by Darren Goode (The Hill) Texas lawmakers in both parties are seeking legal protection for oil refiners and others that fear exposure to costly lawsuits if EPA allows an increase in the amount of ethanol blended into gasoline. ...The Texas lawmakers
(Bulk Transporter) New placarding regulations took effect October 1 for fuel haulers handling gasoline blends with more than 10% ethanol. The placard ID number is 3475 for gasoline/ethanol blends above 10%. The easiest way to comply with the requirement is to put
by Robert Montgomery (ESPNOutdoors) Clogged carburetors, crumbling components, ruptured fuel lines. Boats stalled at sea, lives put at risk, and thousands spent on repairs. That's the legacy of gasoline with 10 percent ethanol (E10) used to power marine engines. ...That's but one
(FollowTheScience.org) More than 22,000 Americans have e-mailed President Obama urging him to stop the Environmental Protection Agency from approving a 50 percent increase in the amount of ethanol in gasoline until comprehensive, independent and objective scientific testing can show that higher
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) Sometime in the coming days, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to announce a partial waiver decision allowing the use of E15 in light duty vehicles with a model year (MY) of 2007 or
(Ethanol Across America) C. Boyden Gray, one of the architects of the historic 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments that established the nation's reformulated gasoline program, called for increased regulation of air toxics by the Environmental Protection Agency and in so
(US Department of Energy) BioEnergy Atlas, a Web portal that provides access to two bioenergy analysis and mapping tools, was released September 28, 2010, by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The visualization screening tools, BioPower and BioFuels
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) Breaking News! For the first time in any race at any venue in any country, all the entries using E85 are powered by cellulosic E85. It is happening at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in Georgia from
(AgriMarketing/Purdue) Purdue University is receiving $1.59 million in federal funding for a project to conduct a sustainability assessment of energy crops for biofuels. The funding is part of a $16.5 million renewable fuel initiative by the U.S. Department of Energy to
by David Gold (RenewableEnergyWorld.com) ...While stimulus supporters and the press love to focus on the selection of award winners for grants and loans, funds appropriated but sitting in the U.S. Treasury have zero potential to stimulate the economy irrespective of
John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) ...In an interview with USDA radio, Harry Baumes, Director of USDA’s Office of Energy Policy and New Uses says a new study shows that we’re getting more energy out of corn than what it takes to raise the
(US Environmental Protection Agency) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assistant Administrator for the Office of Research and Development, Paul Anastas, joins other science leaders to kick off the USA Science and Engineering Festival on September 29 in Washington, D.C. Dr.
by Bert Hill (Ottawa Citizen) Construction will start this year on a biofuel plant in Malaysia that uses the technology of Ensyn Technologies, an Ottawa company. A Malaysian government agency has announced that the plant will turn palm oil biomass into biofuel
by James Cartledge (BrighterEnergy.org) As the Senate debated and ultimately failed to pass reforms in the military this week, two Senators from Montana introduced legislation to boost markets for biofuel. Sens. Max Baucus and John Tester’s bill, American Security and Freedom Fuels
(Dayton Business Journal) Ohio is preparing to dole out $8 million to boost manufacturers by subsidizing ethanol and biodiesel refining equipment purchases. ...Under the Advancing Biofuels Beyond the Basics program, companies can snag $500,000 to $1 million for buying equipment that
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...With the collapse in markets, rising prices and the evaporation of the tax credits, condition were ripe for the end of biodiesel 1.0. By early 2010, only two major producers were left standing, Imperium Renewables
By Arpita Bhattacharyya, Andrew Light (Center for American Progress) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Tuesday an impressive collaboration at the Clinton Global Initiative that brings together U.S. agencies and the United Nations Foundation to form the Global Alliance for
by Dennis O'Brien (USDA/ARS) With the help of genetic materials from a cow's rumen, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists are developing new ways to break down plant fibers for conversion into biofuel. To convert corn stover and switchgrass into biofuel, the
