Spurious Claims
by Ron Kotrba (Biorefining Magazine) ...I told him I’m the editor of two monthly magazines centered on renewable fuels and chemicals. He sort of scoffed, and I knew we were going to get into “the discussion.” He led into our talk
Opinions
Back TO HOMEMicroalgal Biofuel: Is it the Right Dream?
by Fadhil M. Salih (ClearValue Companies/Renewable Energy World) ...Microalgae are a superior biofuel feedstock as opposed to plants such as corn and soy used today. They need substantially less water and fertilizer than other plant life and they are
August 23, 2011 Read Full Article
A.I.M. Interview: NASA's OMEGA Scientist Dr. Jonathan Trent
(Algae Industry Magazine) NASA scientist – the inventor, heart, and soul of the OMEGA system (Offshore Membrane Enclosures for Growing Algae) – Dr. Jonathan Trent received his PhD in biological oceanography at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He went on to
August 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Examining Biofuels Policy
by Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay (Chemical and Engineering News) Government mandates have shaped the market but not always for the best By 2050, the global population will hit between 7.5 billion and 10.5 billion. Energy demands will soar, and traditional energy supplies, such
August 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Vital to US Production of Homegrown, Reliable Energy
by Russ Newman (InForum) Ethanol, made right here in our backyards, has provided an unparalleled, value-added opportunity for agriculture and America. ...It has generated good-paying jobs, spurred economic activity, and provided rural youth a reason and an opportunity to find
August 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Peterson Questions Federal Biofuels Plan
by Don Davis (Duluth News Tribune) Minnesota’s senior congressman said that the plan administration officials announced this week probably will not work and threatens Minnesota’s 21 ethanol plants. “I think that is a big a problem,” said U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson,
August 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Weighs Options
by Joseph Morton (World Herald Bureau/Omaha.com) The ethanol industry is preparing itself for life after federal subsidies. Key tax credits that pay blenders for using the renewable fuel are set to expire at the end of 2011. At a cost to
August 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Increase in Demand from India, China to Drive up Food Prices: Obama
(The Economic Times of India) US President Barack Obama today highlighted the need to develop biofuels out of things that do not involve fuel chain, arguing that increase in demand from India and China would drive up the food prices. "As
August 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Senator Warner and Vice Admiral McGinn Discuss Energy Security, Fuel Economy
(The Pew Charitable Trusts) This week, former Navy secretary and U.S. senator John W. Warner (R-Va.) is traveling with Vice Adm. Dennis V. McGinn (Ret.), vice chairman of the CNA Military Advisory Board, as part of a national tour to discuss
August 17, 2011 Read Full Article
Washington’s New Era
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...But the mischief that lawmakers are hiding behind a veil of budget concern extends far beyond the tax credit for ethanol blending. Using the appropriations process, lawmakers from the oil patch and elsewhere
August 17, 2011 Read Full Article
Bioenergy Policy Planks Promote Sustainability, Fairness
(25 x '25) Earlier this week (July 28, 2011), a coalition of animal agriculture, commodity crop, general farm organization and conservation leaders issued a set of guiding principles and policy planks aimed at reconciling the expansion of biofuel production with maintaining
August 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Gassed out, cont.
(The Economist/Free Exchange) LAST week I noted that volatile oil prices have played an underappreciated role in recent business cycles. Over the weekend, James Hamilton published additional analysis of oil-price changes since last year, and he presents some sobering findings. Mr Hamilton
August 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Seeking the Blending Sweet Spot
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) For years, in coffee shops and grain elevators across the upper Midwest, independent thinkers have voiced their opinions on the benefits of midlevel ethanol blends. Tales of fueling the old Buick, or otherwise unapproved
August 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Sizing the Clean Economy: A National and Regional Green Jobs Assessment
Mark Muro, Jonathan Rothwell, Devashree Saha (The Brookings Institution) Growth through Innovation, Environment, Cities, Competitiveness, Jobs and the Economy The “green” or “clean” or low-carbon economy—defined as the sector of the economy that produces goods and services with an environmental benefit—remains at once a compelling aspiration and
August 16, 2011 Read Full Article
EPA Releases Draft Policy for Ensuring Scientific Integrity / Agency seeking public comment
(US Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency August 5, 2011, is releasing its draft Scientific Integrity Policy for public comment. The draft policy reflects the Obama Administration’s commitment to the ethical standards and transparency necessary for ensuring the
August 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Cargill Blames Government Hoarding for Global Food Price Surge
by John Lippert (The Washington Post/Bloomberg Markets) Cargill chief Greg Page, who runs the largest U.S. agricultural company, has a good idea whom to blame for the global surge in food prices at the end of 2010: governments. ...He said government
August 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuel Maker KiOR Faces Questions over Funding
By Ucilia Wang (GigaOm) Freshly minted as a public company, biofuel producer KiOR reported Thursday that it brought in no revenues and widened its losses for the second quarter. Given that no one expected the young company to make much money yet,
