SUMMARY: Hear from legal experts at the ACLU of Maine, U.S. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein (Ret.), and former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance.
(EWG) - Washington - 2/4/2013 - A U.S. Appeals Court decision to throw out the 2012 federal mandate requiring refiners to blend cellulosic ethanol into the domestic gasoline supply should be wake-up call to Congress that the nation’s biofuels policy is in sore need of reform, said Environmental Working Group Vice President for Government Affairs Scott Faber.
The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. sided on Friday with gasoline refiners who argued that requirements for using cellulosic ethanol under the Renewable Fuel Standard were based on unrealistic production forecasts by the Environmental Protection Agency.
“The ethanol mandate has been a disaster for most farmers, consumers, taxpayers and the environment. The court's decision to strike down large parts of the mandate creates a rare opportunity to reform the mandate to help consumers and the environment and to pave the way for truly sustainable biofuels. Now is the time to reform the ethanol mandate to reduce the amount of food and feed being diverted to fuel and to create a level playing field for promising new fuels that don't pit our energy needs against our food and environmental needs," Faber said.
Summary: The Southern Poverty Law Center has been indicted on 11 federal counts, including wire fraud, false statements to a bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering. The DOJ alleges that, “unbeknownst to donors,” SPLC used more than $3 million in donor funds to pay informants embedded in extremist groups, routed those payments through fictitious entities, and made false statements to banks to keep the system running.
