by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... Ethanol has gone through many cycles, said Lucy Norton, managing director of Iowa Renewable Fuels. It became popular in the fuel shortages around the oil embargoes in the industry’s early years, and then as
government subsidies
Back TO HOMERenewable Energy Subsidies Are the Most Transparent and Visible
by Zoe Casey (Renewable Energy World) From direct government support to tax breaks and the cost of negative externalities like pollution, subsidies to the power sector take many different — and often hidden — forms. In fact, the exact definition of a subsidy
May 07, 2014 Read Full Article
Fossil Fuel Subsidies Outstrip Renewables Funding by Billions
(Deutche Welle) Back in 2009, at the G20 summit in Pittsburgh, leading heads of state decided that subsidies for oil, gas and coal would slowly have to be cut worldwide. The closing statement of the meeting reads: "The inefficient subsidization of
March 05, 2014 Read Full Article
Open Letter to 60 Minutes and CBS
(Khosla Ventures) To: 60 Minutes and CBS Attn: Lesley Stahl, Jeff Fager, David Rhodes, Leslie Moonves On January 5, 2014, CBS’ 60 Minutes aired a segment titled, “The Cleantech Crash” that grossly misrepresented the state of the sustainable energy industry. At
February 12, 2014 Read Full Article
Fossil Fuel Subsidies Reach $544B
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) According to the World Energy Outlook fossil fuel consumption subsidies have reached $544 billion in 2012, up from $523 billion in 2011. This news has caused the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance(GRFA) to criticize leaders of the most developed nations
December 10, 2013 Read Full Article
The Bio-Buzz: Heard on the Floor at Bio Pac Rim
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... “Support in Washington for the bioeconomy tends to be more bipartisan than some other issues we work on,” reflected (San Diego Congressman Scott ) Peters. “The impact is felt all over the country — technology
December 10, 2013 Read Full Article
EPA Caves to the Petroleum Industry, Could Cost Taxpayers
by Laura Sesana (The Washington Times) The petroleum industry’s renewed campaign against Congressionally mandated increasing levels of ethanol in gasoline appears to be working. The result, however—EPA’s proposal to reduce ethanol requirements for 2014—could cost taxpayers and secure petroleum’s hold on
December 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Letters to the Editor: Supporting Ethanol; Bumper Corn Crop; Corn for Feed
(Chicago Tribune) by Martin Barbre (National Corn Growers Association) Your Oct. 5 editorial "Crop politics; Government subsidies promote corn over common sense" reflects several things: The Tribune is not the pro-business/jobs advocate you pretend to be, you have no grasp of
October 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Maintain Renewable Fuel Standards
by Tim Burrack (Chicago Tribune) Letter to Editor: ... As family farmers for more than 40 years, we have had our share of ups and downs. The RFS gave farmers like us a new market for our corn, helped bring corn prices
October 02, 2013 Read Full Article
RFS Hasn't Hurt the Poultry Industry
by Gary Pestoriou (The Hill's Congress Blog) I followed with interest the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearings concerning the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). I became very skeptical of the statements by those representing the livestock and poultry sectors
September 26, 2013 Read Full Article
One-Sided Report on Biofuels Cost is Wrong
by Rob Vierhout (ePURE/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... The “accountancy-model” IISD used was one-sided, looking only at government expenditure but leaving out of the picture the revenues the industry is generating for government and society. A well-respected company, Ecofys Consultancy, analyzed the
September 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Analyzing the Influence of Energy Policy
by Jake Ferris (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... The change in stock levels from 2001-’05 accounted for about $1.28 of the $2.49 per bushel increase in corn prices (Table 2)—just over 50 percent. About 18 cents per bushel can be attributed
September 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Letter, 9/22: Facts on Ethanol
by Todd Brodersen (Lincoln Journal Star) In a response to Todd Sneller's letter, "Ethanol the choice for many reasons," Steven McManus responded negatively and seemed to substitute fiction for fact to make his points ("Ethanol costly, inefficient," Sept. 10). McManus took exception
September 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Researchers Revise 'Overestimated' Biofuels Subsidies
(EurActiv) Experts, who estimated that the biofuels industry received the equivalent of a €10-billion “Cyprus bailout” in public support in 2011, have shaved the figure by a fifth. The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), an environmental consultancy, apologised “for the
August 27, 2013 Read Full Article
'Perverse Effects' How Green Subsidies Often Increase Carbon Emissions.
