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by Chris Clayton (DTN The Progressive Farmer) The uncertainty of the federal Renewable Fuels Standard and political fights with the petroleum industry are giving more weight to the need for major biofuel states to consider their own low-carbon fuel standards. After years of pushing for a federal low-carbon fuels standard, the
North Dakota
July 11, 2019
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by Dan Niepow (Grand Forks Herald) … To be sure, there have been some efforts among North Dakota leaders to bolster clean energy, at least on the ethanol front. Under former Gov. John Hoeven, the state put into place an ethanol producer incentive program. The state set aside money to
May 17, 2019
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by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Beyond Enerkem, a few companies around the world are looking to feedstocks outside of corn to produce cellulosic ethanol. — A few well-known ethanol producers are developing cellulosic pathways that use feedstocks other than elements of corn. … Waste Gas LanzaTech, a U.S.-based carbon capture and
May 14, 2019
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by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) As a new wave of large-scale biomass-based diesel projects develops, experts suggest market forces are ready to deliver the necessary fats, oils and greases. — …Many of these new biomass-based diesel projects intend to produce renewable diesel at a much larger scale than even the largest biodiesel
April 17, 2019
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by Casey Leins (US News and World Report) The Midwest added more than 28,000 clean energy jobs in 2018, resulting in a 4 percent growth rate, according to a recent report released by national advocacy groups Clean Energy Trust and Environmental Entrepreneurs. The 12 Midwestern states employed more than 737,000 workers
April 17, 2019
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by Amy Dalrymple (Bismarck Tribune/Grand Forks Herald) A project to capture carbon dioxide from a western North Dakota ethanol plant continues to advance as researchers work to better understand the geology below the facility. Red Trail Energy in Richardton proposes to capture carbon dioxide rather than emit it into the
April 17, 2019
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) The Trump administration is developing guidance to help companies qualify for a built-out tax credit for carbon capture, utilization and storage — a welcome addition for industry officials and lawmakers who have complained the IRS is moving too slowly to implement the increased credit,
March 14, 2019
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by Bruce Comer (Ocean Park/Biofuels Digest) Convergence reigns as the North American biofuels industry witnesses a resurgence in mergers and acquisitions, including exceptionally large deals — Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in biofuels picked up considerably in 2018 after a slowdown in 2017, and by historic standards, the deals grew considerably in
January 22, 2019
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(Illinois Farmer Today) Faster conversion of land into agricultural production in recent years has raised the region’s carbon cost of producing grains, according to recently published research from an Iowa State University scientist. The study, published in the academic journal Environmental Research Letters, shows that increases in crop production due
January 8, 2019
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by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Biodiesel Magazine provides a visual of prominent project development activities over the past year. READ MORE
January 5, 2019
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(North Dakota State University/Phys.Org) The many benefits of a biomass-made material called biochar are highlighted in a new publication in which Ghasideh Pourhashem, assistant professor at NDSU’s Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials and Center for Sustainable Materials Science, is the lead author. he 24-page article, “Policy Support for Biochar: Review
December 21, 2018
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(AgWeek) Midwest AgEnergy, the parent company to ethanol biorefineries, Blue Flint, near Underwood, N.D., and Dakota Spirit, near Spiritwood, N.D., recently surpassed production of more than one billion gallons of ethanol produced company-wide. “Congratulations and thank you to our employees at Midwest AgEnergy. We are proud of the commitment and
December 20, 2018
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by John Hageman (The Dickinson Press) A new refinery has been proposed for oil-rich western North Dakota, prompting questions from a local township chairman. AIC Energy Corp. filed an application earlier this month with Williams County planning and zoning officials. It described the so-called “Bakken Oil Refinery” as a 28,000
December 7, 2018
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by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Railroad delays in 2014 forced ethanol plants to slow production or find other ways to move their products. Four years later, the situation has improved, but rail traffic is on the rise again. … In late 2013 and through much of 2014, ethanol shipments were
December 6, 2018
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by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) While oil refiners adding a small percentage of renewable feedstock to their operations sounds simple, the political, economic, technical, societal and market consequences are anything but. In 2007, at the height of the biodiesel boom, ConocoPhillips and Tyson Foods announced a partnership to coprocess animal fats
November 6, 2018
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … Phillips 66 and REG’s announcement about a new renewable diesel plant on the U.S. West Coast planned for 2021 comes after a notable increase in refineries that are being converted and changed over to renewable diesel. Change is good, especially in this case. … While it was
November 5, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) IEA Bioenergy Task 33 is a working group of international experts with the aim to promote the commercialization of efficient, economical and environmentally preferable thermal biomass gasification processes. Here, Lars Waldheim of Waldheim Consulting gave this illuminating overview of wastes as a gasifier fuel, Waste fuel characteristics
October 25, 2018
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by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) In the U.S. ethanol industry, three plants are under construction, while a fourth makes its way through the permitting process. — In an industry with more than 200 existing plants, four new projects is a small figure. Greenfield ethanol plant development is in a lull,
October 24, 2018