August 12, 2011 Read Full Article
Victorians Steer Clear of Ethanol Fuel
by Steve Colquhoun (The Age) Cheaper ethanol-blended fuel is on the nose with Victorian motorists according to Dutch petroleum giant Shell, which is withdrawing its 10 per cent ethanol-infused E10 fuel from sale. Shell will stop selling the environmentally friendlier fuel
August 12, 2011 Read Full Article
#BioChat: Where Everybody Knows Your Name
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Now, we live in a digital age, and bioenergy is broadly based around the globe – but the desire to network, comment, gather, share, gossip, encourage, advise, warn and occasionally commiserate is still there. As
August 12, 2011 Read Full Article
FREEDOM Has the Power and Energy to Change Your Mind and the World
by Patrick Robinson (West Seattle Herald) The documentary FREEDOM from husband and wife team of Josh and Rebecca Tickell is aptly named because in the context of the film it represents the most significant meaning of the word and gives it
August 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Don’t Blame Ethanol for Rising Corn Prices
by John Block (Miami Herald) ...Critics of renewable fuels keep claiming that the production of American ethanol threatens the food supply and raises food prices. Not true. There just isn’t any statistical evidence that increased ethanol production results in rising food
August 11, 2011 Read Full Article
OPINION: Domestic Biofuels Are Economic and Energy Security
by Stephanie Herseth Sandlin and Thomas W. Ewing (The Daily Republic) For decades, securing our nation’s energy future has been a national priority — yet policymakers still have not reached consensus on a long-term, comprehensive platform that will ensure our
August 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Franken Visits Farmfest
by Janet Kubat Willette (AgriNews.com) Expect direct payments to take a hit in the next farm bill, Sen. Al Franken told a Farmfest audience Aug. 3. The Minnesota Democrat said the super committee of 12 Congresspeople could shape the new farm bill
August 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Mandate Emerges as Ethanol’s Sacred Cow
by Amy Harder (National Journal) ...By year's end, the congressional “super committee” charged with reducing the federal deficit likely will topple the $6 billion in annual ethanol industry tax credits and a corresponding government tariff on imported ethanol. But another prong
August 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Green Groups: ‘Supercommittee’ Should Repeal Oil Industry Tax Breaks
by Andrew Restuccia (The Hill/E2Wire) A dozen environmental groups Tuesday told congressional leaders that lawmakers who support slashing oil industry tax breaks and other subsidies should be appointed to the deficit-cutting “supercommittee.” In a letter, the groups urged the 12-member panel to come
August 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Doerr Gives U.S. a ‘C’ for Alternative-Energy
by Ari Levy (Bloomberg) John Doerr, head of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers’s alternative-energy practice, said he would give the U.S. a C grade for development of green technology, which trails innovation in Internet and biotechnology. His grade would have been
August 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Coal and Ethanol Are Not Alternative Energy Policy
by Andrew Smolski (OilPrice.com) ...(E)nergy policy is as defunct as ever and on most fronts the US is lagging far behind. ... (T)he US will need this Energy policy to spur growth, create jobs, and remain competitive going forward. Yet,
August 10, 2011 Read Full Article
3 Things You Need to Know about Biofuels
by Maggie Koerth-Baker (BoingBoing) ...In a nutshell, that’s why liquid fuel is so valuable. So far, it’s the clear winner when we need energy for transportation—especially air transportation and heavy, long-distance shipping—because it allows you to stuff a lot of
August 10, 2011 Read Full Article
European Biodiesel Board Slams EU Thinking on Biofuel Land Use Impacts
(Argus Media) Europe's biodiesel producers have commissioned an independent review of a policy document on biodiesel's indirect effects on land use change, which the European Biodiesel Board (EBB) maintains has skewed the European Commission's thinking on the subject to the
August 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Have We Seen the End of Jatropha as a Potential Biofuel?
by Brian Westenhaus (OilPrice.com) According to Promode Kant from the Institute of Green Economy in India and Shuirong Wu of the Chinese Academy of Forestry some 12.8 million ha (49,421 square miles) are expected to be planted with jatropha by
August 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Answers to Your Biofuels, Biopower and Biomaterials Questions
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At the Biomass 2011 conference in Washington, a lively debate session provided a bumper crop of questions from the audience – too many to answer at the time. At the same time, it offers us
August 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Seeking Common Ground
by Julia Olmstead (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Traveling together to Brazil, Americans representing a range of perspectives on ethanol and environmentalism attempt to forge a shared path toward ethanol sustainability ...The divisiveness of the indirect land use change (ILUC) debate—the theory that
August 09, 2011 Read Full Article
China to Finance Biofuel Projects in Malaysia; but see: Lestari: No Intention to Solicit Funds from the Public
by Liz Lee (The Star) Lestari, Arter Group to build 616 plants Lestari Pasifik Bhd, in an unprecedented joint venture with Russian company Arter Group, is expecting to receive project financing from the Chinese government to build bio-refinery plants in Malaysia and
August 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Is New Zealand’s New Government Killing Biofuels?