(The Wall Street Journal) Anticarbon central planning was bound to distort markets, but it turns out that the planners often increase emissions as they try to engineer President Obama's "new energy economy." So concludes the National Academies, whose major report on energy
August 20, 2013 Read Full Article
Clean-Burning Biofuels Can Give Us True Independence
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/Chron) ...We can provide our motorists and military with stable, domestically produced fuel. Since 2011, American-made ethanol has contributed more to the U.S. fuel supply than gasoline refined from oil imports from OPEC. ... Americans don't need
July 05, 2013 Read Full Article
New Farm Policy Possible Because of Ethanol
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) ... At the annual National Association of Farm Broadcasting Washington Watch issues forum on Monday, Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen said the dramatic changes in farm programs expected are actually being made possible by the increased
May 30, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol, Corn Prices, Government Payments, and the REAL Reason Meat Groups Oppose the RFS
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) As part of its ongoing review of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the House Energy & Commerce Committee recently asked stakeholders to comment on the impact of the RFS on the agriculture sector. One of the
May 07, 2013 Read Full Article
IMF: Governments Need to End Energy Subsidies
by Howard Schneider (The Washington Post) Government subsidies of gasoline, electricity and other energy sources amount to about $1.9 trillion a year and should be ended or offset with taxes used to battle climate change and pay for social programs, the International
March 28, 2013 Read Full Article
The Outlook: Biofuel Expansion in China and the U.S.
By Josh Rathod (Advanced Biofuels USA) In a recent webinar hosted by the American Council of Renewable Energy (ACORE), biofuel experts from Dupont, POET, Novozymes, and China’s Tsinghua University convened to discuss the next five years of biofuel development in
March 12, 2013 Read Full Article
Carbon Tax from 2015, as New Biofuels Incentive Is Unveiled
by Terence Creamer (Polity.org.za) The South African government has confirmed that a carbon tax will be phased in from January 1, 2015, as part of South Africa’s efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change and encourage energy efficiency
March 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Ottawa Ending Biofuels Subsidy over Unfulfilled Industry Promises
by Shawn McCarthy (Globe and Mail) The Conservative government is formally shutting down its controversial biofuels subsidy program, saying companies producing biodiesel have failed to meet ambitious production targets. In a letter sent Thursday, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver rejected calls
February 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Brave New Bio Wor(l)d
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Three dissident voices offer challenges to cherished orthodoxies. ...Though they offer tough love, they are written by friends of the movement. They don’t wish to cast you down to the devil, but to rescue you therefrom. I
February 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Sneller: Increased Domestic Oil Production Could Limit Growth of Renewable Fuels
by Robert Pore (The Independent) ...According to another speaker at the Agriculture Outlook Conference 2013, David Hightower, president of Hightower Report, ethanol has increased corn demand and added value to corn that wasn't there prior to the Renewable Fuels Standard, when
January 25, 2013 Read Full Article
D.C.’s Clean-Energy Conundrum
by Paul Dickerson and Thomas Burton (Reuters/Mintz Levin) ...Clean technologies are likely to be the next great industry and economic success story. Whether that happens in the United States or not is up to us. ...Yet there is a clear role for
January 12, 2013 Read Full Article
Sorghum Acres to Grow Due to Drought Tolerance, New Varieties
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Sorghum is poised to come into its own as an alternative to corn. It proved its mettle in the 2012 drought, producing decent dryland yields with very little rainfall. And, with the U.S.