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(Targray/PR Web) Targray, a leading North American biofuels marketer and distributor, has announced the opening of its Fargo Biodiesel Terminal, a 24/7 fuel distribution center serving wholesale fuel buyers throughout the Fargo-Moorhead metro area. Centrally located in West Fargo, North Dakota, the new terminal will provide local fuel retailers, distributors and fleet
October 18, 2018
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by John Downey (Charlotte Business Journal/Mid-Atlantic Bioenergy Council) Wilmington’s Optima BioEnergy operates North Carolina’s only swine-waste biogas plant and had plans for more. Then regulators three a wrench into those plans. Optima BioEnergy has cleared an important regulatory hurdle to building its second swine-waste plant in North Carolina. But it’s a
September 26, 2018
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A biorefinery that will produce 16 MMgy of cellulosic ethanol and 120,000 of lignin pellets is set to break ground in Spiritwood, North Dakota, in the spring of 2019. The facility, under development by New Energy Blue, will feature Inbicon technology. The proposed plant, known
September 25, 2018
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by Tess Williams (Grand Forks Herald) Mayor Mike Brown is heading to Poland with Keith Lund, president of the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corp., and City Administrator Todd Feland to build partnerships and talk about biofuels. The Red River Biorefinery, which broke ground last month, is being celebrated during
September 24, 2018
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(National Corn Growers Association) The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) today said plans unveiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide aid to farmers negatively impacted by trade tariffs and ongoing trade uncertainty would be insufficient to even begin to address the serious damage done to the corn market
August 31, 2018
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by April Baumgarten (Grand Forks Herald) A Grand Forks biorefinery that will turn sugar beet waste into ethanol will break ground this week. City, state and economic leaders are expected to speak Wednesday at the ceremony for the Red River Biorefinery, an 80,000-square-foot facility that will convert more than 500,000 metric
August 22, 2018
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by Helena Taveres Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In Texas, Andeavor announced a project to convert the Dickinson Refinery to process 12,000 barrels per day of renewable feedstocks, including soybean oil and distillers corn oil, into renewable diesel fuel. The project is expected to be completed in late 2020 and is subject to permitting and
August 13, 2018
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A crude oil refinery in North Dakota is working on repurposing to make renewable diesel instead of petroleum fuel. Destin Singleton, an Andeavor spokeswoman explained that the proposal builds on a pilot project at the refinery that processes vegetable oil and Bakken crude to create a 5 percent renewable diesel blend.
August 7, 2018
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(My Plainview) The owner of a small crude oil refinery in North Dakota is seeking to convert the facility to process vegetable oil into renewable diesel instead of continuing to make petroleum. The Andeavor Dickinson Refinery applied for an air quality permit from the state Department of Health to process locally
August 7, 2018
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(Nebraska Public Power District) Nebraska Public Power District is taking another step forward in the carbon world with a second Department of Energy (DOE) study. This most recent initiative has a goal of developing an integrated carbon dioxide (CO2) collection, transportation, and storage infrastructure in the Midwest for ethanol facilities
July 20, 2018
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by Patrick Springer (West Fargo Pioneer) … “It’s not a protest against President Trump,” said Pam Musland, marketing and communication supervisor for the North Dakota Farmers Union. “Our hope is to grab some media attention with all the media in town” to cover Trump’s appearance. … Those at what’s billed the
June 27, 2018
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) President Donald Trump will campaign with GOP Rep. Kevin Cramer next week — a trip that could extinguish any lingering tensions between the White House and the Senate hopeful, after the president has treated Cramer’s opponent Sen. Heidi Heitkamp with seeming warmth. Trump’s planned
June 18, 2018
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by Alan Bjerga and Mario Parker (Bloomberg) EPA chief seen as betraying Trump’s promises on biofuels; Trade tensions put demand for agricultural goods at risk — Even as Donald Trump tweets his support for U.S. agriculture, farmer loyalty for the president looks like it’s starting to waver over moves that may undermine corn-based ethanol and
June 5, 2018
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by Mikkel Pates (Agweek) Ag technology promoters are pedaling hard for biofuels-friendly policies in Washington, D.C., to make life livable for cash-strapped farmers supplying markets that didn’t exist 30 years ago. Erick Lutt, director of industrial and environmental policy for Biotechnology Innovation Organization, speaking at the 2018 Bio Industry Summit
May 21, 2018
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(American Coalition for Ethanol /Ethanol Producer Magazine) American Coalition for Ethanol Senior Vice President Ron Lamberty spoke at Petro Serve USA’s grand opening of its facility in Valley City, North Dakota, May 11 to congratulate the company and CEO Kent Satrang on offering more consumers E15 and higher ethanol blends. “Petro
May 15, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … The deal creates the largest US oil refiner (and a top-five refiner globally) at 3.1 million barrels per day of capacity — Valero is around the same size, but that includes overseas operations. … The (Marathon Petroleum) Company formed a joint venture with The Anderson’s, Inc., The
by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The winners of the first-ever Ethanol Producer Awards have been chosen. Ethanol Producer Magazine collected nominations in five categories: The Good Neighbor Award, Board of the Year, Project of the Year, Collaboration of the Year and Workplace of the Year. Editorial staff and the magazine’s editorial
April 17, 2018
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(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) Today (April 10, 2018), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it has approved the State of North Dakota’s request to implement and enforce its own Class VI Underground Injection Control (UIC) program. This marks the first time any state has received primacy for Class VI UIC