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) Months are passing but New Zealand ’s new government still won’t say whether or not it will incentivise biofuels production and new plant construction. Latest in this shoot-your-own-economy-in-the foot saga is Ecodiesel’s multi-million dollar
August 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Guest Viewpoint: Why We Need to Produce and Use Ethanol
by Keith R. Mussman (The Daily Journal/Kankakee County Farm Bureau) ...Argonne National Laboratory has shown that corn ethanol delivers a positive energy balance of 8.8 megajoules per liter. Simply put, corn ethanol produces more energy than it takes to make
August 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Transport Raising Concerns: Ballot Vote Focuses on Rail Shipments
by John Laidler (Boston.com) A plan by Global Partners to begin shipping ethanol by rail to its Revere terminal is drawing concern in the city, where it is the focus of a nonbinding ballot question. According to Fire Chief Gene Doherty,
August 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Sen. Franken Fights for Future of Minnesota Farmers
by Senator Al Franken (D-MN) (HometownSource.com) ...Cellulosic ethanol is happening. The first commercial-scale cellulosic plant is being built this year in Iowa. And I want Minnesota to capitalize on the energy—and economic growth—that could come from wood wastes, grasses, and
August 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Five Good Reasons to Use E85
(American Lung Association in Minnesota/LiveGreenTwinCities.com) Have you tried E85? E85 is an ethanol fuel blend made of up to 85 percent ethanol and gasoline. Using it can help save the planet--and your heath. Here are five good reasons to use
August 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Gevo, Amyris, KiOR – as the Khosla Kids Mature, Scale, Differentiate, Who’s on Top?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) On the road from Pilot to Player, three Khosla companies have gone far and fast – but now, the differentiating points become clearer. Who’s better now? They share Khosla Ventures in their DNA, and are next-gen
August 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Reid: Clean Energy on Democrats' Agenda after Recess
by Andrew Restuccia (The Hill/E2Wire) Clean energy will be part of a broader jobs agenda that Senate Democrats will pursue when lawmakers return from their August recess, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Tuesday. “Clean energy jobs, they are changing
August 03, 2011 Read Full Article
Fostering the Next Generation of Biofuels Innovators
by Mary Rosenthal (Algae Biomass Organization/Biofuels Digest) ...In today’s biofuels industry, most of the growth has centered on jobs for those workers who have already been trained in the fields of construction; engineering; chemistry and biology; sales and marketing; legal
August 03, 2011 Read Full Article
The Solid Science behind E15
by Gen. Wesley K. Clark (Ret.) (The Hill) ...And yet, in his op-ed published July 26 in The Hill, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) ignores the physical, economic and national security costs of our nation’s continued dependence on foreign oil. Instead,
August 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Imported Oil Driving U.S. Trade Imbalance
(Hoosier Ag Today/NAFB News Service) As Congress debates how much money the federal government can borrow, America continues to take out loans from China to buy oil from Venezuela. Recent U.S. Census Bureau data indicates that the United States' appetite for
August 02, 2011 Read Full Article
US Debt Deal: Biofuels Industry Reaction
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Brian Jennings, Executive Vice President of the American Coalition for Ethanol “ACE and our members are disappointed that the ethanol compromise was not included in the final debt limit deal just because some in Congress
August 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Future Sources of Biofuels in the U.S.: Residues from agriculture and Forestry
(Agriculture and Land Use Forum) Biomass & Bioenergy just published a review of biomass availability for ethanol production as that industry looks beyond corn for the biomass needed to meet the U.S.’s ambitious ethanol mandate. They estimate that agricultural and forestry
August 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol, Sugar Mill-Power Rules Could Create Jobs, Tongaat-Hulett CEO Says
by Niki Moore (Bloomberg) Southern African countries could create 1.8 million jobs if they adopted similar regulations to Brazil governing the production of ethanol and electricity from sugar, the Chief Executive Officer of Tongaat-Hulett Group Ltd. said. South African sugar companies such
August 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Energy Programs Prepare for Debt Deal Pain
by Darren Goode & Darren Samuelsohn (Politico) Popular energy and environmental programs should prepare for a decade of spending cuts under the debt deal reached late Sunday between the White House and congressional leaders. Less clear, however, is the effect that
August 01, 2011 Read Full Article
O.K., Smart Guys: Fix the Energy Problem
(Bloomberg BusinessWeek) How should the U.S. solve its energy problems? The experts brainstorm Imported fuel means expensive gasoline, lost jobs, and hobbled industries, while climate change poses risks as dramatic as they are difficult to assess. So how do we fix our
August 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Registration Opens for 50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy 2011-12, Transformative Technologies 2011
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Florida, Biofuels Digest announced the return of two annual competitions, with the opening of registration for the 50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy and Transformative Technologies 2011. The Hot 50 is the Digest’s oldest and most-popular
August 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Still Time to Get Biofuels Support Right
by Brent Erickson (Biofuels Digest) Reports of the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit’s (VEETC) early demise have been a bit overblown. Though several groups and reporters believed the die was cast and the potential revenue savings would be redirected to
August 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Imported Oil Driving U.S. Trade Imbalance; Domestic Ethanol, Feed Providing Some Counterbalance
(Renewable Fuels Association) America’s trade deficit is growing and one reason for that is our crippling dependence on imported oil. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, our appetite for foreign oil accounted for 60% of the nation’s $50 billion trade
August 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Advocates Pay to Tout Oil, Debt Agendas at Iowa Straw Poll
by Jennifer Jacobs (Des Moines Register) An air-conditioned “igloo” paid for by the Iowa Energy Forum will rise up from the straw poll campus in Ames next month, an attraction meant to woo Iowans’ affection with free treats, kids’
August 01, 2011 Read Full Article
House Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment Hearing: Hitting the Ethanol Blend Wall – Examining the Science on E15; Testimony of W. Steven Burke ∙ President and CEO, Biofuels Center of North Carolina
W. Steven Burke (Biofuels Center of North Carolina) ...America will continue to seek more augmentation of petroleum-based fuels and thus needs new models to gain large amounts of liquid fuel from sources other than corn in places other than the Midwest. North Carolina
July 30, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels: What Do the Experts Think?
by Matthew Knight (CNN) It wasn't so long ago that biofuels were being heralded as the savior of the planet and a thoroughly green solution to our climate woes. But fair winds have been replaced by persistent storms of criticism.