by Matt Hartwig (Renewable Fuels Association) A Bloomberg story today warned that deficit hawks in Congress – and potentially those that might be elected this fall – are targeting ethanol as an example of wasteful government spending. ...Our government spends
by IANR News Service (North Platte Bulletin) ...Camelina is a yellow-flowering oilseed crop that grows one to three feet tall. It has some advantages as an industrial oil crop, said University of Nebraska-Lincoln scientist Ed Cahoon. For example, it's not
(US Department of Agriculture) Harry Baumes, Acting Director of USDA’s Office of Energy Policy and New Uses, says a report that surveyed corn growers in 2005 and ethanol plants in 2008 indicates the net energy gain from converting corn to ethanol
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...We have spoken to farmers, local business owners, environmentalists, community development officials, engine developers, scientists, policy makers, producers, investors, lenders, blenders, wholesalers, retailers, and end users. We have visited development projects on four continents. We have
by Val Walton (The Birmingham News) Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos wrote a letter of support last week for the SouthEast Region Algae Consortium (SERAC) -- a group of scientists, engineers and experts in biofuels and algae research which is pursuing a
by James Cartledge (BrighterEnergy.org) Abengoa Bioenergy has secured 60% of the feedstocks it needs for its hybrid ethanol facility being developed in Hugoton, Kansas. ...The Hugoton facility is set to be the first commercial-scale installation of a hybrid refinery – a
(National Renewable Energy Laboratory) When you've lived in the same "home" for more than 20 years, a time comes when you need to upgrade your furnishings to keep current and spruce things up a bit. That is exactly what has
Interview of BIO's Brent Erickson by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...BE: I have been a little bit disappointed in the Obama administration. When he was in the Senate he as very pro-biofuels. He had to choose his priorities, and that
by Stephen Lacey (RenewableEnergyWorld) We often wonder when the next Google of clean energy will materialize. When will the lone inventor finally emerge from his garage to change the world and solve our energy problems? What stealth company will bring
(Des Moines Register) Biofuels producers don't like to think of themselves as a cause of global warming, but that's how they could be regulated under the Obama administration's regulations on greenhouse gases. The regulations, due to take effect in January, would
by Dean Irvine (CNN) ...Wayne Arden, who has a background in technology and finance, and John Fox whose career has been in the renewable energy field, published a White Paper on producing and using biodiesel in Afghanistan earlier this summer. ...With
(PRNewswire) Contract Is Among First of Its Kind in U.S. BlueFire Renewables, Inc., a company focused on changing the world's transportation fuel paradigm through the production of renewable fuels from non-food cellulosic wastes, has announced an off-take agreement with Tenaska BioFuels,
(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 MORE (Department of Energy)
by Dave Dreeszen (Sioux City Journal) The state of Nebraska on Thursday awarded a half million dollars in infrastructure funds to assist a northeast Nebraska startup planning to turn an ethanol byproduct into plastics. Laurel BioComposite, a producer of what’s known as
by John Voelcker (GreenCarReports.com) We've written before about just how worried automakers are at proposals by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to increase the ethanol content of pump gasoline from 10 to 12 or even 15 percent. They fear it will damage
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering equating biogenic carbon emissions with fossil fuel emissions under the Tailoring Rule, which requires the accounting and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2). Biogenic
(Science Daily) New insight into the structure of switchgrass and poplars is fueling discussions that could result in more efficient methods to turn biomass into biofuel. Researchers from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Georgia Tech used small-angle
by Cindy O'Connor (Advanced Biofuels USA) Report from a Washington DC, September 14, 2010 briefing sponsored by Food & Agricultural Trade Policy Council With legislative work beginning on the next Farm Bill and new WTO rounds; the issue of biofuel subsidy classification
by John Davis (DomesticFuel) The next generation of biofuels must be developed in conjunction with advanced combustion engines, if there is to be long-term success of those biofuels. That word comes from researchers at the Sandia National Laboratories. The recommendations were made following
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The Navy’s long term strategy is to supply 50% of its energy from renewables by 2020. How much is that? Well, statistics on energy consumption from the Department Energy Supply Center (DESC) generally are DoD-wide, but