by Julie Harker (Brownfield Ag News) Mixed prairie grasses that are used in Conservation Reserve Program lands did not live up to their potential as biomass crops for cellulosic biofuel production, in an eight-year study. D.K. Lee, associate crop science professor at the University of Illinois, tells Brownfield most of the CRP
February 21, 2018
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by April Baumgarten (Grand Forks Herald) … The Grand Forks County Commission approved during a Tuesday meeting a resolution that sets the stage for a public hearing for the Red River BioRefinery bond. The $80 million bond has not been approved, but if the commission does say yes, the county
February 8, 2018
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by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Continued investment and expansion took place in the U.S. biodiesel sector throughout 2017, despite rising political uncertainty and a lapsed tax credit. Here is an overview of some of the activity, plus a special sidebar story from Joe Jobe. As 2017 dawned with another expired biodiesel
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Red Trail Energy LLC and the University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center began investigating carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology as a way to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions associated with ethanol production last year with the support of the North
January 3, 2018
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by Carol Spaeth-Bauer (Wisconsin State Farmer) A University of Wisconsin-Madison study released on Nov. 15 has officials in the ethanol industry frustrated, disputing the methodology of the study saying the claims of the study are not supported by fact. The study showed a shift of more than 7 million acres into cropland that led to massive
November 29, 2017
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(Office of Senator Heidi Heitkamp) Senators: EPA Proposal to Cut Renewable Fuel Standard Would Cost Jobs in Rural America — U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today led a bipartisan letter with U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO), Patty Murray (D-WA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and a group of 29 other senators urging the U.S. Environmental
October 16, 2017
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(University of Wyoming) Agricultural economists at the University of Wyoming will generate models of what economies in the Upper Missouri River Basin might look like if raising biofuels and carbon capture technologies were implemented. UW is part of the four-year, $6 million National Science Foundation project working with Montana State University
October 9, 2017
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by Mikkel Pates (Agweek) The Environmental Protection Agency predicted it might take six months to do an initial evaluation of “energy beets” for their environmental footprint as a feedstock for biofuels. Six years — not months — later the agency has a thumbs up on energy beets as a feedstock
September 12, 2017
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In North Dakota, a study by North Dakota State University’s the Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics, The Center for Social Research, says the state’s ethanol industry added $623.4 million to the economy during 2015 including 234 FTE direct jobs and another 873 FTE secondary jobs. Secondary impacts from the
August 16, 2017
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by Haley Olson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) North Dakota’s ethanol industry contributes $623.4 million to the economy annually, according to a report from the North Dakota State University Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics. “The industry generated $187.7 million of economy-wide personal income and $121.5 million in retail trade activity,” said
August 9, 2017
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by Ron Kotrba (Biomass Magazine) A Tesoro oil refinery in Dickinson, North Dakota, has plans to co-process renewable feedstock along with regionally sourced Bakken crude oil to produce a 5 percent renewable diesel blend. Construction is planned to begin in October with start-up expected in December. Tesoro acquired the Dakota
July 7, 2017
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by Ellie Potter (Grand Forks Herald) Red Trail Energy may soon be the first ethanol plant in the United States to store carbon dioxide underground as part of an environmental and economic effort. Last month, U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., secured North Dakota’s primacy over Class VI injection wells from
June 7, 2017
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by Ann Bailey (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The ethanol industry provides young people with wealth of job opportunities. — Nineteen-year-old Marcus Niehaus sees a future in the ethanol industry. The Southeastern Illinois College student said he wants to make a difference in the world and believes working in the biofuels
June 2, 2017
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by Luke Geiver (Ethanol Producer Magazine) One year into her role as Guardian Energy CEO, Jeanne McCaherty has tapped into her previous experience at Cargill and the unique make-up of the ethanol industry. — It’s hard to believe that Jeanne McCaherty holds only one title for Guardian Energy Management LLC.
May 30, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The production of Agrisoma’s Resonance Carinata is being expanded to multiple locations globally to provide a supply of sustainable, non-food oils for meeting the demand for sustainable biofuels. Resonance Carinata is certified sustainable by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), the global standard and certification
May 8, 2017
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by Mikkel Pates (Agweek) An Iowa biofuels promoter who came to North Dakota in 2012 and sought investments in factories, including a proposed beets-to-ethanol plant Grafton, N.D., has been accused of violating federal wire fraud, mail fraud, identity theft, racketeering and money laundering statutes, on top of last year’s conviction
May 2, 2017
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by Sam Harrington (Yale Climate Connections) Until about 10 years ago, spring wheat was a favorite crop for farmers in North Dakota. Erickson: “Beginning in 2007, when the government heavily incentivized corn production for ethanol use, corn production really reached into North Dakota, and people began growing corn as a replacement
April 10, 2017
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(Vega Biofuels) Vega Biofuels, Inc. (OTCPink:VGPR) announced today that it has signed a five year Agreement to provide the Company’s Biochar to legal cannabis growers in Alaska. The state of Alaska is the most recent state to legalize both medical and recreational cannabis use. The Agreement with AK Provisions, Inc.