July 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Analysis: Cellulosic Ethanol Industry Struggles to Take Off
by Tom Doggett (Reuters) ...Despite years of research, testing and some hype, the next-generation ethanol industry is far from the commercial success envisioned by President George W. Bush in 2006, when he pledged so-called cellulosic biofuels would be "practical and
July 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Energy and Forestry Programs Examined During Farm Bill's Title IX (Energy) Hearing
by Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) Many programs authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill will expire in 2012 unless they are included in a new Farm Bill. Among those programs that would expire are all the bioenergy initiatives
July 25, 2011 Read Full Article
Woodside Says Ethanol Industry Willing to Give Back Tax Break for Debt Reduction
by Lori Potter (Kearney Hub) The ethanol industry is willing to immediately give up $1.3 billion in tax breaks for federal debt reduction. However, that probably can’t happen unless authorizing legislation is attached to a successful debt ceiling-budget reduction bill, said
July 25, 2011 Read Full Article
Sweet Sorghum Boosts the Efficiency of Ethanol
by Benjamin Burroughs (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Ethanol has some distinct advantages as a fuel, and sweet sorghum promises even better input/output ratios Traditionally agriculture has been in food/feed stock production for humans and livestock, but as we move farther into this
July 25, 2011 Read Full Article
Power Shifts
by Erin Ailworth (The Boston Globe) ...“One of the big challenges with the federal budget is whether ARPA-E is going to be funded,’’ said Peter Rothstein, president of New England Clean Energy Council, a trade group in Boston. ...Alternative fuels Despite several
July 25, 2011 Read Full Article
Farm Bill Energy Title: Rural Energy for America Program
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) On July 19, 2011, the Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC) and Environmental and Energy Study Institute(EESI) held a briefing on the energy title of the Farm Bill, with a special focus on the Rural Energy for
July 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Is China for You? The Opportunities, the Risks, the Way
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...A combination of industrial biotech know-how, an array of biomass feedstocks (particularly lignocellulose), a strong and growing domestic market, and ready access to scale-up debt for scale-up through China’s steadier project finance system – well,
July 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Former Iowa First Lady Runs for Congress on Energy Issues
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) Wind energy and biofuels are part of the campaign for Congress launched this week by former Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack. ...Vilsack officially announced her bid to represent Iowa’s newly formed 4th district yesterday (July 19,
July 22, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Makers Losing $6 Billion Tax Break Keep $6.9 Billion
(San Francisco Chronicle/Bloomberg) Ethanol manufacturers are set to thrive even if they have to give up $6 billion a year in U.S. tax subsidies because a government mandate for increased use of the fuel may add $6.9 billion a year
July 20, 2011 Read Full Article
National Security, Energy Security, and Environmental Imperatives
by General Charles F. Wald and David W. Conover (Bipartisan Policy Center/The Hill/Congress Blog) News reports indicate that some Senators may seek to repeal a provision of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) during Thursday’s consideration of
July 20, 2011 Read Full Article
First EU Sustainability Schemes for Biofuels Get the Go-Ahead
(European Commission) Brussels, 19 July 2011 - Biofuels can represent an environmentally-friendly replacement of fossil fuels. However, we need to make sure that tropical forests and carbon rich peatlands are not turned into oil palm or sugarcane plantations. We also
July 20, 2011 Read Full Article
Will the EU Reveal Judging Criteria for Biofuel Bodies?
by Jessica Shankleman Green groups slam Commission's "back room" processes for approving sustainable biofuel certification schemes Green groups will today learn if the European Commission is ready to lift the lid on the methods it used to decide whether biofuels can be certified as
July 19, 2011 Read Full Article
Oil Is Biggest Military Weakness
by Senator Mark Udall (Politico) The Pentagon released its first-ever operational energy strategy last month — a plan that could dramatically cut costs and save service members’ lives. The plan is not about fielding a new weapons system, but rather
July 19, 2011 Read Full Article
Purdue Economists Report on Causes of High Commodity Prices
by Keith Robinson (Purdue University) Growing demand for corn to use in biofuels and for soybeans to help feed a booming Chinese economy are among key forces driving commodity prices higher this year, according to a report by three
July 19, 2011 Read Full Article
Analysis: Ethanol to Edge Pigs for Corn Use, but Not Quite Yet
by Charles Abbott and Karl Plume (Reuters) Ethanol appears almost certain to win the food-versus-fuel contest in the United States. But not just yet. The Agriculture Department forecast that a tad more corn will be used to make ethanol than to feed livestock
July 19, 2011 Read Full Article
Food Security Not Necessarily Threatened By Biofuels
(Rainharvest) To achieve “win-win outcomes” for bio-energy, food security and poverty reduction, we must recognise that these outcomes are possible. This is what Prof Lee Lynd, of Dartmouth College and the Mascoma Corporation, told delegates during a seminar at Stellenbosch University,
July 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Future of Food: Meet the Farmers and Scientists Who Could Save Our Fragile Global Food System
by Robin Barton (The Independent) ...So I called my local farmer, David Bowtell. Sparing me the arcane details of the deal, he explained that growers of oilseed rape have received a cast-iron subsidy courtesy of the Common Agricultural Policy since
July 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Leading By Example: How Energy Innovation is Strengthening America’s Military
by Aaron Hull (Advanced Biofuels USA) The Pew Project on National Security, Energy, and Climate hosted an event titled Leading By Example: How Energy Innovation is Strengthening America’s Military on July 7, 2011. Those in attendance included former Senator John
July 15, 2011 Read Full Article
House Science Subcommittee for Energy and Environment Holds Hearing on EPA E15 Waiver
by Aaron Hull (Advanced Biofuels USA) On July 7, 2011 the House Science Subcommittee for Energy and Environment held a hearing to discuss the EPA’s decision to issue a waiver for E15 usage in light-duty motor vehicles. The hearing
July 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Debate over Corn Use Estimates Shows Need for Solid Ethanol Data
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The latest USDA World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates marked a milestone of sorts for the ethanol industry. For the first time, the USDA predicts that more corn will be used for ethanol production