December 31, 2012 Read Full Article
GOP Lawmakers Float Resolution to Keep Carbon Tax Grounded
by Ben Geman (The Hill E2Wire) ... Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) and Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) said Thursday that they’re seeking support for a resolution declaring that a carbon tax would be economically harmful. “There’s a lot of talk in Washington
December 03, 2012 Read Full Article
COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD — ‘Ethanol’ Shouldn’t Be a Dirty Word
by Cliff Meeuwsen (Holland Sentinel) Ethanol has become a dirty word for some, and I’m not sure why. How did the cleanest burning, highest quality, cheapest form of liquid renewable fuel ever get to be such a punching bag for politicians,
November 12, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Producers Share Strategies for Success in FEW Panel
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Four executives of ethanol plants gathered on stage during the general session June 5 at the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo (FEW) to have a conversation about running successful companies. The executive of
June 11, 2012 Read Full Article
Perception vs Reality: The 8 Most Common Biofuels Myths
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Attacks from the usual opponents are generally in the form of statements that sound vaguely scientific, or fact-based. Often with a scientist in tow. Beware. Not every person in the business of meat or breakfast
June 08, 2012 Read Full Article
Stabenow’s Green-Energy Tax Break Plan Falls Short
by Josiah Ryan and Ben Geman (The Hill) The Senate on Tuesday rejected plans to extend a host of lapsed or soon-to-expire tax breaks for renewable fuels and power sources. Lawmakers voted 49-49 for Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s (D-Mich.) amendment to transportation
March 14, 2012 Read Full Article
Opinion: Making the Case for Renewable Energy Subsidies
by Wayne Lee (Biorefining Magazine/Lee Enterprises Consulting) ...Since renewable fuels do not enjoy the longer-term subsidies and programs of oil, we are back asking Congress and the administration for some stability. ...First, we must understand that, oftentimes, renewable energy advances
March 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Obama Budget Would Cut $40 Billion in Fossil-Fuel Credits
by Jim Snyder and Brian Wingfield (Bloomberg) President Barack Obama, who pledged an “all of the above” energy strategy that included fossil fuels, renewed his proposal to cut more than $40 billion in tax breaks for oil, gas and coal producers
February 14, 2012 Read Full Article
International Air Transport Association Stresses Congestion In Emissions Spat
by Leithen Francis (Aviation Week) The International Air Transport Association’s target of carbon neutral growth from 2020 can still be achieved, but the airline industry “can’t do it on our own,” says IATA head Tony Tyler. ...Tyler also called on governments
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Debate Continues on Big Oil's Big Profits
(Los Angeles Times) The five so-called "super major" oil companies -- Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, ConocoPhillips,Chevron and BP-- have just wrapped up their fourth quarter earnings reports, but not without inspiring disdain over how they made those billions in profits and over what they
February 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Bernie Sanders Pledges Legislation Ending 'Absurdity' of Federal Fossil Fuel Subsidies
by Mat McDermott (TreeHugger) We just learned, based on IEA calculations, if all fossil fuel subsidies were eliminated it would result in greenhouse gas emission cuts deep enough to get us halfway to preventing dangerous climate change. Indeed, cutting fossil fuel subsidies has
January 27, 2012 Read Full Article
Obama Calls for End to Oil Subsidies
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Obama voiced strong support for renewable energy and an end to oil subsidies. “We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That’s long enough,” the president
January 25, 2012 Read Full Article
Scrapping Fossil-Fuel Subsidies Would Get Us Halfway There on Climate Change
by Ezra Klein, Brad Plumer (The Washington Post) ...In 2010, the world spent $409 billion on fossil-fuel subsidies to artificially lower the price of coal, gas and oil. Eliminating those subsidies would curb fuel use and lead to half the
January 23, 2012 Read Full Article
Tell Them Willie and Ike Are Here
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Brooke Coleman, executive director of the Advanced Ethanol Council, turned attention to free market principles and market access, after the New York Timesran astory on cellulosic biofuels mandates, titled “A Fine for Not Using a Biofuel
January 13, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Remains a Bargain
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) ...In recent weeks, many headlines have trumpeted the argument that gas prices will be higher as a result of expiration of the VEETC. As is often the case, a quick review of the facts
January 12, 2012 Read Full Article
National Cattlemen's President-Elect Says Group Is Not Opposed to Ethanol
