Articles in Policy
by Lisa Gibson (Biomass Magazine) Ten years after NREL’s Aquatic Species Program was shut down, a similar initiative began and now is thriving in its algae research, which includes the evaluation of CO2 recycling.
Between 1978 and 1996, …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the USDA adopted a bond mechanism into its Business & Industry Loan Guarantee Program to mirror what the DOE already had done in each of its Section 1703 and …
By Patricia Monahan (Capitol Weekly) This year we’ve had no shortage of examples of why we need to move away from fossil fuels, from the oil disaster in the Gulf and continued dependence on Middle Eastern …
Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) …The push against approving E15 has heated up in recent weeks. The U.S. EPA delayed the E15 decision until sometime this fall and industry groups on both sides of the …
by George Sterzinger (Renewable Energy Policy Project/Dissent Magazine) …Advanced biofuels in particular have the potential to change the coastal economies for the better. In 2005 and in 2007 Congress committed to providing 20 percent of transportation …
by Charles Winokoor (Tauton Daily Gazette) …Taunton Mayor Charles Crowley has said that EOEA officials consider the process by which such a facility operates in violation of DEP’s 20-year-old moratorium on new facilities that incinerate …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …We see the battle over rural development flashing at other points around the globe, but nowhere so starkly do we have a choice between the War on Poverty and the War …
by Jim DiPeso (The Daily Green) The hidden health threat (and $100 billion annual cost) in the gasoline we pump into our cars.
…China supplanted the U.S. as the biggest energy consuming country in the world. …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Australia, a federal election last week which resulted in a hung parliament may find that the choice of government depends on biofuels policy. According to Digest sources and local …
(Jalopnik) One of the draft window stickers released today will give buyers of 2012 models efficiency data for gas and electric vehicles. U.S. regulators want you to decide: How do you like letter grades? UPDATE: …
(Friends of the Earth International) The African continent is increasingly being seen as a source of agricultural land and natural resources for the rest of the world. National governments and private companies are obtaining access …
(Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels) Adopts ambitious target of 50% improvement for biofuel blends over fossil fuels
The RSB is pleased to announce the approval of the RSB greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting methodology and establishment of a GHG …
(Algal Industry Magazine) The Technical Standards Committee of the Algal Biomass Organization (ABO) is currently in late stage review of its Algal Industry Minimum Descriptive Language Document, recommended for characterizing the economic and environmental inputs and …
by Nidhi Subbaraman (MIT Technology Review) …The company announced plans to build one of the first commercial-scale cellulosic-ethanol plants, in Kinross, MI; it would be able to produce 80 million gallons per year.
But as of the …
by Sasha Lyutse (Natural Resources Defense Council) …
As a result, the VEETC has not only concentrated the ethanol industry in just a handful of states, but siphoned scarce resources away from more competitive biofuel technologies …
by Gary Truitt (Hoosier Ag Today) A variable subsidy for ethanol producers could cost the government less and provide more security for producers than current fixed rates, according to a Purdue University study. A variable …
(Lansing State Journal) …A quick response from Tom’s major concern is that, yes, there is a major energy gain in producing corn-grain based ethanol, even though the energy content (BTUs) in pure ethanol (E-100) is only …
by Richard Allison (Farmers Weekly Interactive) Nearly 15,000ha of sugar beet being grown this season in Germany is destined for biogas production, equivalent to about one-tenth of the total area in the UK given over to …
by Stephanie Dreyer (Growth Energy/RenewableEnergyWorld.com) Ethanol has been the Oil Industry’s favorite target for years. Big Oil has argued that the ethanol industry can’t compete with gasoline without taxpayer support. Ironically, a recent study by …
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) …In a note at CO2science.org, a trio of authors contend: “There simply is not enough freshwater on the face of the earth to make the production of biofuels a viable …
by Chuck Woodside (Journal Star) In a recent speech about energy, President Barack Obama said: “If we refuse to take into account the full costs of our fossil fuel addiction — if we don’t factor in …
(People’s Daily Online) Agricultural experts said Saturday it was too early for China to adopt corn-based ethanol fuel to feed automobiles, given the expensive production costs and the country’s large population.
Li Xinhua, a professor at …
by Thompson Ayodele (Initiative for Public Policy Analysis) Forward by Dr. Matthew O. Eshalomi: Growth and prosperity of an economy are central to the longterm reduction in poverty for both economic and environmental sustainability. Palm oil …
by Yans Felippe Geckler (IPS News) Brazil has begun a counterattack on the European Union’s measures for certifying crop-based fuels, which could lead to import barriers for this energy source coming from the South American …
Whether you are a biodiesel producer, feedstock supplier, technology provider or regulator, you need to participate in this unique forum. Make your voice heard in an open dialogue roundtable which will feature participants from industry, regulators, …
(Algae Industry Magazine) An article by Rene H. Wijffels and Maria J. Barbosa, of Wageningen University in the Netherlands, published in the current edition of Science Journal, details the challenges and opportunities of algal biofuel …
Palm oil is proven as the most efficient crop and the world’s most traded agricultural commodity with its uses ranging from food, industrial, personal care products to energy. It now contributes over US$ 10 billion …
by Sandra Hansen (Star-Herald) According to the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, the current crop of Roundup Ready sugar beets may be harvested and processed. Judge Jeffrey White on Friday, Aug. 13, denied …
(Ag Professional) …Concerns about net energy and greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to its effect on food and feed pricing are driving researchers at the Energy Biosciences Institute at the University of Illinois and at …
by Bob Thaxton (The Gazette-Enterprise) Hank Gilbert, the Democrats’ nominee for Texas agriculture commissioner, discussed his proposed biofuels policy here Thursday during the next-to-last stop on a 13-city tour around the state.