July 15, 2011 Read Full Article
House Vote on Section 526 Raises Questions of Commitment to Energy Security
(25 x '25) The House of Representatives seems to have gotten things backwards. Lawmakers there say they were shoring up national security and supporting U.S. military fuel flexibility when they voted to end a provision in federal law that requires
July 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Fuel - Crude Thoughts
(IATA) Challenges in the jet fuel supply chain are intensifying, making investment in biofuels essential ...(T)he airline industry fuel bill rose more than 11% to $139 billion in 2010, equivalent to 26% of operating expenses. ...How airlines manage fuel is therefore
July 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels 2.0
Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The rise of themochemical biofuels, the power of markets, and the anarchic essence of energy development ...The “failure” of cellulosic ethanol is a failure of the policy framework, I said. It was suicidal to pass legislation that
July 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Grassley Q&A: Looking Forward with Biodiesel
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) (Biodiesel Magazine) Q. Why do you support the production of biodiesel? A. Too much of America’s energy comes from fossil fuels imported from countries that don’t like us. We can reduce dependence on foreign oil, and be
July 13, 2011 Read Full Article
Klobuchar Calls Out Oil Companies to Give Up Subsidies
by Larry Bivins (SCTimes) Sen. Amy Klobuchar urged oil companies Tuesday to follow the lead of the ethanol industry and give up government subsidies to help defray the nation’s burgeoning deficit. In a speech on the Senate floor, Klobuchar
July 13, 2011 Read Full Article
At the Capitol: Alternative Energy Can Be Found Right Here in Illinois
by Rep. Jim Sacia (Journal-Standard) ...Ethanol is another source of alternative energy that has established a foothold in America, and we can be very proud of our own Adkins Energy ethanol plant in Lena. One of the strongest lobbying groups in
July 12, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Integral to Farm Network
by Bryan Christjansen (Journal Gazette) In “Ethanol’s subsidies drain on economy” (Opinion, July 3), Wayne Townsend claims that ethanol production in the United States and in Indiana has caused the price of corn to “skyrocket,” thus “jeopardizing the financial
July 12, 2011 Read Full Article
House Rejects Republican Study Committee Cuts to Energy Subsidies
by Pete Kasperowicz (The Hill) The House on Monday night rejected an amendment proposed by the Republican Study Committee that would have cut $3.25 billion from the Energy and Water Appropriations Act, effectively gutting the Department of Energy's alternative energy funding
July 12, 2011 Read Full Article
Say "NO" to an Ethanol Plant at the Harbour
(Oshawa.com) ...Oshawa says “NO” to an ethanol plant at our harbour for the following reasons: The proposed ethanol plant would be located on a historic and prominent height of land overlooking Lake Ontario. The proposed ethanol plant would be located beside the
July 12, 2011 Read Full Article
Shell to Focus on Natural Gas and Biofuel
(The Star) ...“Biofuels are the only low-carbon transport fuel that can be scaled up fast enough to tackle carbon emissions from transport in the next 20 years,” Royal Dutch Shell Plc CEO Peter Voser said at the opening of the “Future
July 12, 2011 Read Full Article
The Reality We Are Living in Now: Biofuels and the New DC, Part II
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...In a swirling stew of change regarding US federal incentives, tariffs, tax credits and loan guarantees, the most consistent mechanism driving the expansion of renewable transport fuel has been the US Renewable Fuel Standard. Though
July 11, 2011 Read Full Article
America’s Ethanol Industry Is Leading the Way, RFA Writes to President Obama
(Renewable Fuel Association) The Renewable Fuels Association todaysent a letter to President Obama detailing the dynamic state of America’s ethanol industry. The letter was prompted by remarks President Obama made during his Twitter town hall event earlier this week, in
July 08, 2011 Read Full Article
The Oil Squeeze
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) Occasionally we forget that the cost of transportation and aviation fuel is almost entirely driven by the price of oil. Even blended with biofuel to 50/50 or above, petroleum is still the tail that
July 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Witnesses Blast EPA Decision to Allow Higher Ethanol Blends
(US House Committee on Science, Space and Technology) Today the Energy & Environment Subcommittee held a hearing to examine the science behind the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to grant a waiver permitting the use of mid-level ethanol blends of up
July 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Klobuchar, Thune Announce Bipartisan Compromise on Renewable Energy
(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 for a transition to a
July 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Remarks by President Obama in Twitter Town Hall
(CBS3Springfield.com/The White House) ...Q Our next response from southwest Ohio, Mostlymoderate: "Cut subsidies to industries which are no longer in crisis or are unsuccessful, cotton, oil, corn subsidies from ethanol." THE PRESIDENT: Well, there's been a interesting debate taking place
July 06, 2011 Read Full Article
Editorial: No Need for ‘Compromise’ in Trimming Ethanol Subsidies
(The Washington Post) ...Either way, the supports must go. Congress has protected ethanol three ways: with a $6 billion-a-year tax subsidy to those who blend it into gasoline, a tariff on competing imports and a mandate that billions of gallons
July 06, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Prices Have Dropped, Will Grocery Manufacturers Follow?
by Stephanie Dreyer (Growth Energy/Renewable Energy World) After a report detailed that farmers have planted the largest number of corn acres in decades and with corn prices falling, one might expect grocery prices to drop. And one might even assume
July 06, 2011 Read Full Article
FEW: NASCAR 'In Your Corner,' CEO Tells Ethanol Industry
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...NASCAR had to be confident the fuel would withstand 500-mile races at 200 miles per hour without causing engine troubles. The bottom line is: NASCAR would not have selected E15 to fuel its racecars
July 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Ford, Toyota Criticize EPA Ethanol-Blend Fuel Proposal
(Bloomberg) Automakers including Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. criticized an Environmental Protection Agency proposal to allow gasoline containing up to 15 percent ethanol in all cars and trucks in the U.S., saying its use may
July 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Buy FREEDOM Learn Truth About Ethanol
by Chuck Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) During the 2011 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop attendees got a chance to see the new documentary from Josh & Rebecca Tickell. I first met Josh during a National Biodiesel Conference before he produced his award winning film, “Fuel.”