The University of California-Davis is a recipient of a $10,000 EPA People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) Phase I grant. They will design an integrated, efficient biological system that can be used to convert sugar beets into biofuel and bioenergy. Approach: Design industrial
The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville is a recipient of a $10,000 EPA People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) Phase I grant. ...(A)lthough much research has been done on trying to convert algae oils into biodiesel, little has been done on
Oklahoma State University is a recipient of a $10,000 EPA People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) Phase I grant for a hybrid green process for biofuel production. BIOWINol Technologies proposed a unique hybrid technology that uses several renewable resources, specifically biomass,
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded 55 grants to teams of college and university students across the country who will design creative solutions to sustainability challenges in the developed and developing world. The People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3)
by Michelle Kautz (DomesticFuel) Flex Fuel U.S.®, a company dedicated to the development of future fuel solutions and alternative fuel conversion systems, has been awarded approval to sell and install E85 Flex Fuel conversion systems to Federal Government Fleets through the Federal
by Luke Geiver (Biorefining Magazine) The work of ThermoChem Recovery International has already changed the future for one small Wisconsin community. A small town in the woods of Wisconsin, fresh off the bankruptcy and closing of its century-old paper mill, might
(Algae Industry Magazine) Solution Recovery Services, of Dexter Michigan, an employee owned industry leader in oil separation and purification systems has partnered with Touchstone Research Laboratory, a privately owned U.S. company with principal operations in Triadelphia, W.V. The project team together
by Barbara Grondin Francella (Convenience Store News) ...The EPA is considering a request to authorize the use of E15, while ethanol advocates are calling for the immediate approval of E12 and longer-term, even higher ethanol blends (E25, etc.) However, the
by Karyn Houston (UC Berkley College of Natural Resources) ...The $793,000 grant from the Department of Energy looks at how to utilize the tons of leftover “crop residue” left behind after the kernel is used. Dr. Markus Pauly and Dr.
by John Timmer (Ars Technica) ...Cellulose is a very long polymer of sugar molecules. Yeast will happily use those sugars to produce ethanol, but it can't get at them while they're trapped in cellulose. As a result, a suite of
by Diane Krieger Spivak (Post-Tribune) Project in south Lake County based on same technology. A proposed Florida bioethanol plant that will use the same process as a planned Schneider plant will use has been issued an air permit for the project. The
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced September 7, 2010, the availability of funding under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) to conduct feasibility studies for renewable energy systems for agriculture producers and rural small businesses. "Renewable energy production represents a promising
(U.S. Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced September 9, 2010, the selection of a biorefinery producer to receive payments under a program to encourage the use of renewable biomass as a replacement for fossil fuels that provide process heat
by Paul Post (The Saratogan) ...For local dairy producers, one of the most pressing concerns is ethanol production that drives up corn prices — hurting small family farms in the process. ..."We’ve got a big problem in the ethanol industry," (House
(GlobalPaperMoney) KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation (NYSE: KS) announced that the company was notified that its registration as a producer of cellulosic biofuel for the tax year 2009 has been approved. With this registration, KapStone may apply for a nonrefundable income
(US Department of Energy) U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced September 8, 2010, the investment of up to $16.5 million for two major research and development (R&D) initiatives that will support the expansion of renewable transportation fuels production. The first initiative
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, the Aquatic Species Program at
(US Department of Energy) Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced research awards under a joint DOE-USDA program aimed at improving and accelerating genetic breeding programs to create plants better suited for bioenergy production. The $8.9 million
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel) ...The potential for energy crops in the state was one of the topics at the recent Florida Farm to Fuel Summit. One of the presenters was Bill Vasden Jr., Chairman of the Florida Feedstock Growers Association.