by Heather Thornstensen (AgriNews) While they had a leader from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association at their recent annual convention, the Minnesota State Cattlemen's Association brought together a panel to discuss whether the ethanol and cattle industries can co-exist. ..."As I
January 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Biodiesel a Concern as Renewable Fuel Subsidies End
by Mark Steil (Minnesota Public Radio) A couple of key federal subsidies for the renewable fuel industry are about to end, cutting billions of dollars tax credits for the ethanol and biodiesel industries. Congress could renew the tax credits when it
January 09, 2012 Read Full Article
After Three Decades, Tax Credit for Ethanol Expires
by Robert Pear (New York Times) ...“We are in a fairly prosperous period for agriculture,” said Dean C. Taylor, a former president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association. “Agriculture has not been as much of a touchstone for presidential candidates this
January 09, 2012 Read Full Article
FORUM: Ethanol Needs Infrastructure in Absence of Tax Credit
by Doug Sombke (Rapid CityJournal/South Dakota Farmers Union) ...What the ethanol industry needs now is investment in improved infrastructure to get ethanol closer to being equal in the marketplace with regular gasoline. For decades, big oil companies have enjoyed billions of
January 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Ethanol Makers Shrug off Expiration of Key Tax Credit
by Chris O'Malley (Indianapolis Business Journal) ...But it looks like motorists, rather than ethanol makers, stand to feel the pain. The reason is the survival of another federal measure, known as the Renewable Fuels Standard. It requires that an increasing amount
January 09, 2012 Read Full Article
RFA: Industry Will Fight for Cellulosic Tax Credits
by Ken Anderson (Brownfield Ag News)The federal ethanol blenders’ tax credit for grain-based ethanol expired without protest from the ethanol industry at the end of 2011. But the head of the Renewable Fuels Association—Bob Dinneen—says the industry will work to ensure
January 09, 2012 Read Full Article
Biofuel Subsidies Need Reform
by Nathanael Green (Energy Now/Natural Resources Defense Council) ...Our dependence on oil hurts our economy, helps our adversaries and puts our security at risk. Each day we send over $1 billion overseas for oil, often to hostile nations like Iran,
December 30, 2011 Read Full Article
Biofuel, Renewable Chemical Advocates Push Reliable Tax Incentives, S. 1764
by Jeanne Roberts (Energy Boom) On Wednesday, December 14, representatives from the nation’s biofuels, renewable chemicals and biobased products industries provided written testimony to a U.S. Senate Finance Subcommittee aimed at insuring the smooth continuation of various biofuel tax incentives due
December 27, 2011 Read Full Article
The Cellulosic Ethanol Debacle: Congress Mandated Purchase of 250 Million Gallons in 2011. Actual Production: 6.6 Million.
(The Wall Street Journal) Review & Outlook: Years before the Obama Administration dumped $70 billion into solar and wind energy and battery operated cars, and long before anyone heard of Solyndra, President Bush launched his own version of a green
December 14, 2011 Read Full Article
The 10 Top Unanswered Biofuels Questions for 2011
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Your calls and emails are always the highlight of our days. Most questions can be answered johnny-on-the-spot. Some are still out there and well worth arguing over. Here are the Top 10 that are still
December 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Flying High on Advanced Biofuels!
by Mike McAdams (Advanced Biofuels Association/Biorefining Magazine) As I write to you, I am witnessing history at 40,000 feet above the U.S., a rare privilege, as one of the first commercial passengers on board the Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle
December 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Four Days in the Algae Epicenter: A Review of the Algae Biomass Summit and the State of the Industry
by Luke Geiver (Biorefining Magazine) ...Spending four days in Minneapolis amidst the largest and most impressive gathering of algae experts in academia, private business and government institutions, would convince anyone that in the algae industry today there is a whole
December 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Level the Playing Field for All Energy Sources
(25 x '25) Amid the political clamor surrounding congressional efforts to cut federal spending over the next decade and reduce the nation’s deficit, the ethanol industry has conceded that a seven-year subsidy benefiting the sector will end Dec. 31. ...Elsewhere, Congress
December 09, 2011 Read Full Article
A New Era For Biofuels
by Bret Korsgaard (SeekingAlpha) …Companies like Solazyme (SZYM), KiOR (KIOR), GEVO (GEVO), Amyris (AMRS) and Codexis (CDXS) were generally met with favorable terms in the public markets. The Street seemed to acknowledge that for a time, such public enterprises could
December 08, 2011 Read Full Article
Asian Palm-Based Biofuel May Struggle in U.S.