July 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Letter to Editor: Is Ethanol a Solution, or a Problem?
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/New York Times) In “The Great Corn Con” (Op-Ed, June 25), Steven Rattner claims that United States ethanol production makes food costlier and scarcer, pollutes the environment and drains the treasury. That is not the
July 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Shifting Normal Supply, Demand Forces
by Steve Leer (Purdue University) • About 27 percent of the nation's corn crop must be devoted to ethanol this year to meet the federal mandate, leaving other corn users to compete for the remaining 73 percent. • The renewable fuels standard
July 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Nature Outlook Biofuels--Special Supplement
(Nature: International Weekly Journal of Science) Biofuels have big boots to fill. After more than 150 years of using petroleum and its products we have become dependent on it. First generation biofuels are showing us both the potential and the
July 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels Not to Blame for High Food Prices, Study Says
by Rob O'Flanagan (Guelph Mercury) Biofuels are not the villain behind recent spikes in food prices, a new study funded by Grain Farmers of Ontario concludes. Terry Daynard, a corn expert and retired University of Guelph crop science professor, presented the
July 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Oil Incentives Have to Be Talked about, Too, by the Candidates
by Walt Wendland (Des Moines Register/Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) ...When presidential candidates have discussed reforming the ethanol incentive, several news articles called this either "bold" or "risky" in Iowa. These stories operated under the assumption that support for the
July 01, 2011 Read Full Article
ASBTA Urges Biofuel Conversion by Airlines to Keep Small Businesses Traveling and Growing
(The American Small Business Travelers Alliance) The American Small Business Travelers Alliance (ASBTA) serves America's 27 million small companies by working to improve service, reduce costs and maintain safety and comfort in air travel. "Public and private sector experts agree that
June 30, 2011 Read Full Article
Despite Editorial, Ethanol's Not So Bad
by James Gough (Fredericksburg Free Lance Star) ...My primary concern with the editorial, however, is the certainty with which the writer declares, "we know now that ethanol production actually degrades the environment and causes increases in food prices. In fact,
June 30, 2011 Read Full Article
Dinneen to Ethanol Industry: ‘We Need to Show Some Outrage’
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen abandoned the podium and chose to speak off the cuff during his keynote presentation delivered to attendees of the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo on
June 30, 2011 Read Full Article
Council Calls for Protection of Ethanol-Free Refining
by Jacqueline Cochran (The Advocate) Concerns that “pure” gasoline production in Louisiana may come to an end resulted in a commitment by the Tangipahoa Parish Council to lead a statewide call for congressional assistance. Councilman Carlo Bruno, who is a salesman
June 30, 2011 Read Full Article
Can California Renewables Survive Democracy?
by Herman K. Trabish (GreenTechMedia) California’s Tehachapi-Mohave Region is rich in renewable potential—but is it richer in NIMBYism and BANANAism? ...But development will not happen until the people of the Antelope Valley -- who will have to live with what developers build
June 29, 2011 Read Full Article
It Takes Two to Tango
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) How and why could three announcements from Gevo, Toray, Redfield and the EPA point the way forward for US ethanol, advanced biofuels, and renewable chemicals? ...The key is looking at the EPA ruling. How do you
June 29, 2011 Read Full Article
The New "30 Years War"
by Michael T. Klare (CBS News) ...Over the coming decades, we will be embroiled at a global level in a succeed-or-perish contest among the major forms of energy, the corporations which supply them, and the countries that run on them. The
June 29, 2011 Read Full Article
EPA Finalizes E15 Pump Labeling Requirements/New Labels Will Help Consumers Find the Right Fuel for Their Vehicles
(US Environmental Protection Agency) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued fuel pump labeling and other requirements for gasoline blends containing more than 10 and up to 15 percent ethanol, known as E15. These requirements will help ensure that E15
June 29, 2011 Read Full Article
BP Lauds Use of Biofuels
(UPI) ...The International Energy Agency estimates the number of cars on the road will double by 2030. Philip New, president of biofuels development at BP, told delegates at a London conference that with better fuel efficiency and an increased use
June 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Santorum Tells Iowa Farmers He Would End Ethanol Subsidies
by William Petroski (Des Moines Register) ...Santorum, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, said he advocates phasing-out the existing tax incentive for ethanol production, commonly known as the blenders’ credit, by reducing the credit 9 cents annually over each
June 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Makers, Farmers Push for Modest Support if Subsidy Dies; Economists Say They’ll Be OK
(AP/Bloomberg/The Washington Post) If a $5 billion-a-year federal subsidy that helped build the ethanol industry comes to an end, it will likely mean two things, experts who have followed its development say. First, it doesn’t guarantee an end to the high
June 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Senate Ethanol Vote to Little Impact Corn Demand: Morgan Stanley
(Platts) ...But even if hypothetically the subsidies did end June 30, it would in all likelihood not affect corn and ethanol demand, owing to the current prices between the two, and conventional gasoline, Morgan Stanley said in a report. ...At current
June 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Investors Sweet on Second-Gen Biofuel IPOs But a Few Caveats Remain
by Ivan Castano (Renewable Energy World) Second-generation biofuel IPOs are all the rage this year with recent deals pricing well above initial expectations and a growing number of companies expected to tap the capital markets in coming months. But
June 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Editorial: Cut the Ethanol Subsidy, But Be Fair