…“Texas has the potential …
(PRNewsWire) METRO Terminals, which is currently building one of the country’s largest biodiesel processing facilities adjacent to its biofuels and petroleum terminal in Brooklyn, expressed great excitement after Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed Intro 194-A into law …
By Chanda Beckman & Kirsten Rasmussen (USDA Foreign Agriculture Information Service) On May 27, 2010, China’s National Energy Administration (NEA), the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture hosted the fist Sino-U.S. …
edited by Reid Lifset (Journal of Industrial Ecology) Includes Corn Ethanol Articles Related to Debate over Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Corn-Ethanol
The Journal of Industrial Ecology is pleased to make the following articles on the greenhouse gas …
by Joe Irvin (Capitol Weekly) This week, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) convened a group of experts to discuss issues related to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) that was approved last year. The …
by Dan Piller (Des Moines Register) Francis Thicke of Fairfield, the Democratic candidate for Iowa agriculture secretary, used his State Fair Soapbox speech Wednesday to call for a “new vision” for Iowa agriculture based on …
by Todd Woody (New York Times)
Want to stimulate demand for renewable energy? Send in the Marines.
That was Navy Secretary Ray Mabus’s message when he outlined plans to slash the Navy and Marine Corps’ dependence on …
by Laura Oleniacz (ENC Today) The commanding general in charge of many of the Marines Corps’ installations on the East Coast said that locally produced biofuels could help the Marines meet the “considerable” renewable energy goals …
by Elton Robinson (Southeast Farm Press) …It’s not what President Barack Obama has been saying in recent speeches that worried several market analysts speaking at the Brock Decision 2010 Seminar in Memphis. It’s what he …
by Robert Rapier (Consumer Energy Report/R Squared Energy Blog) …Reader Paul Nash came up with a specific plan…
Specific Recommendations
Scrap the VEETC (since there is a mandate already and it expires at the end of 2010).
Maintain …
by Katie Allen (The Guardian) It is not too late for equitable partnerships to flourish between foreign investors and local communities
…Sadly for anyone who happens to live on that farmland there are countless examples of …
by Tom Richard (Pennsylvania State University/Science) Rapid growth in demand for lignocellulosic bioenergy will require major changes in supply chain infrastructure. Even with densification and preprocessing, transport volumes by mid-century are likely to exceed the …
by David Fridley (Post Carbon Institute) excerpt: Unlike conventional fossil fuels, where nature provided energy over millions of years to convert biomass into energy-dense solids, liquids, and gases–requiring only extraction and transportation technolgy for us …
by Martin Junginger, Jinke van Dam, Simonetta Zarrilli, Fatin Ali Mohamed, Didier Marchal, and Andre Faaij (IEA Bioenergy) Task 40 under the IEA Bioenergy Agreement entitled: ‘Sustainable International Bioenergy trade; securing supply and demand’, started in 2004 and …
(EurekAlert) When it comes to selecting the right plant source for future cellulosic biofuel production, the solution won’t be one-size-fits-all, and it certainly doesn’t have to involve food and feed crops.
In a “Perspective” article in the …
by John D. Graham (Lexington Herald-Leader/McClatchy-Tribune) Editorial …Due to large swings in oil prices, which are partly manipulated by OPEC, a domestic ethanol industry wouldn’t survive without government support. Countries with strong ethanol industries such as …
by Jj Valesquez (Victoria Advocate) …Hank Gilbert spoke on the steps of the Victoria County Courthouse, his cowboy hat shading him from the 95-degree heat, about his plan to make Texas a major biofuels producer.
“What …
(People’s Daily) China’s industrial experts are advising the government to halt projects making ethanol bio-fuel with corn, as the projects are pushing up corn prices and sparking food security concerns.
Zhao Youshan, director of the Commercial …
byGen. Wesley K. Clark (Ret.) (New York Times) Letter to Editor: …The consequences include not only huge environmental risks, but a $300 billion-a-year drain from our economy to pay for imported petroleum.
Growth Energy’s Fueling Freedom …
(US Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy today announced the members of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB). Eliminated during the last administration, SEAB is being reestablished under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. …
By Audrey McAvoy (AP) The federal government has turned to a 130-year-old Hawaii sugar grower for help in powering the Navy and weaning the nation off a heavy reliance on fossil fuels.
It will spend at least …