by Niluksi Koswanage (Reuters) Indonesian palm-based biodiesel shipments seeking a foothold in the United States will face stiff competition from feedstocks such as corn oil and waste oils, which will become cheaper as more supplies hit the market, a top
December 06, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Margins to Fall: Blender Credit Will Expire at Year's End
by Dan Piller (Des Moines Register) Ethanol producers will lose about 25 to 30 cents per gallon on operating profits when the tax credit for blenders goes away after Dec. 31. ...(Walt) Wendland, who also is president of the Iowa Renewable Fuels
November 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Renewable Reserve Accounting: Building the Biofuels Balance Sheet
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Should biofuels have its own reserve accounting system and accompanying balance sheet booster, just as the oil & gas industry has? Ceres CEO Richard Hamilton says “yes”, and explains why, and how. At the Advanced Biofuels
November 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Reflections on Advanced Biofuels Markets Conference, San Francisco, November 8-10
by Stefaniya Becking (Advanced Biofuels USA) Advanced Biofuels Markets conference held in San Francisco on November 8-10 provided a great gateway to get plugged into the biofuels industry. The conference offered an excellent line-up of speakers and provided plenty of
November 21, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Subsidy Foes Sponsor $64,000 Per Truck Natural gas Subsidy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ...Recently, it became clear what fuel Rep. Boren did like in his truck, natural gas, when the Oklahoma congressman co-sponsored legislation that would pay American truck owners up to $64,000, per vehicle, for converting their fueling
November 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Support for Federal Backing of Renewables Slips, Driven by GOP Skepticism
By Juliet Eilperin and Jon Cohen (The Washington Post) Support for putting federal funds into alternative energy sources such as wind, solar and hydrogen has slipped to its lowest point in polls since 2006, driven by growing Republican opposition to such initiatives,
November 11, 2011 Read Full Article
The Uncertain Tomorrow
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Expiring biofuel tax credits and a dysfunctional Congress ...But given Congress subsidizing an obviously profitable oil industry, coupled with subjecting biofuels to stringent GHG emissions reductions while the petroleum industry has none, in addition to expiring
October 31, 2011 Read Full Article
A.I.M's Interview: Sapphire Energy's C.J. Warner and Tim Zenk
by David Schwartz (Algae Industry Magazine) ...C.J. (Warner, Sapphire Energy's President and Chairman) keynoted at the recent Algal Biomass Summit, attending along with Tim Zenk, Sapphire’s Vice President of Corporate Affairs, who was formerly executive vice president for the Edelman
October 31, 2011 Read Full Article
Algae Industry Is Bubbling Up
by David Shaffer (Star Tribune) The latest clean-tech energy contender pushes toward commercial production, even as federal money is drying up. The ingredient list for products ranging from jet fuel to dietary supplements may soon get an unusual addition: algae. Entrepreneurs who
October 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Dems Press Supercommittee to Go after Oil subsidies
by Ben Geman (The Hill/E2Wire) The latest effort came in a Friday letter from 38 members, spearheaded by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), that argues “the United States can no longer afford to give away billions of
October 20, 2011 Read Full Article
Coalition for E85 Urges Retention of Ethanol Tax Credit
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.org) A coalition of retailers, producers, equipment manufacturers have formed the Coalition for E85with the stated purpose of protecting consumer access to 85% ethanol blends. According to the coalition, if the current tax credit for ethanol expires at the end
October 12, 2011 Read Full Article
Memo to Congress and Candidates: American Biofuels Boost Job Creation
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/The Hill's Congress Blog) ...Many quintessentially American industries with proven records of job creation hold the promise of exponential job growth if given a chance. American ethanol is one such industry, and it deserves a
October 06, 2011 Read Full Article
Waste-to-Biofuels: Enerkem VP Marie-Helene Labrie
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Marie-Helene Labrie said that the company looked for markets where there was effective government support all through the project from R&D, pilot & testing, commercial demonstrations, and full scale commercialization, noting that a “suite of
October 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Life After VEETC
by Ron V. Lamberty (American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...And, we need to make their customers comfortable buying new blends of fuel such as E15, E85 or other midlevel blends. A gasoline retailer recently told an ethanol plant board member
September 29, 2011 Read Full Article
The Subsidy Debate: Oil vs. Ethanol
by Kate Bechen and Porter J. Martin (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ...But what often is missing in criticisms of ethanol is an acknowledgement that the oil industry significantly benefits from a variety of tax credits, incentives and other publicly-funded subsidies. Bloomberg