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 Section 1705 Loan Guarantee Programs. The
(Green Car Congress) A C-17 Globemaster III based at Edwards Air Force Base is conducting flight tests to see how it performs with different combinations of biofuels. The aircraft was powered by 50% JP-8, 25% hydro-treated renewable jet fuel (HRJ) and
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 issue have been waiting on
(E&ETV) As the biofuels industry awaits a decision by U.S. EPA on ethanol blend walls, how has the Obama Administration handled biofuels development and funding? During today's OnPoint, Matt Carr, managing director of policy at BIO, explains how the Gulf
by Dave Williams (Atlanta Business Chronicle) The nation’s first commercial plant producing ethanol from wood wastes is open for business in the timber country of southeastern Georgia. More than a year and a half behind its original schedule, Colorado-based Range Fuels Inc.
by William Hermann(The Arizona Republic) Clean, green energy source could replace fossil fuels. ...With its ideal climate and abundance of available land, Arizona is poised to become a major center of a multibillion-dollar, algae-based, biofuel industry. Scientists at Arizona State University's Polytechnic
(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: Automakers give it a "F." ...A
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 that create far less pollution
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 subsidy rate would insulate producers
(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 two-thirds that of gasoline. Research for
(The Bioenergy Site) For the past two years, North Dakota State University Biofuels Economist, Cole Gufstafson, has been working in partnership with Green Vision Group and Heartland Renewable Energy (HRE) to create an energy beet for the biofuel industry in North
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 the American Petroleum Institute concluded
(PRNewsWire) Biodiesel Industries announced today the company's selection by the California Energy Commission for a project grant to support the state's Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. This Biofuel Production Plants grant provides funding and financial assistance for the
By Jennifer McEntee (The Voice of San Diego) Investors are a tough crowd to cultivate. Yet in the pond that is the biotechnology market, one product seems to be rising to the top like the green sludge it is: algae. Its
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 plaintiffs’ motion for a permanent
(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 the University of California Berkeley
(Standard-Examiner) Utah environmental regulators have set a seven-year deadline for Logan officials to cut the amount of phosphorus in sewage lagoons west of the city. Water from the lagoons discharges into Cutler Reservoir. Phosphorous fuels algae blooms that produce oxygen during the day,
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. Advanced Biofuels Forum in Beijing.
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 emissions from corn-ethanol freely available
by Rod Walton (Tulsa World) ..."I got into it because of the potential with algae," said Geoffrey Price, professor, department chairman and part of the research team. "It's because they take in sunlight more efficiently than other plants." Price and his
(PRNewsWire) Awards Were Approved for Joint Development Projects Between the United States and Israel in the Areas Of Biofuels, Wind Energy, Solar Energy and Energy Efficiency The BIRD Foundation will invest $4.2M in five clean energy cooperative projects, between U.S. and
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 fossil fuels during an appearance
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 required by federal law. Maj. Gen.
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...The Digest took the opportunity to visit with BlueFire’s CEO Arnold Klann, who has been working in the cellulosic biofuels space for more than a decade, and continues to be a driving force in the
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 hasn’t been saying. In speeches outlining
by Jeremiah Stettler (Salt Lake Tribune) The prickly leafed crop is hardly inviting — it is like a weed sprouting atop 20 acres of parched government land near Salt Lake City International Airport. And yet, the safflower planted as part of Salt
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 a producer’s credit for cellulosic
(Blue Fire Renewables) Name Change Designed to Better Reflect Its Fuel and Energy Production Capabilities BlueFire Ethanol Fuels, Inc., a company focused on changing the world's transportation fuel paradigm through the production of renewable fuels from non-food cellulosic wastes, today announced that
(US Department of Agriculture) On March 12, 2010, the Rural Business-Cooperative Service (the Agency) published a notice in the Federal Register for the Advanced Biofuel Payment Program seeking requests from eligible advanced biofuel producers for additional, supplemental payments from 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 Brazil have pro-ethanol policies. ...Now is
by C.R. Roberts (The News Tribune) Auburn-based Forest Concepts LLC has won a $1 million Department of Energy Small Business Innovation Research grant for the second phase of a biomass-production system. The system makes uniform particles from wood waste, and the particles
