Cruz stated that the RFS itself, specifically the EPA-issued Required Volume Obligations (RVOs), limited the use of corn ethanol compared with the statutory volumes provided by the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act.. What his victory means in the near term, though, is uncertain.Yesterday Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) accomplished what conventional political wisdom in Washington, DC held couldn’t be done: he won the Iowa caucus despite proposing the dismantling of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) within five years. The question is, how did he do it? Cruz won 28 percent of the vote, while Donald Trump was in second with 24 percent vote and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) in third with 23 percent. Rounding out the top five were Dr. Ben C...
What You Need to Know Today: Russia rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, including a proposal to halt attacks on civilian shipping that could help restore grain flows from Ukrainian ports. Tyson Foods announced plans to permanently close its Joslin, Illinois, beef processing facili...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday. In July, the CPI rose 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.4 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy, or the “core” infla...
Illuminating the value of technical research
On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.