September 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Plants Back from the Brink
by David Shaffer (Los Angeles Times) Across the nation, biodiesel plants have been restarting or ramping up production, spurred by a revived federal tax credit and renewable energy mandates. ...At least 52 of the nation's 170 biodiesel plants were idled last
September 20, 2011 Read Full Article
Fast Food Chains Place Order for No New Ethanol Subsidies
by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Anti-ethanol interests have launched their latest campaign focused on ensuring the demise of ethanol subsidies with a letter sent Sept. 15 to all members of Congress urging them not to pass any last-minute extensions
September 19, 2011 Read Full Article
Congress Needs Courage to End Oil, Gas Subsidies
by Ryan Alexander (Taxpayers for Common Sense/Seacoastonline.com) ...For 16 years, Taxpayers for Common Sense has been advocating for the elimination of federal spending that does not deliver a fair return to taxpayers. Topping our list are a menu of tax
September 19, 2011 Read Full Article
Fixing A Broken Biofuel Incentive Program
by Robert Rapier (Forbes) ...My Plan: Award Direct Per Gallon Subsidies for Oil Displacement Instead of offering grants and loan guarantees for cellulosic ethanol producers — and forcing blenders to pay when they can’t purchase product — simply change the system
September 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Tax Credits to Expire
by Sarah Gustin (KXMB TV Bismark) ...(Jeff Zueger / Blue Flint Ethanol) "We really need blender pump infastructure, we need flex fuel vehicle infastructure, so we can get to those higher level blends so consumers can choose if they want
September 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Critics Target Mandates as Subsidy Ends
by Philip Brasher (Gannett/Des Moines Register) ...The industry likely stands a better chance of protecting the annual usage mandates, known as the Renewable Fuel Standard, from being weakened by livestock or environmental interests. “I don’t see that as an avenue
September 12, 2011 Read Full Article
Keystone BioFuels Paves Way for Evolving Fuel industry
Monica Von Dobeneck (The Patriot-News /PennLive.c0m) Ben Wooten is doubling his workforce, quadrupling his space and increasing his production tenfold at his Keystone BioFuels in Lower Allen Twp. Not bad in a stagnant economy, he said. Wooten said government
September 12, 2011 Read Full Article
Future Ethanol Policy Changes
by Kent Theisse (Corn and Soybean Digest Blogs and Opinions) ... Many people are very excited about producing ethanol from woodchips, switchgrass, algae and other substances; however, most of this type of ethanol production is still in the early research and
September 07, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Remains a Sensible Alternative to Oil
by Stephanie Dreyer (Growth Energy/Baltimore Sun) Letter to Editor: Karen Hosler's recent opinion piece calling for an end to ethanol subsidies ("End the ethanol charade," Aug. 30) uses sweeping generalizations that distort the truth about grain ethanol's role in fostering
September 07, 2011 Read Full Article
US Biodiesel Industry Producing Record Volumes
(Farm Business) US biodiesel production reached a new monthly high of 81 million gallons in June, according to the latest EPA statistics, marking a third consecutive month of record volumes and continuing a remarkable turnaround in which biodiesel production in
August 29, 2011 Read Full Article
Lights, Camera, Congress…
by Michael McAdams (Biorefining Magazine) ...Washington’s jolting performance and the economic aftershocks have those of you on the verge of commercializing your replacement fuels questioning whether Congress and the White House can successfully provide the policy tools needed to ensure
August 24, 2011 Read Full Article
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
August 24, 2011 Read Full Article
Farmers Sought for Biofuel Project
(The Record) Farm officials, hoping to get California farmers to plant as much as 25,000 acres of camelina, an oilseed, for a biomass start-up project are offering incentives to growers in San Joaquin County and other areas of the Central
August 23, 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 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
Biodiesel Industry Producing Record Volumes, Fueling Job Creation
by National Biodiesel Board (Biodiesel Magazine) ...The new numbers, coming after Congress reinstated the biodiesel tax incentive this year, demonstrate the power that strong domestic energy policy can have in helping create jobs and economic activity. Despite the weak economy, the
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
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
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
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
Jamaica Ethanol Shuts Down Plant, Cuts 31 Jobs
by Julian Richardson (Jamaica Observer) Jamaica Ethanol Processing has shut down its ethanol plant and terminated 31 jobs after 26 years in the business. The move was completed last week after three consecutive years of rising input costs helped to sever
August 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Aviation Calls For Government Backing To Boost Biofuels
by Graham Warwick (Aviation Week) The U.S. aviation industry is pressing Congress to extend funding for goverment programs providing support to start up commercial-scale production of renewable biofuels. ...Work on the 2012 Farm Bill is getting under way, and witnesses at