by Jean Chemnick (Platts) US President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed legislation that would fund emergency assistance to various states, partly through the trimming of $1.5 billion in funding for renewable energy loan guarantees. The US House of Representatives approved the
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 plan would redirect the ethanol
(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. The twelve member board comprised
by Linsey Davis(North Dakota State University) Two NDSU professors received $309,357 from the National Science Foundation for research to improve conversion and reduce costs of making ethanol from cellulosic biomass. Andriy Voronov, assistant professor in the Department of Coatings and Polymeric
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 $10 million over the next
(US Department of Energy) Secretary Steven Chu announced today that the Department of Energy is extending the application deadline for the July 2009 energy efficiency, renewable energy and advanced transmission and distribution technologies solicitation. The Round 8, Part 1 application deadline
by Peter Maass (Foreign Policy) It's not polite to say so, but if Americans understood just how many trillions their military was really spending on protecting oil, they wouldn't stand for it. Shortly after the Marines rolled into Baghdad and tore
(National Academies of Science) Expanding Biofuel Production: Sustainability and the Transition to Advanced Biofuels: Summary of a Workshop (2010) While energy prices, energy security, and climate change are front and center in the national media, these issues are often framed to
(Renewable Fuels Association) Further analysis of EPA’s Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) reveals more errors in the agency’s calculation of corn ethanol and other biofuels’ carbon intensity, according to new analysis by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). In a letter to EPA
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...“Investors constantly ask us the simple question,” says AE Biofuels CEO Eric McAfee, “ If the EPA is not enforcing the cellulosic ethanol mandate and only providing a few months of forward visibility each year, how
by Dr. Thomas D. Foust (Executive Director of the National Advanced Biofuels Consortium, National Renewable Energy Laboratory) The DOE created the National Advanced Biofuels Consortium (NABC) to help develop cost-effective technologies to develop advanced “drop-in” biofuels compatible with our current infrastructure,
by Brian Liberatore (News Press) Paperwork, government foot-dragging delay plant, bust budget, partner says A local businessman says he spent $1 million on a $500,000 federal grant, yet his plans for a biodiesel plant in Fort Myers are a year behind
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Back in 2008 the death watch began on Imperium Renewables. Though its 100 Mgy multi-feedstock plant in Grays Harbor was, at the time, the largest and most modern biodiesel facility in the US, the company lost its
(Washington Post) Editorial: PRESIDENT OBAMA was back in Michigan recently, breaking ground on a plant that will make batteries for the Volt, the plug-in hybrid electric car forthcoming from government-owned General Motors. The Energy Department paid half the factory's $300 million
(Heinrich Böll Stiftung North America) In cooperation with 25x’25, the Heinrich Böll Stiftung North America hosted a transatlantic roundtable discussion on its new report Beyond Biofuels: Renewable Energy Opportunities for U.S. Farmers. As farmers struggle with increasing energy costs and decreasing
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...However, SARA (safe, affordable, reliable, available) feedstocks for advanced biofuels remain a goal rather than an assured reality. In this context, Genera should be seen as one of a handful of projects — aside from the
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel) The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is far from over on discrediting biofuels as part of their mandated policy known as the Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS). For the past year, the ethanol industry has been
by Dennis O'Brien (USDA Agricultural Research Service) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have developed a new tool for deciphering the genetics of a native prairie grass being widely studied for its potential as a biofuel. The genetic map of switchgrass, published
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) National security is at the root of the nearly seventy-year old Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the world’s leading scientific research institutions. While originally organized for a single purpose: to design and build the
by John M. Urbanchuk (ENTRIX/The Hill) In his July 27 blog posting “The economics of U.S. ethanol policy” Professor Bruce Babcock of Iowa State University reports the results of new research suggesting that allowing the current 45-cent-per-gallon ethanol blender’s tax credit
At a White House Forum on Energy Security July 27, 2010, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Defense to accelerate clean energy
by Larisa Brass (KnoxvilleBiz.com) As its biorefinery demonstration plant churns toward one day generating automobile fuel from grass, Genera Energy is beginning construction of what will effectively be the staging grounds for that process. This week the company, spun out from the