March 7, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The production of Agrisoma’s Resonance Carinata is being expanded to multiple locations globally to provide a supply of sustainable, non-food oils for meeting the demand for sustainable biofuels. Resonance Carinata is certified sustainable by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), the global standard and certification
February 28, 2017
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By Matt McGrath (BBC) Up to 16% of hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells spill liquids every year, according to new research from US scientists. They found that there had been 6,600 releases from these fracked wells over a ten-year period in four states. The biggest problems were reported in oil-rich North
(North Dakota State University) Wet distillers grains and condensed distillers solubles increased corn and spring wheat yields. — Distillers grains could be a source of fertilizer for some crops, according to research at North Dakota State University’s Carrington Research Extension Center. Wet distillers grains and condensed distillers solubles (sometimes referred
February 9, 2017
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by Evelyn Boswell (Montana State University) A regional interdisciplinary team led by Montana State University has received $6 million to develop new innovations at the intersection of food, energy and water systems while training the next generation of scientists. The four-year grant from the National Science Foundation will allow MSU,
November 4, 2016
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(Energy and Environment Research Center) Red Trail Energy, LLC, and the EERC take a closer look at the expansion of ethanol production through carbon capture and storage. READ MORE
October 19, 2016
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by Joanna Schroeder (Energy.AgWired.com) Consumers will have the choice to purchase E15 at the pump again tomorrow, September 15, 2016. For drivers owning a 2001 or newer vehicle, E15 sales are restricted during summer months due to an arcane U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation on Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP).
September 14, 2016
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On Sept. 13, the governors of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota sent a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy asking her to remove the Reid vapor pressure (RVP) limit on E15. The letter explains the RVP is a significant
September 14, 2016
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(U.S. Geological Survey) The Northern Great Plains of North and South Dakota, which support over 40 percent of United States commercial honey bee colonies, are quickly becoming less conducive to commercial beekeeping as a result of land-use changes, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study published today. The USGS scientists found
August 30, 2016
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by Ann Bailey (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A biorefinery proposed to be built in Grand Forks, North Dakota, would transform low-value agricultural byproducts, including sugar beet tailings, wheat straw and potato waste, into biofuel. The North Dakota Ag Products Utilization Commission recently awarded the Red River BioRefinery LLC project $84,000 for
August 25, 2016
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(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) … With a potential omnibus spending package on the table this fall, the oil industry and some environmental groups have raised again the proposition of RFS reform. Two major claims made by RFS-reformers are that biofuels, especially corn-based biofuels, don’t reduce GHGs, and that the RFS
August 12, 2016
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(Energy & Environmental Research Center/Ethanol Producer Magazine) North Dakota ethanol producer Red Trail Energy LLC and the Energy & Environmental Research Center, a worldwide leader in the development of solutions to energy and environmental challenges, have been awarded $490,000 by the North Dakota Industrial Commission’s Renewable Energy Program in support
August 11, 2016
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(Associated Press/The Washington Times) A group of developers is planning to make ethanol from the stalks and leaves of North Dakota wheat straw and corn plants. New Energy Investors is looking to develop a 13-million gallon, cellulosic ethanol plant at the Spiritwood Industrial Park near Jamestown, the Bismarck Tribune (http://bit.ly/2aEyvYB)
August 1, 2016
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by Keith Norman (The Jamestown Sun) Officials with New Energy Investors are planning on submitting an updated grant request to the North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Committee after its previous request was denied in May, according to Robert Johnson, CEO of the company. “We’re still involved in developing the project,”
June 8, 2016
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by Ernest Scheyder (Reuters) The fracking party is over, and a quiet desperation has descended on the state’s once-booming communities and the thousands of people who were drawn to them. — … But the price drop quickened, due in part to a supply glut from the 1.2 million barrels of
May 19, 2016
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by Kassidi Andres (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Mike Bryan is introducing Australia to a DDGS-based feed product made by a company headquartered in North Dakota, where his ethanol career began. — … Today, living on the east coast of Australia in Brisbane, the 71-year-old founder and chairman of BBI International, publisher
May 17, 2016
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by Jim Talent (Americans for Energy Security and Innovation/The Hill) Opponents of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) claim that the free hand of an unrestricted marketplace will guide biofuels into our fuel supply, driving economic competition and giving consumers better options at the gas pump. In an ideal world, they
May 13, 2016
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by Maura Keller (Fuel Marketer News) … The argument among those marketers and retailers that have embraced the fuel is that E15 fuel allows them to market a cleaner-burning, higher-octane fuel that can technically be used by more than 200 million cars on the road today (EPA approval for cars 2001 and
May 12, 2016
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by Katie Heger (Farm & Ranch Guide) … It is just so cliché and doesn’t nearly cover all that agriculture is about. On our family farm, we do so much more than feed the world. Now, let me explain. Yes, my farm grows crops and some of those crops are made