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
Financing as Innovative as Clean Energy Technology
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Financing of clean energy got you down? The Green Bank clears a key Senate hurdle, and Bank of America chairman Chad Holliday helps explain why that’s important Last month, amidst the brouhaha of the US debt
August 03, 2011 Read Full Article
Washington Plant Restarts Biodiesel Production, Canola Crushing
by Bryan Sims (Biodiesel Magazine) After sitting idle for a year, Inland Empire Oilseeds LLC managed to restart production at its 8 MMgy canola-based biodiesel facility, including an adjacent canola crushing plant, in Odessa, Wash. ...Edmonds added that he expects the
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
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
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
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
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
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
Sensenbrenner Wants to See Results of DOE's E15 Tests
(Wisconsin Ag Connection) Wisconsin Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner is stepping up his efforts to do away with proposed mandates that would require gasoline for newer vehicles to use 15-percent ethanol. This week, the Brookfield Republican wrote to U.S. Department of Energy
July 14, 2011 Read Full Article
Feinstein Leads Effort to Raise Gas Taxes, Increase Oil Imports, Cut Jobs, and Expose Californians to More Carcinogens in Gasoline
(California Ethanol Vehicle Coalition) Continuing her long support for oil industry interests at the cost of clean, domestic, renewable fuels, California Senator Dianne Feinstein announced today she has taken yet another step to raise taxes, increase reliance on imported oil,
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
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
Obama: Slash Oil Industry Tax Breaks as Part of Debt Deal
by Andrew Restuccia (The Hill/E2Wire) President Obama pressed lawmakers Wednesday to cut a slew of oil industry tax breaks as part of a deal to raise the debt ceiling, arguing that the alternative is to slash funding for education, medical
June 30, 2011 Read Full Article
Issue Brief: Fossil Fuel Subsidies: A Closer Look at Tax Breaks, Special Accounting, and Societal Costs
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) EESI published an issue brief on policies that subsidize the production of fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas). In recent years, major international institutions such as the G20, International Energy Agency, and the Organization of
June 30, 2011 Read Full Article
Study: Ethanol Subsidies Boost Output, Corn Cost
by Jacob Barker (The Columbia Daily Tribune) Policies fueled the boom in industry. Federal subsidies for ethanol push up ethanol production and the price of corn, according to a report released today (June 27, 2011) from the University of Missouri’s Food
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
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
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
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
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
Senate Vote to Repeal Ethanol Tax Credit Fails, But Some in GOP Break Ranks
by Lori Montgomery (The Washington Post) A majority of Senate Republicans appeared to break Tuesday with two decades of GOP orthodoxy against higher taxes, voting to advance a plan to abruptly cancel billions of dollars in annual tax credits for
June 15, 2011 Read Full Article
Cantor: Tackle Energy Subsidies in Tax Reform Plan, Not Debt Talks
by Russell Berman (The Hill/E2Wire) House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said Monday that the elimination of energy subsidies should be considered as part of a comprehensive tax reform package rather than the debt reduction talks that Vice President Biden
June 14, 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
Tom Coburn Forces Tuesday Ethanol Vote
by Darren Goode (Politico) Sen. Tom Coburn has pulled the trigger and is forcing a long-sought vote on an amendment repealing billions in annual tax incentives for ethanol. The Senate will vote Tuesday afternoon on Coburn’s motion limiting debate on his amendment
June 10, 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
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
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
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
Senate Dems to Biden: Deficit Deal with GOP Must Kill Oil Industry Tax Breaks
(The Hill/E2Wire) Twenty Senate Democrats are ramping up political pressure on the White House to ensure that any deficit-reduction deal with Republicans strips billions of dollars in tax breaks for major oil companies. The group — led by Sen. Robert Menendez
June 01, 2011 Read Full Article
Stop Moving the Goal Posts, and Two More Principles for an Advanced Ethanol Policy that Works
by Brooke Coleman (Advanced Ethanol Council/Biofuels Digest) ...Often lost in the counter-productive and backward-facing public obsession with corn ethanol are the clear attributes of the ethanol molecule itself. A recent study, “Ethanol – the Primary Renewable Liquid Fuel,” makes the case
May 31, 2011 Read Full Article
Romney Hearts Ethanol Subsidies
By Jonathan Weisman (Wall Street Journal) It was an odd setting for a policy pronouncement, but on the sidewalk outside the Historical Building here, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney embraced ethanol subsidies. It came just days after and blocks from where