(Renewable Fuels Association) In its editorial ("It's time to end the excessive subsidies for corn ethanol," 7/24/2010), the Post failed to provide its readers any context, misled them about the nature of U.S. ethanol production, and offered no alternative to
(Air Transport Association) The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, announced the official launch of the “Farm to Fly” partnership initiative with private industry, federal agencies and academia to advance a comprehensive
(US Forest Service) Roadmap Includes Scorecard System for Rating Effectiveness in Dealing With Climate Change Initiatives Across Forest Service The USDA Forest Service today announced the release of the National Roadmap for Responding to Climate Change and a new system for
(Dead Tree Edition) The Internal Revenue Service may have handed U.S. pulp and paper companies a multibillion-dollar gift by ruling that black liquor produced in 2009 is eligible for an even more lucrative tax credit than the one claimed by
by Lisa Gibson (Biomass Magazine) Both Abengoa Bioenergy and Poet LLC hope to have the first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant in the world and expect to begin operation in the next few years. Poet’s Emmetsburg, Iowa, plant is slated for operation
(University of Tennessee) Study includes multiple varieties of switchgrass. Midsummer is nearly here, and the University of Tennessee Biofuels Initiative (UTBI) is closely watching how more than 1000 acres of newly planted, improved varieties of switchgrass are faring. Only time will
By Luke Geiver (Biodiesel Magazine) The U.S. EPA has released a Notice of Data Availability (NODA) for its recent modeling of the canola oil biodiesel pathway. As of March 26, when the EPA officially announced the final rule for the
(Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) By imaging the cell walls of a zinnia leaf down to the nanometer scale, energy researchers have a better idea about how to turn plants into biofuels. In a paper appearing online in the journal Plant Physiology,
(US Department of Energy) California Institute of Technology to lead team in partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and other California institutions As part of a broad effort to achieve breakthrough innovations in energy production, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel
(US Department of Energy) $106 Million Recovery Act Investment will Reduce CO2 Emissions and Mitigate Climate Change U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced today the selections of six projects that aim to find ways of converting captured carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
by Stacy Feldman (SolveClimate) Industry rips failing DOE loan program on the heels of EPA's decision to slash cellulosic biofuel mandate. ...EPA announced it expects 5 to 17.1 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol to be blended into the nation's fuels in 2011,
by Colin Bird (Cars.com) Last week, we pointed out a new mobile phone application that tracks recently recalled autos or tires, and this week we’ve found another useful tool. The Department of Energy’s new alternative-fuel locator app allows users to find
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel) A pipeline for ethanol from the Midwest to the East Coast is a viable project, if certain conditions are met, according to a report by the Department of Energy (DOE). In the report titled “Dedicated Ethanol Pipeline
by Adam J. Liska and Richard K. Perrin (Environment Magazine) Military operations are major industrial activities that use massive amounts of fuel and materials that significantly contribute to climate change. In this article, we assert that military activity to protect
by Bruce A. Babcock, Kanlaya J. Barr, Miguel Carriquiry (Center for Agriculture and Rural Development, Iowa State University) The U.S. ethanol industry is lobbying hard for an extension of existing ethanol import tariffs and blenders tax credits before they expire
by Josie Garthwaite (Earth2Tech) Cello Energy, a startup run by Alabama’s former ethics chairman and backed by Khosla Ventures that has been beset by production delays and fraud allegations, still ranks among the companies that the Environmental Protection Agency believes is
by Jim Lane (Biotech Digest) This past April, ARPA-E announced a new grant round, and the largest single award in the round, $6 million, went to a group led by OPX Biotechnologies, in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and
(Congressional Budget Office) The federal government supports the use of biofuels—transportation fuel produced usually from renewable plant matter, such as corn—in the pursuit of national energy, environmental, and agricultural policy goals. Tax credits encourage the production and sale of biofuels
Tom Vilsak (USDA/Richmond Times-Dispatch) ...America can no longer rely on energy sources that are growing increasingly difficult to find and utilize. We cannot accept an energy future that allows oil producers, whether they are controlled by a foreign state or
(KIDK.com) Idaho National Laboratory has worked with local motor fuel supplier Conrad & Bischoff to make E85, an alternative fuel that is 85 percent ethanol and just 15 percent gasoline, commercially available to the public for the first time in
(Renewable Fuels Association) ...“Access to capital is a chief hindrance to the commercial deployment of cellulosic ethanol technology,” said RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen. “DOE has created a loan guarantee program that in theory is helpful, but in practice
