteen of the nation’s top corn grower leaders sent a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen encouraging her to adopt an emissions model developed by the Department of Energy.

Several factors are impacting agricultural land ownership in the United States, including the transfer of farmland to the next generation.

The first half of 2023 has come to end and it was bullish for the stock market, and though commodities, per se, remain stuck in a trading range that goes back a year, there were some historic events that did unfold with hard assets.

Electric vehicle maker Rivian said it will follow General Motors and Ford and join Tesla’s charging network next year.

American Farmland Trust noted its support for the introduction of the bipartisan Agrivoltaics Research and Demonstration Act of 2023.

Western Illinois University’s School of Agriculture will host its fourth annual Pennycress Field Day on May 25 at the Agriculture Field Laboratory.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a last-minute emergency waiver to allow E15 gasoline to be sold nationwide this summer. This was the fourth straight year the waiver was implemented.

With the “unrealistic belief” that electric vehicles will overtake gasoline vehicles in a few years, a researcher said ethanol can play a key parallel role in curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released its work plan for allocating funds provided in the fiscal year 2023 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill.

Just blocks from Midway Airport and a few miles from O’Hare International Airport, ag economist Dan Basse, asked the question: “How many of you want to fly in a battery-powered airplane?”

Purdue University’s Elin Jacobs has received a three-year, $911,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to explore how tree roots help redistribute water in the soil.

Stephanie Terrell bought a used Nissan Leaf this fall and was excited to join the wave of drivers adopting electric vehicles to save on gas money and reduce her carbon footprint. But Terrell quickly encountered a bump in the road on her journey to clean driving.

Marc Franke usually charges his 2013 Nissan Leaf — the first globally mass-produced fully electric vehicle — in his garage in Ely.

Field trials of a new cover crop, CoverCress, are in its third year at the Illinois State University Farm and multiple benefits are being realized as intended.

A restriction on the use of E15 gasoline this summer was lifted by the Biden administration. President Joe Biden announced during a visit to the POET Bioprocessing facility in Menlo, Iowa, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will issue a national emergency waiver.

A three-year, $2.5 million Illinois Sustainable Technology Center engineering-scale project will be one of the first and largest to combine carbon dioxide from a coal-fired power plant with nutrients from wastewater treatment plants to cultivate algae for animal feeds.

The future of biofuels is a complicated topic. “I’m very confident biofuels will play an important role in our global energy future, but I expect it to be a bumpy ride,” said Scott Irwin, Laurence J. Norton Chair of Agricultural Marketing in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois.