by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Just two months after launching its latest blender pump grant program, South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard announced that the governor’s office of economic development (GOED) has already received applications …

by Courtney Collen (KSFY.com)  …One Sioux Falls dealership says people are not spending on just any car – they’re in the market for Flex-Fuel Vehicles in order to save money.
Flex-Fuel Vehicles run on regular gasoline …

by Leslie Brooks Suzukamo  (TwinCities.com/Pioneer Press)  Cellulosic ethanol – ethanol made from nonfood crops – has been an alluring but elusive promise. That promise might finally be taking solid form.
Today, ethanol powerhouse Poet will officially break …

by Andrew Herndon  (Bloomberg)  Gevo Inc. (GEVO), the U.S. biotechnology company backed by oil refiner Total SA (FP) and specialty chemicals maker Lanxess AG (LXS), rose the most in two weeks after saying it expects to begin shipments in July, …

by Dirk Lammers (NewsOK)  A South Dakota corn ethanol plant will soon begin producing a fuel additive with a wider variety of uses.
Tom Hitchcock, chief executive of Redfield Energy, said the 50 million gallon-per-year plant is teaming …

by Ted Turner (CNN)  …The purpose of Keystone XL is to bring tar sands crude oil through the United States to Gulf Coast refineries. The route through the United States is actually the oil industry’s …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The application window for South Dakota’s inaugural blender pump grant program may have just opened on Jan. 9, but it already appears that the incentive will be a success. …

by Steve Tarter  (The State-Journal Register)  More U.S. ethanol was shipped overseas in 2011 than any year in history.
The Washington, D.C.-based Renewable Fuels Association reported that 1.1 billion gallons of ethanol — worth about $2.5 …

by Barry Amundson  (Tri-State Neighbor)  Gregg Carlson doesn’t like to hear the negative comments about ethanol.
The SDSU Extension farm precision agronomist has been telling farmers at crop expos this winter and others he talks with that …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Two titans form a monster JV, starting out with a $250M investment.
…In Iowa, Poet has teamed with Dutch-based Royal DSM to create a 50/50 joint venture called Poet-DSM Advanced Biofuels that will …

by Doug Sombke (Rapid CityJournal/South Dakota Farmers Union)  …What the ethanol industry needs now is investment in improved infrastructure to get ethanol closer to being equal in the marketplace with regular gasoline.
For decades, big oil …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)   The USDA announced the final round of fiscal year 2011 Renewable Energy for America Program awards on Dec. 14. The awards included grants for 12 blender pump projects …

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Despite the promise of methane from anaerobic digestion technology, low natural gas rates and other factors have kept ethanol producers from jumping in with both feet.
…On top of the …

by Cody Winchester and Megan Luther  (Argus Leader)  Industry tops in state for toxic emissions
…For the past five years in South Dakota, ethanol plants have been the leading emitters of carcinogens — toxins thought or known …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today (December 14, 2011) announced loans and grants for agricultural producers and rural small businesses across the country to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in …

by Ann Marie Edwards (DomesticFuel.com)  South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard says $950,000 in grants will be made available through the Governor’s Office of Economic Development to help pay for the installation of blender pumps and associated infrastructure …

by Philip Brasher (Argus Leader)  … A top official with the Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates motor fuels, told lawmakers recently butanol is one of the nation’s “most promising biofuels.” However, the product faces potential government …

by Erin Voegele (Biorefining Magazine)  Single cell photosynthetic organisms, such as blue-green algae, could play an important role in the future of our nation’s space program. Not only could they be used to supply valuable …

by Jim Sturdevant (POET)  POET indicates that bioenergy provides a boost to rural economies and creates/saves jobs today. It mitigates costs of imported oil; consequently, the majority of jobs would not be outsourced. Bioenergy reduces …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today (September 27, 2011) announced that USDA will make payments to more than 160 energy producers in 41 states to support and ensure the production and expansion …

(POET)  POET closes on loan to keep construction on pace for 2013 plant start-up
POET today (September 23, 2011)  received final approval for a $105 million loan guarantee issued through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan …

by Jim Efstathiou Jr. (Bloomberg)  The Obama administration, defying congressional Republicans after the failure of solar-panel maker Solyndra LLC, is working to award as much as $9.2 billion in government financing to renewable energy companies …

