On 7 December, EPA announced its proposed required volume obligations (RVO) rules which gained much attention. What gained less attention was the regulatory agenda related to renewable fuels that it also announced in December. The 2023 RVO’s, proposed this spring, will be the first not under the current statutory process under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). EPA will propose new 2023 RVOs under a new regulatory procedure. As EPA’s agenda notes: The statutory provisions in the Clean Air Act governing the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program provide target volumes of renewable fuel for the RFS program only through 2022. For years 2023 and thereafter, EPA must set those volumes based on an analysis of factors spec...
Forecasting developments in production agriculture
On behalf of a private U.S. agricultural technology provider, WPI’s team generated an econometric model to forecast the movement of concentrated corn production north and west from the traditional U.S. Corn Belt. WPI’s model has subsequently provided quantitative support to a multi-million-dollar investment into short-season corn variety development. WPI’s methodology included a series of interviews with regional grain elevators and seed consultants. Emphasizing outreach and communication with stakeholders who possess intimate sectoral knowledge – on-the-ground insights – is a regular component of WPI’s methodologies, made possible by WPI’s ever-growing network of industry contacts.
Key Market Insights The broad market is locked in on this week’s Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing, but this is no longer just a trade summit. Increasingly, the meeting is becoming tied directly to Iran, energy security, and the growing global economic fallout from disruptions through the Strai...