(StarTribune) Why is one fuel being targeted but another -- oil -- isn't? ...The best way to pay down the nation's $14.3 trillion debt? "Reducing wasteful spending a billion dollars at a time,'' Coburn said. Coburn has a point about the ethanol
June 27, 2011 Read Full Article
Instant View: G20 Farm Ministers Agree Deal on Food Prices
by Martin Roberts, Chuck Abbott, Sarah McFarlane, Charlie Dunmore, Jonathan Saul, Nigel Hunt (Reuters) G20 members settled a deal on Thursday to curb volatility in food prices, falling short of France's ambitious plans to impose tough new regulations on speculators, but agreeing to boost
June 27, 2011 Read Full Article
Land for Biofuels or Crops? The Debate Rumbles on
by Caroline Henshaw (The Wall Street Journal) Agriculture ministers for the world’s richest nations are meeting in Paris this week to debate the best ways to tackle unprecedented volatility in food prices. But while farming officials for the Group of
June 27, 2011 Read Full Article
EPA Proposes 15.2 Billion Gallon Biofuel Mandate for 2012; 50 Percent Jump in Advanced Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...EPA proposes to mandate the blending of 15.2 billion gallons of renewable fuel into the US fuel supply, and increased the proposed mandate for advanced biofuels by 48 percent, to 2 billion gallons. ...The proposed 2012
June 27, 2011 Read Full Article
Asia Scrambles to Hasten Biofuels Scale-Up
by Joelle Brink (Biofuels Digest Asia) Suddenly it’s scale-up time in Asia and everyone is scrambling for biofuels. Only a few years ago no one believed this could happen. Indian Railways was the only national-scale producer and user of biofuels
June 27, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels Are Job Creators, Not Hunger Villian: U.S.
by Charles Abbott (Reuters) Biofuels are a "tremendous job creator" for rural areas, said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday, ahead of a global meeting where the farm-grown fuels may be criticized as a factor in high food prices. ...Biofuels, especially ethanol
June 23, 2011 Read Full Article
In Search of A Biofuel El Dorado: The Quest for Brazil’s Energy Independence Future
by Robert Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) In 1568, a Spanish Conquistador by the name of Pedro Maraver de Silva led his men on a mission to capture Incas who had escaped with their gold. Journeying north of Peru, they encountered
June 20, 2011 Read Full Article
Navy on Coal-to-Liquids: No, Thanks
by Ben Geman (The Hill/E2Wire) A top Navy official said Friday (June 3,2011) that the department isn’t interested in developing coal-based transportation fuels as an alternative to oil, noting there are more promising options. Tom Hicks, the Navy’s deputy assistant secretary
June 17, 2011 Read Full Article
Senate Approves Cut in Ethanol Subsidies
by Steven Mufsonand Lori Montgomery (The Washington Post) The Senate on Thursday approved an amendment that would end tax credits for ethanol that refiners blend into motor fuel in a vote closely watched as a sign of whether Congress can
June 17, 2011 Read Full Article
Study Finds Biodiesel is Bright Spot In Job Creation
(National Biodiesel Board) America’s Advanced Biofuel Supporting Thousands of New Jobs While Generating Billions in Household Income, Tax Revenues The U.S. biodiesel industry will grow to support more than 74,000 jobs throughout the economy by 2015 while creating some $4 billion in
June 15, 2011 Read Full Article
2011 Threatens to Repeat 2008-’09 in Ethanol Economics
by Rob Carringer (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...Many investors have jumped into the renewable energy space with the hopes of making money from breakthrough technology. While these investments can be an admirable example of the American Dream, it is wise to
June 15, 2011 Read Full Article
US Senate Defeats Coburn Amendment: Industry Reaction
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, on a cloture vote in the Senate to proceed to an amendment that would end the current ethanol tax incentive immediately, Senator Coburn’s amendment lost 40-59, falling 20 votes short of the sixty votes needed to
June 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Fuel Retailer Opposes Thune/Klobuchar Bill
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 federal budget issues while phasing
June 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Running Dry: Oil Production Fails to Keep up with Demand
(The Economist) ...As figures released in BP’s "Statistical Review of World Energy" show, global oil production has struggled to keep up with increased demand recently, particularly from Asia. In China alone consumption has risen by over 4m barrels per day
June 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Holden Goes Alone on Ethanol
by Stephen Ottley (Sidney Morning Herald) Lion brand vows to explore the fuel as parent GM wavers Holden's decision to invest in ethanol has been called into question by the company's parent in the US, with General Motors chief executive officer
June 14, 2011 Read Full Article
New Technologies Promise Improved Sustainability
by Kurt A. Rosentrater, Ph.D. (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The fuel ethanol and distillers grains industry ...sustainably meets the growing needs for food, feed, fiber and fuel for our society as well as the rest of the world. ...Two key areas
June 10, 2011 Read Full Article
GM Chief Disparages Ethanol but Sticks to 2012 Target
by Philip Brasher (Des Moines Register) General Motors says it’s committed to reaching its goal next for ethanol-capable vehicles despite a negative view that CEO Dan Akerson voiced about the biofuel’s prospects. In an interview published this week by The Detroit
June 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol and the Politics of OPEC
by Matt Hartwig (Renewable Fuel Association) ...Iran and Venezuela are exerting more influence in a drive to keep global oil prices above $100 per barrel. Previously, this level was thought to be too high and would result in demand destruction
June 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Don’t Discount Biofuels
by John Gardner (Xconomy) ...I have had the privilege of spending the last year in an effort called Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest and learned much from over forty stakeholders in the project. Let me offer four observations that give me some
June 09, 2011 Read Full Article