May 4, 2016
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by Keith Norman (Forum News Service/Prairie Business Magazine) Industrial grade sugar beets, which can be used to produce ethanol and plastic, may become a farm crop for central North Dakota in the future, although the time is not right now, according to Maynard Helgaas, president of Green Vision Group. …
May 4, 2016
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by Keith Norman (Jamestown Sun) Plans for a $150 million cellulosic ethanol plant at the Spiritwood Energy Park Association industrial park are underway, according to Thomas Corle, founding partner of New Energy Investors, a Pennsylvania company. If built, the ethanol plant would directly employ about 40 people with another 60
April 12, 2016
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by Alan Neuhauser (US News and World Report) America’s fracking boom promised big paychecks, but thousands of workers were exploited, the Labor Department says. — … Despite booming industry profits and record oil and gas output – which together rejuvenated the country’s economy and transformed the U.S. into the world’s top
April 11, 2016
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by Kim Larson (Grand Forks Herald) … Let us all be reminded, that CRP was never meant to remain as a stationary acreage program. It was expected to perform just as it has, rise and fall with the free market decisions of those that actually retain the ownership to those acreage
March 14, 2016
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by Tom Dennis (Grand Forks Herald) … What happened is that crude oil production soared in North Dakota and elsewhere around the United States. More domestic oil production means less need to import foreign oil—and it also means less need to boost volume by adding ethanol. So, an early reason
by David Ripplinger (NDSU Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics) When I returned to the Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics at North Dakota State University in 2010, I expected my research to focus on the economics of liquid biofuels. The corn-ethanol industry had expanded rapidly since the passage of the
February 3, 2016
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(Trestle Energy/PR Newswire) Trestle Energy LLC – a California company working with ethanol and power producers across the Midwest – announced that California’s Air Resources Board officially approved its groundbreaking ethanol production process under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). Building on Trestle’s 2014 approval by British Columbia, California’s approval
January 26, 2016
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by Dan Murtaugh and Javier Blas (Bloomberg/msn.com) Oil is so plentiful and cheap in the U.S. that at least one buyer says it would need to be paid to take a certain type of low-quality crude. Flint Hills Resources LLC, the refining arm of billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch’s industrial
January 18, 2016
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by David Ripplinger (North Dakota State University) The domestic level of biodiesel use is mandated to increase to 2 billion gallons a year by 2017, double the minimum amount required by the original law. How much biodiesel is that? Domestic biodiesel diesel production has averaged 1.3 billion gallons the last
December 28, 2015
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by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency and the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology recently released results of a research project that investigated the technical feasibility, commercial viability and environmental compliance of the use of liquefied coal and biomass mixtures as a military jet fuel replacement. Overall, the
December 23, 2015
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(Pacific Ag) For industries like mushroom composting to erosion technology as well as dairy and cattle feed, Pacific Ag is creating a supply chain for agricultural residue — — Pacific Ag, the nation’s largest crop residue harvest company, has recently completed its largest harvest of wheat straw on record. Working
November 16, 2015
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by Jarrett Renshaw and Catherine Ngai (Reuters) … North Dakota’s Bakken production peaked at 1.153 million barrels per day in June, and had fallen to 1.13 million barrels per day by August, according to state data. The supply restraint has made Bakken crude relatively more expensive after transport costs than oil
November 4, 2015
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(Associated Press/Bakken.com) The North Dakota Department of Commerce is accepting applications for a program to market biofuels. The $1.2 million program sponsored through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership offers grants to test and evaluate ways to promote higher biofuel blends, such as E15 and E85. READ MORE and
November 3, 2015
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by Tona Kunz (Argonne National Laboratory) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory this week released a pair of studies on the efficiency of shale oil production excavation. The reports show that shale oil production generates greenhouse gas emissions at levels similar to traditional crude oil production. The research,
October 28, 2015
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by Ray Defenbaugh (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Prime the Pump/Growth Energy) Prime the pump, an effort to grow the ethanol market to accelerate the build-out of higher blend retail infrastructure, has had tremendous success, writes Ray Defenbaugh. — The ethanol industry is going on the offense to bring higher blends into the
October 27, 2015
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by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) For two decades, ICM has adapted with the changing times, bringing technology solutions to the ethanol industry. — In 1995, ICM Inc. got its start with the purchase of the engineering, manufacturing and marketing divisions of High Plains Corp. located in Colwich, Kansas. On
October 27, 2015
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by Devin Henry (The Hill) A group of senators is pushing the White House to issue a strong mandate for ethanol fuel. Fourteen senators — a mix of Republicans and Democrats, many from ethanol-producing Midwestern states — met with White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough on Thursday to make their
October 5, 2015
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) USDA announces state finalists for the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership. Will it move the needle? The Digest investigates. In Washington, US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that 21 states will receive grants through the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership (BIP) to add infrastructure needed to supply more renewable
