EPA issued a proposed rule on 1 March to provide a waiver of the Clean Air Act that would permit E15 use, through the summer months, in eight Midwestern states. However, the proposed EPA rule – if finalized - wouldn’t take effect until 2024, and thus won’t apply to the summer of 2023. The intention of the rule was well received, but missing the deadline is a major disappointment to the ethanol and corn sectors. That timeline actually sets E15 back; in April of 2022 the Biden EPA issued a one-year emergency waiver to allow year-round E15 in part to reduce retail gasoline prices. That waiver was in response to supply chain disruptions, the war in Ukraine and other factors leading to higher fuel prices at the pump. Aga...
Infrastructure investment due diligence
On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.
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...