(POET)  POET Biorefining — Mitchell to cut even more water use
Mitchell is layering another level of water recycling on top of its current system with a new process to use storm water from nearby retention …

by Alan Van Ormer (Prairie Business Magazine)  Many industry leaders support a biofuels policy, but also believe that more things can be done to help address any deficiencies in a national policy.
Hunter Roberts, State Energy …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Poet LLC is venturing into the realm of energy grasses with a newly launched collaborative effort to establish native grasses on degraded lands in areas surrounding its 100 MMgy …

by Ross Dolan (The Daily Republic)  The nation’s agricultural economy is sound but many rural communities are not reaping the benefits, said Dallas Tonsager, undersecretary for rural development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The USDA’s Aug. 17 announcement of 900 Rural Energy for America Program grants included just 21 awards for blender pumps. USDA officials promise, however, that more funding is on …

by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com)  The Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory is looking for the best biofuels crops to grow in the northeast Illinois Indian Creek Watershed.
During a recent field tour of the watershed sponsored by …

by Chuck (DomesticFuel.com)  The owner of the Buffalo Chip Campground is Rod “Woody” Woodruff, seen here at a press conference during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The focus of the concerts and events is The Chip as …

by Anna Jauhola  (The Daily Republic)  In a continuing effort to operate as green as possible, Poet Biorefining is the first ethanol plant in the state to apply to use storm water in the facility …

(NewsWise/South Dakota State University)   Humans may move one step closer to colonizing space thanks to a new research project that NASA is funding at South Dakota State University, the South Dakota School of Mines and …

(South Dakota State University)  The Sun Grant BioWeb, an online resource that makes information available about bioenergy and other plant-based products from biomass, is reaching out to K-12 teachers who will teach the next generation …

by Lance Nixon (Renewable Energy World)  Those pyrolysis plants would pass that crude “bio-oil” on to refineries elsewhere to be made into drop-in fuels and industrial chemicals; they would capture and use for their own …

(Office of Senator Amy Klobuchar)  Agreement would put savings toward deficit reduction, infrastructure
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), John Thune (R-SD), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) today announced that a bipartisan agreement has been reached that allows …

by Senator Mike Johanns (York News-Times)  …Ethanol helped keep $34 billion of our money at home last year instead of going to other countries for foreign oil.
…Though these benefits are significant, today’s fiscal realities require …

(US Department of Energy)  The U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Biomass Program will be conducting detailed biennial peer review meetings of its activities throughout the first half …

(Gevo)  Brings Company Closer to Achieving 2015 Production Goal of 350 MGPY of Isobutanol
Gevo, Inc., a renewable chemicals and advanced biofuels company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Gevo Development, LLC, has entered into a joint …

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)  Earlier today, Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) created waves when they announced their new biofuels bill the Ethanol Reform and Deficit Reduction Act. This act is designed to address …

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)  Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) along with a bipartisan group of nine other Senate colleagues have introduced the Ethanol Reform and Deficit Reduction Act. The bill is designed …

by Jeff Natalie-Lees  (Aberdeen News)  Export options help facility weather weaker domestic demand
Ethanol produced in Mina is helping Brazil avoid a fuel crisis after a weak sugar cane crop cut that country’s ethanol production.
When the …

(KELOLAND.com) …High fuel costs are once again fueling the debate about alternative energy sources. And with ethanol one of South Dakota’s biggest industries, both politicians and ethanol supporters say now’s the time to pump up …

by Denise Ross   (The Daily Republic)  Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., called for an end to taxpayer subsidies for oil and natural gas companies Wednesday, saying instead the United States should invest in further ethanol …

(Senator Chuck Grassley)  Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Kent Conrad of North Dakota today introduced bipartisan legislation to update ethanol tax policies in an effort to boost domestic energy production and increase America’s energy independence …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  In order for ag residues and energy crops to be profitably converted to biofuels, it is expected that biorefineries will need to acquire all of their feedstocks from within …

(U.S. Department of Agriculture)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced research grants awarded to spur production of bioenergy and biobased products that will lead to the development of sustainable regional systems and help create jobs. …

by Chet Brokaw  (AP/The Republic)  Gov. Dennis Daugaard signed into law Thursday a measure aimed at boosting ethanol sales at South Dakota gas stations and providing extra money for economic development loans.
…The ethanol measure was …

(POET)  Partnership with Dakota State University adds renewable fuel/energy component to ‘South Dakota Road Trip’
The history of alternative fuel is deeply rooted in the Midwest, and POET is helping to bring that proud history to …

by Amy West  (KHAS TV)   Want to see more ethanol blends at the pump? Well, the American Corn Growers Foundation has a plan and they’re challenging Congress to help the industry by redirecting more than …

by Cody Winchester  (Argus Leader)  Eating habits of insect pose problem for researchers
Scientists at South Dakota State University are shedding new light on an insect that could compete with humans for switchgrass, a potential biofuel crop, …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  Renewable Algal Energy, LLC of Kingsport, Tennessee, has announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded them $3,000,000 to develop “Algal Biodiesel via Innovative Harvesting and Aquaculture Systems.”   READ MORE  and …