(US Government Accountability Office) Since the Department of Energy's (DOE) loan guarantee program (LGP) for innovative energy projects was established in Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, its scope has expanded both in the types of projects it
(American Society of Agronomy) Scientists compile field studies across U.S. to identify influences on biomass yield While scientists have conducted numerous studies on production of biomass from biofuel crops, such as switchgrass, no one has yet compiled this information to evaluate
by Robert Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) The Washington Post business section today included an article on President Obama’s latest push on behalf of “Clean Energy." The paper also helpfully included a list of the eight (8) “Clean Energy” events the Obama
(San Francisco Chronicle/Bloomberg) The Environmental Protection Agency proposed requiring less cellulosic ethanol to be blended into gasoline next year than sought under U.S. law because production of the alternative fuel hasn't reached commercial scale. ...Cellulosic ethanol, made from switchgrass, wood chips
(Renewable Fuels Association) ...Of note, EPA has revised down cellulosic ethanol use from original RFS targets for the second year in a row. While this may be prudent for EPA based on market conditions, it does send a chilling effect
(US EPA) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) July 12, 2010, proposed the 2011 percentage standards for the four fuels categories under the agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard program, known as RFS2. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) established the annual renewable
by David Esler (Aviation Week) This December, if the planets align properly and the members of the ASTM International concur, it will become legal to operate a business jet on a blend of conventional Jet-A and low-emissions biofuels refined from weeds,
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel) Our country is quickly sliding down a slippery slope. Not too long ago, we were the leaders in renewable energy – wind, solar, biofuels. Today, not only have the major technological advancements come from overseas, our manufacturing
by Dan Burciaga (President & CEO, TRI) Burciaga discusses TRI's proprietary steam reforming gasification system, and its applicability to the production of biofuels, biochemicals, and renewable power. TRI's biorefineries are feedstock-flexible, controlled to maximize thermal efficiency, scalable, and potentially self-powered. The
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel) A colleague of mine, Will Thurmond, who is the CEO of markets research firm Emerging Markets Online, sent me this great article about why companies are spending billions of dollars investing in advanced biofuels in Brazil
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Among the changes proposed by the (Algal Biomass Organization) were: providing more flexible revenue requirements for qualifying under the program, including allowing consideration of co-product, or chemicals sales as part of revenue floors; increasing the
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...(D)oomsayers who have been predicting an inevitable conflict between food and fuel appear to have been completely off the mark. Rather than a shortage of food, the increased pace of biotechnology innovation associated with bioenergy is
(Washington Post) Editorial ...Many lawmakers want the government to require utilities to derive a certain percentage of their electricity from clean sources. And one of the sources that would probably qualify is so-called renewable biomass -- everything from forest debris
by Danielle Douglas (Washington Post/Capital Business) ...Many of the nearly 200,000 electric hybrids on U.S. roads use internal generators to create power, but a fraction of these cars are plug-in hybrids, the market's fastest growing segment. Yet, there are only 465
by Dr. Eric Toone (Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, U.S. Department of Energy) Dr. Toone described the role and mission of ARPA-E, the process related to ARPA-E's first Financial Opportunity Announcement (FOA1), project selection and awards at the Biomass 2010 Conference March
(US Department of Energy) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today the launch of the Technology Commercialization Portal—an online resource that will serve as a tool for potential investors to identify opportunities to invest in work being conducted by DOE
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...It has been pointed out repeatedly by advanced biofuels developers that the public sector must craft long-term, stable national policies to support and incentivize new capacity, with the return on investment coming in the form
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Just two weeks after USDA released its “Regional Roadmap to Meeting the Biofuels Goals of the Renewable Fuels Standard,” it now has a short video, touting the importance of ethanol and other biofuels in
(Journal Star) Editorial The environmental advantages of renewable fuels could hardly be more evident than now, when the consequences of risky deepwater oil drilling are fouling the water and shorelines of the Gulf of Mexico. Yet the federal government is not
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