Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing Holds Second Meeting
13 July 2010:The High-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing, co-chaired by Prime Ministers Meles Zenawi (Ethiopia) and Jens Stoltenberg (Norway), held its
The Internal Revenue Service may have handed U.S. pulp and paper companies a multibillion-dollar gift by ruling that black liquor produced in 2009 is eligible for an even more lucrative tax credit than the one claimed by manufacturers last year.
The June 28 ruling contradicts previous guidance from the Environmental Protection Agency that the molasses-like pulp byproduct could not qualify for Cellulosic Biofuel Producer Credits (CBPC) because it is not a motor-vehicle fuel or fuel additive. The new IRS ruling does not allow the same black liquor to receive both the original black liquor credits ("alternative fuel mixture") and CBPCs, the so-called Son of Black Liquor tax credits.
The exact impact of the ruling is unclear, but in theory it is be worth more than $10 billion to U.S. companies.
Publicly traded U.S. companies received more than $6.5 billion in black liquor tax credits last year by exploiting a loophole in legislation designed to subsidize "green" fuels. Privately held companies probably qualified for at least another $2 billion.
Pressure Mounts on USGBC to Open LEED to SFI, Other Credible Standards
WASHINGTON, July 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a letter steered by Congressmen Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) to the U.S. Green Building Council, 79 members of the U.S.
Domtar and FPInnovations join forces to develop innovative fiber-based nanotechnologies
omtar Corporation and FPInnovations today announced that they have formed a new joint venture company to build the world's first one metric ton per day commercial-scale nanocrystalline cellulose demonstration plant at the Domtar Windsor, Quebec pulp and paper mill site. Construction will begin in the coming weeks and will take approximately 20 months to be completed.
October 2015: The Guardian simply ignores knowledge related to illegal logging and deforestation and furthermore isn't addressing the core problem of the EU FLEGT/EUTR/VPA initiative. Seems the just ongoing evaluation of the FLEGT/VPA/EUTR initiative will also not address the core problem and will just address the mismanagement of the process. There is still no political will to end this disingenuous campaign...
Sappi combines Southern African paper and packaging businesses
JSE-listed Sappi announced on Thursday that its Southern African unit would consolidate its paper and paper packaging businesses to strengthen its ability to meet customer requirements and to develop new business opportunities.
Sappi Fine Paper South Africa and Sappi Kraft would merge to become Sappi Paper and Paper Packaging South Africa, with Sappi Southern Africa CEO Jan Labuschagne to assume direct responsibility for this new division.
The Governments of Japan and Papua Guinea chose the week of the football World Cup finals to kick an easily avoidable own goal in the international process designed to tackle deforestation.
Forest protection fund to be set up by month end, Norway to deliver first tranche
The fund into which Norway is to funnel forest protection money is to be set up by the end of this month after which Oslo will deliver its first tranche of US$30M.