E15 Ethanol: Bridge to Tomorrow, or Bridge to Nowhere?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...E15 blending, goes the argument, can provide the immediate market growth that will absorb current capacity, and create room in the marketplace to meet RFS renewable fuel mandates, and create a market for cellulosic ethanol. To
June 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Small Scale Algae—An Alternate Vision
by Riggs Eckelberry (OriginOil/Algae Industry Magazine) ...While capital is rightly pouring into gigantic projects that we need to begin to compete with oil and gas, there is a parallel business model that takes advantage of algae’s unique ability to be
June 08, 2011 Read Full Article
GM Chief Pushing for Higher Gas Taxes
by David Shepardson and Christina Rogers (The Detroit News) General Motors Co. CEO Dan Akerson wants the federal gas tax boosted as much as $1 a gallon to nudge consumers toward more fuel-efficient cars, ... And while he is eager
June 07, 2011 Read Full Article
Bloomberg Report Says Biochemical Pathway Attractive to Investors
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Private financial support for technology acceleration continues to be important, and certain technologies are becoming clear favorites for investors, according to a recent Bloomberg New Energy Finance analysis of financial investments made in biofuels
June 07, 2011 Read Full Article
The True Story Behind Food Versus Fuel Debate
by Ron Miller (Biofuels Digest/Prisma Advisors) “Hunger, despair for millions” reads the headline in a national newspaper looking to link high food prices with the growth of renewable fuels. Anti-ethanol factions oftentimes cite food costs in the ongoing food versus fuel
June 07, 2011 Read Full Article
Khosla Slams Big Oil, Virent Debuts Alternative to Plastic Bottles at the 2011 Ethanol Summit in Brazil
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Brazil, 2,000 industry executives gathered at UNICA’s biennial Ethanol Summit in Sao Paulo. Among the highlights, a charged keynote in which celebrated venture capitalist Vinod Khosla accused oil companies of having a double-standard on risk-taking
June 07, 2011 Read Full Article
10 Top Strategic Investors in Biofuels & Materials
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What makes a top strategic investor? Who are the players at the top of their investment game in biofuels now? First of all, by definition, strategic investors are generally non-financial corporate entities for whom the investment
June 06, 2011 Read Full Article
Filmmaker Puts His Energy behind a Coal-Mining Movie
by Mark Jenkins (The Washington Post) Bill Haney devotes only one-third of his time to filmmaking. But at this precise moment, he’s 100 percent focused on “The Last Mountain,” his documentary about the coal-mining technique known as “mountaintop removal.’’ The movie covers
June 03, 2011 Read Full Article
Ford CEO Mulally Urges One Fuel Standard
by Nathan Hurst and David Shepardson (Detroit News) Ford Motor Co.'s top executive pushed for unity on national fuel efficiency standards for automakers Tuesday, telling Capitol Hill legislators that multiple U.S. standards put undue burden on automakers and consumers. ...In the meeting
June 02, 2011 Read Full Article
California Studies Present Conflicting Views on Ethanol
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Two recently released studies examining California’s future energy needs address biofuels’ role in contributing to the state’s fuel mix. Both reports are aimed at evaluating methods to reduce the state’s overall emissions, but reach
June 02, 2011 Read Full Article
National Farmers Union Rejects Biofuel Criticism
(National Farmers Union) Biofuels can help to create a strong and sustainable agricultural sector in Europe, NFU policy director Martin Haworth stressed this week. Speaking at an international food security conference in Brussels this week Mr Haworth criticised campaign groups for painting
June 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels About to Take Off - Just Not Yet
by John Daly (OiPrice.com) ...So why, no U.S. production? The answers are both complex and simple. First, new biofuels are up against the well established ethanol lobby. Secondly, given renewables’ battle against the ethanol Goliath, there are yet exist no subsidies, crop insurance
June 02, 2011 Read Full Article
The Politics of Tax-and-Blend
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Instead of simply not collecting a portion of the fuel tax, the consumer is charged the whole amount, which is collected by the gas station and paid to the government. The government analyzes all this.
June 02, 2011 Read Full Article
Battles over Biofuels in Europe: NGOs and the Politics of Markets
by Sarah Pilgrim and Mark Harvey (Sociological Research Online) In this paper, we argue that a consortium of NGOs has played a significant role in shaping the market for, and restricting the use of, biofuels as an alternative to conventional
June 01, 2011 Read Full Article
What High Gas Prices Mean for Renewable Energy
by Jennifer Kho (Renewable Energy World) While high energy prices in 2008 pushed investors towards renewables, the story is very different this time around. ...In 2008, the last time gasoline approached $4 a gallon, the sticker shock prompted many drivers to
June 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuels Plan Needs Nudge from Congress
by Robert F. Dorr (Air Force Times) ...Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz has been the driving force behind the service’s conservation movement, both because it saves the environment and it saves money. And for that he deserves a salute. Schwartz couldn’t
June 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Algae-Based Biofuels Represent a Trillion Dollar Potential Market Opportunity, but Cost Is an Obstacle to Commercialization
(Pike Research) Among next generation renewable fuel alternatives, algae stands out as one of the most promising and scalable options with the potential to supply key fuel and co-product markets. Strong demand from aviation and military consumers, technological breakthroughs in
June 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Truckers Want Limits on Biodiesel
by Dana Flavelle (The Star) Canadian truckers say new biofuel requirements for diesel that come into effect July 1 will cost taxpayers $2.5 billion over the next 25 years and do little to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Similar to earlier legislation
May 31, 2011 Read Full Article
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