(US Department of Agriculture) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that 21 states will receive grants through the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership (BIP) to add infrastructure needed to supply more renewable fuel to America’s drivers. Since announcing the program in May 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency
(Office of Senator Heidi Heitkamp) U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today announced $250,000 in federal funding for research at the University of North Dakota (UND) to study biomass as a biofuel and solar energy absorption by nanoparticles. “North Dakota has a rich heritage of conservation and we must continue to develop
September 2, 2015
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by Jessica Holdman (Bismarck Tribune) Harvest is underway for North Dakota’s first crop of jet fuel. “Yields are looking pretty good,” said Garret Groves, of Canadian seed producer Agrisoma Biosciences. “We’ve had some stuff we’re really happy with, and we’ve had some stuff that’s been OK.” Western North Dakota farmers agreed to
August 26, 2015
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The Renewable Fuels Association and North Dakota Firefighter’s Association will co-host more than half a dozen free Ethanol Safety Seminars this month across North Dakota. The seminars focus on numerous areas of ethanol safety and mainly target first responders, hazmat teams, safety managers, and local emergency planning committees, although they
August 13, 2015
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by Dale Hildebrant (Farm & Ranch Guide) … Using dried distillers grain as a fertilizer source The first stop on the tour was a plot where research is being done to use dried distillers grain (DDG) from ethanol plants as a source of fertilizer. The study, which was funded by the
July 31, 2015
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by David Shaffer (Star Tribune) … Dakota Spirit AgEnergy, 78 percent owned by a Minnesota cooperative power company, is a 65 million-gallon-per-year ethanol plant built next to one of the electric utility’s coal-fired power plants. It supplies steam to produce the biofuel at significant energy savings. READ MORE and MORE (Ethanol Producer
July 28, 2015
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by Michael Hirtzer (Reuters) Expansion in the U.S. ethanol industry, stuck in neutral for more than a year as the government debated biofuel blending requirements, is now likely to come to a screeching halt. With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week essentially maintaining the so-called blend wall that mandates
June 2, 2015
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(Algae Biomass Organization) Addition of just 12 words could accelerate pace of large scale, emissions reducing algae projects at fossil fired power plants — The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the US algae industry, today applauded new legislation offered by U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Heidi Heitkamp
May 14, 2015
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by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) … Joining Sen. Heitkamp were Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Al Franken (D-MN), as well as biodiesel producers, who also stressed how the uncertainty caused by EPA’s misguided 2013 rule and delays on farmers and biodiesel workers. Kent
May 14, 2015
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by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Training programs around the U.S. offer opportunities in the biofuels industry for part- and full-time students. … Mick Miller, president of NuVu Fuels and general manager of DENCO II in Morris, Minnesota, also went through the program at Bismarck State. Unlike (Todd) Finneman, who
April 13, 2015
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The results from Gevo’s 4th quarter are in, and a worth a look-see, not only for fans of isobutanol and its prospects. Also for a look at how this member of the 2010-12 IPO group of companies is crossing the multiple Valleys of Death that have
April 3, 2015
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by Mikkel Pates (Agweek) Development of energy beets in North Dakota is still nebulous, while projects in California are moving forward. Attendance was light for a recent series of grower meetings about energy, or industrial, sugar beet production hosted by North Dakota State University in March. Dave Ripplinger, an NDSU
March 31, 2015
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(The Washington Times/AP) Backers of a proposed project in North Dakota that would turn sugar beets into ethanol are holding educational meetings in three cities this week. KOVC radio reports that the Green Vision Group meetings are Tuesday in Valley City and Jamestown and Thursday in Carrington. Beets used to
March 18, 2015
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The North Dakota Alliance for Renewable Energy has published results of a statewide public opinion survey on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Ethanol was one of the renewable energy types addressed in the survey, which was commissioned by NDARE and conducted by the University
March 9, 2015
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by Rod Nickel and Chris Prentice (Reuters) Archer Daniels Midland , one of the world’s top biofuels producers, has slowed North American biodiesel output, the latest sign the industry is battling uncertainty over U.S. renewable fuel policy while the oil rout curbs demand. The Chicago-based agri business has “temporarily” shifted
February 26, 2015
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by Jason Spiess (Fargo Business Examiner) Recently I sat down with Tom Lilja, executive director, North Dakota Corn Growers Association, to chew the fat on a variety of corn-themed energy and agriculture topics. … “I think a lot of people just don’t realize the octane value of ethanol. There are really
February 25, 2015
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by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The future is bright as hundreds of E15 stations are in the works with many expected to open, writes Bob Dinneen of RFA. It’s still early in the game for E15 and it will take time for E15 to work its way
February 17, 2015
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by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A few weeks ago, a reader question sparked an interesting search for answers. That one comment has led to several stories and blogs at our website. In mid-December, a reader asked me why, as opposed to some of the high E85 prices I wrote
January 13, 2015
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Oil prices continue to show incredible volatility. $106 in June, $50 today. Which biofuels ventures have the pro-formas to make money in a tough market? The Digest investigates. … Avello Bioenergy Cost: $57.50 per barrel (gasoline, diesel) Stage: Preparing for commercial demonstration Avello Bioenergy is commercializing
January 13, 2015
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(North Dakota State University/Biomass Magazine) A technology developed at North Dakota State University creates precise in-the-ground measurement and monitoring of soil and crop conditions, which could provide opportunities for greater yields. The technology also has led to a new start-up company. The c2sensor corp., based in the NDSU Technology Incubator,
January 9, 2015
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) On Jan. 8, Gevo Inc. issued an update of operations at its Luverne, Minnesota, plant, reporting that the facility produced more than 50,000 gallons of biobased isobutanol in December. The company also recently announced the transfer of its common stock listing. Gevo began side-by-side operations
January 9, 2015
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(North Dakota State University/Biomass Magazine) A discovery by researchers at North Dakota State University, Fargo, holds scientific promise that could lead to a new type of plastic that can be broken down when exposed to a specific type of light and is reduced back to molecules, which could then be
December 15, 2014
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by Tim Reid (Reuters) … In Houston, Texas, the first oil industry layoffs have been announced, with realtors there predicting a sharp decline, up to 12 percent, in home sales next year. Alaska’s 2015 fiscal year budget revenue forecast will have to be lowered by almost $2 billion, according to
December 15, 2014
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by Jacqui Fatka (Farm Futures) Actions taken by EPA to help keep RFS alive have actually backfired and brought more attacks in defending Congress’ intent. … Wally Tyner, Purdue University ag economist, said it’s quite ironic that EPA likely proposed lower corn-based biofuels levels because they were hearing so much
December 2, 2014
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by Deborah Sontag and Robert Gebeloff (The New York Times) North Dakota took on the oversight of a multibillion-dollar oil industry with a regulatory system built on trust, warnings and second chances. … Blowouts represent the riskiest failure in the oil business. Yet, despite these serious injuries and some 115,000
November 24, 2014
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(North Dakota Farmers Union/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Ethanol production in North Dakota generates significant income for retail agricultural service and supply dealers, roughly $700 million a year, according to a study recently released by the Center for Agricultural Policy and Trade Studies at North Dakota State University. The study, commissioned by
November 6, 2014
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by Richard Taylor and Won W. Koo (Center for Agricultural Policy and Trade Studies North Dakota State University) … The first immediate impact of ethanol was increased agricultural commodity prices. In 2005, the corn price averaged $2.00 per bushel. At the end of 2006, the price of corn was $3.37 per bushel. Corn prices averaged
August 12, 2014
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by Katie Fletcher (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Much discussion of the E10 blend wall was to be found at the 2014 American Coalition of Ethanol conference. The last day of events began with retailers who were able to get over the wall and install equipment to sell E15 and E85 in
August 8, 2014
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by John Davis (DomesticFuel.com) Time is ticking down for the Environmental Protection Agency to make a decision on how much renewable fuel will be mixed into the nation’s fuel supply, and ethanol and biodiesel groups are pressing for a change to what’s being proposed. … In this edition of the
June 6, 2014
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by John Davis (domesticfuel.com) Biodiesel producers and farmers who raise the feedstocks for the biodiesel industry took to Capitol Hill this week, joining a group of U.S. Senate Democrats in their calls to end policy uncertainty that is hurting their industry. “The uncertainty caused by these policy setbacks in Washington, with this
June 2, 2014
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by Cindy Zimmerman (domesticfuel.com) In the last couple of weeks there have been two derailments of trains carrying crude oil, one in Virginia on April 30 and one in Colorado on May 9. These incidents are just the latest in a string of accidents that began last summer when a
(Forum News Service/SC Times) Opportunities to provide bio-based industrial products exist, but they probably will need to provide price, utility and environmental benefits, especially if they want to compete at a premium to petrochemical substitutes, according to a recent industry conference. The inaugural Future of the Bio-Industry Action Summit —
May 29, 2014
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(National Biodiesel Board) Policy setbacks in Washington are taking a major toll on the most successful advanced biofuel in the U.S., according to a nationwide survey of biodiesel producers released Wednesday. The survey, conducted by the National Biodiesel Board, found that nearly 80 percent of U.S. biodiesel producers have scaled back
May 14, 2014
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by Byron Dorgan (Roll Call) … But today, I’m concerned about the administration’s recent proposal that would put an end to the growth of this emerging American energy industry. The EPA proposal, if left unchanged, would signal a retreat on our bipartisan commitment to developing a strong renewable fuels industry to
May 13, 2014
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by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Guardian Energy intends to keep local ownership a viable part of the ethanol industry, building on the success of the Renewable Products Marketing Group, another collaborative effort of a group of ethanol companies. … Some Guardian member companies are organized as farmer cooperatives and
May 13, 2014
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by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) When I was a newbie reporter, I had no idea how many of my sources would be repeat contacts. I’d get somebody’s contact info for a story, scribble it down on a random piece of paper, never to find it again. Then, a few months
May 8, 2014
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by Bruce Dorminey (Renewable Fuel World) US farmers are exploring the use of energy beets to produce ethanol. Requiring less water and containing more sugar than corn, they could be just what the market needs. Corn remains the undisputed ethanol king. But a growing number of U.S. sugar beet farmers,
April 24, 2014
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by Henry C. Jackson (Associated Press/The Republic) … Heitkamp came directly to the Senate from the energy industry, where she worked for 12 years, including as a director of Dakota Gasification Company, a coal and natural gas company. Before that, as a state attorney general, she fought increased regulation of the
April 14, 2014
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by Peter Harriman (Argus Leader) …But while BNSF Railway spokeswoman Amy McBeth says the problem is operational and not systemic, and the bottleneck will be cleared, Soy Transportation Coalition Executive Director Mike Steenhoek points to the continued growth of both oil and agricultural traffic and wonders how much more the
April 2, 2014
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by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Opening up your ethanol plant for public tours is a wonderful educational opportunity that could do wonders for your business and the industry as a whole. … I wonder how many people in your community, drive past your ethanol plant and wonder what the
April 1, 2014
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by Merle Anderson (Grand Forks Herald) Orrie Swayze from Watertown, S.D., and I have traveled many miles together as friends and American Coalition for Ethanol founding board members. We have gained a historical perspective on all that is called ethanol. … First, we must remember that Henry Ford favored E30
March 14, 2014
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by Dave Kolpack (Associated Press/Star Tribune) Backers of a proposed project in North Dakota that would turn a variety of sugar beets into ethanol have preached patience for the last five years. Now they’re looking for a commitment from farmers to sweeten the deal. A North Dakota State University agriculture
March 12, 2014
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by Mikkel Pates (Agweek) Crop farmers in the northern corn belt who have benefited from ethanol targets are putting on a push to save the current renewable fuel standard (RFS) from proposed cuts by the Environmental Protection Agency. The proposal would cut the 2014 corn ethanol fuel requirement to 13 billion gallons,
February 14, 2014
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by Dale Hildebrant (Minnesota Farm Guide) Tuesday, Jan. 28, marked the beginning of a five-city tour for the steering committee of BeetsAll Biofuel in their search for a site for the first industrial beet plant site. The committee’s first stop was in Valley City. Later in the week stops were
February 11, 2014
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by Mikkel Pates (AgWeek) “Industrial beets” is now the preferred moniker for beets being promoted for growing outside the Red River Valley to make things such as industrial sugar components or “green” ethanol, but not sugar. For the past five years, Green Vision, Heartland Renewable Energy of Muscatine, Iowa, and
February 4, 2014
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(Bismark Tribune) Informational meetings are being held in several North Dakota cities this week to update farmers on the effort to develop a biofuel sugar beet industry in the state. The development of beets as a new industrial crop to turn into ethanol is a partnership between Fargo-based Green Vision
January 31, 2014
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by Keith Norman (Forum News Service/Ag Week) The promoter of an idea to raise sugar beets to be converted into energy and chemicals says 13 communities in central North Dakota could be home to processing plants. Maynard Helgaas, president of the Green Vision Group, talked about industrial beets as a
December 31, 2013
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by Cezary Podkul (Reuters) * 16 farm-state Senators urge agency not to cut biofuel blending quotas; * Despite EPA administrator’s assurances, major changes unlikely – expert; * EPA seeks to put biofuel blending program on “manageable trajectory” The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has agreed to “take another look” at a controversial proposal
December 26, 2013
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by Donnelle Eller (Des Moines Register) Six Midwestern governors sent a letter to President Barack Obama expressing their support for the Renewable Fuel Standard, which his administration has proposed scaling back in 2014. In a letter to the president, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Gov.
by Chris Hanson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Douglas Tiffany, assistant extension professor at the University of Minnesota, discussed the economics of co-locating torrefaction, ethanol and coal power plants at the University of North Dakota on Nov. 6. “What we wanted to get an idea of was what would be the rates
November 21, 2013
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … The flares — Dakota fireflies — dot the landscape like pin-lights. They burn natural gas escaping from the unconnected Bakken oil field wells, which are coaxing energy out of 9,000 working sites in the area. By 2030, there are expected to be 50,000. You can
November 19, 2013
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by Chris Hanson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Douglas Tiffany, assistant extension professor at the University of Minnesota, discussed the economics of co-locating torrefaction, ethanol and coal power plants at the University of North Dakota on Nov. 6. “What we wanted to get an idea of was what would be the rates
November 13, 2013
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By Dina Cappiello (Associated Press/StarTribune) The hills of southern Iowa bear the scars of America’s push for green energy: The brown gashes where rain has washed away the soil. The polluted streams that dump fertilizer into the water supply. Even the cemetery that disappeared like an apparition into a cornfield.
November 12, 2013
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by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) … Helgaas (Maynard Helgaas, president of Green Vision Group) is saying that commercializing the first energy beet plant is planned for 2014 to 2015. “Energy beets will benefit rural North Dakota communities, because the processing facilities we are envisioning will create many quality jobs and support local
September 24, 2013
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