May 31, 2011 Read Full Article
Vilsack: Food Price Hike More than Ethanol
by Jerry Hagstrom (AgWeek) Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told a gathering of international agricultural development activists recently that U.S. biofuels should not blamed for most of the increases in food prices in recent years. “With respect to food prices, corn-based
May 31, 2011 Read Full Article
25x'25 Alliance Responds to 'Draconian' Cuts to Farm Energy Program
(25 x '25) The 25x'25 Alliance recognizes that all sectors must make sacrifices to achieve true reductions in spending and the national deficit. However, draconian cuts to a number ofUSDA renewable energy programs included in a larger farm and food spending billadopted
May 26, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Subsidy Phaseout is Necessary, Pawlenty Says
by Jason Clayworth (Des Moines Register/Juice) What once would have been considered a bold, even politically suicidal, call to do away with ethanol subsidies has become the position of some key industry trade groups, paving the way for candidates like
May 24, 2011 Read Full Article
Should Government Keep Financially Supporting Ethanol? (The Debate 5/23-5/27)
(Minnesota Public Radio News) The Assertion: The state and federal government should continue subsidizing ethanol Ethanol's promise as America's path to energy self-sufficiency once seemed strong. But in recent years, that attraction has been tempered. Even supporters of ethanol, such as
May 23, 2011 Read Full Article
Vote to Hike Taxes on Oil Fails in Senate, 52-48; Dems Vow to Revive It
by Andrew Restuccia (The Hill/E2Wire) The Senate on Tuesday rejected a bill that would have ended $21 billion worth of tax breaks for large oil companies, but Democrats vowed to revive the measure as part of high-stakes negotiations on the
May 18, 2011 Read Full Article
Senate Dems Say Ending Big Oil Tax Breaks Will Not Affect Fuel Prices
by Alexander Bolton (The Hill/E2Wire) Senate Democrats stepped up their push to repeal tax breaks for major oil companies Friday by unveiling a report showing that it would not affect gas prices. The report by Congress’s Joint Economic Committee found
May 16, 2011 Read Full Article
Tim Johnson Calls for End to Oil Subsidies; Thune Disagrees
by Denise Ross (The Daily Republic) Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., called for an end to taxpayer subsidies for oil and natural gas companies Wednesday, saying instead the United States should invest in further ethanol production and improving the infrastructure
May 12, 2011 Read Full Article
National Farmers Union Calls for End to Oil Industry Subsidies
by Julie Harker (Brownfield) National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson is calling on Congress to end tax subsidies for the oil industry and investing that money, instead, in biofuels. In his letter sent to US House and Senate leaders, Johnson said,
May 11, 2011 Read Full Article
Ohio’s Sen. Brown Floats Oil Tax-Break Repeal Plan
by Ben Geman (The Hill/E2Wire) Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who is likely to face a tough reelection battle next year, floated plans Monday to kill billions of dollars' worth of oil industry tax breaks. Democratic plans to end tax incentives and
May 10, 2011 Read Full Article
Democrats See Strategy to End Big Oil Tax Breaks
by Carl Hulse (New York Times) Linking two of the politically volatile issues of the moment, Senate Democrats say they will move forward this week with a plan that would eliminate tax breaks for big oil companies and divert the savings
May 09, 2011 Read Full Article
Harkin Frustrated by Ethanol Infighting
by Daniel Looker (Agriculture.com) ...But when Senator Tom Harkin was asked about his sense of support for the Grassley-Conrad Bill on Thursday, he said that it has some risks. Harkin supports Grassley’s bill, and is one of the original co-sponsors. But
May 06, 2011 Read Full Article
Five Big Problems with Big Oil’s New Analysis of RFS Implementation Issues
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) The Energy Policy Research Foundation (EPRINC) recently released a white paper inexplicably suggesting that the cost of the Federal ethanol program exceeds its benefits by a factor of 3 to 1. Among other debatable claims,
May 06, 2011 Read Full Article
Ethanol Groups Welcome Bill Transforming Current Ethanol Tax Policy
(Renewable Fuel Association) The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Growth Energy, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) today praised the legislation offered by a bipartisan group of senators, led by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley,
May 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Mary Kissel: It's Harder to Bring Home the Bacon
by Mary Kissel (Orange County Register) ...Mr. Pope is the chief executive officer of Smithfield Foods Inc., the world's largest pork processor and hog producer by volume. He doesn't mince words when it comes to rapidly rising food prices. The
May 05, 2011 Read Full Article
Grassley-Conrad Bill Boosts Domestic Energy Production
(Senator Chuck Grassley) Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Kent Conrad of North Dakota today introduced bipartisan legislation to update ethanol tax policies in an effort to boost domestic energy production and increase America’s energy independence and security. The bill also has
May 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Senators Introduce Bill to End Ethanol Subsidies, Import Tariff
by Jim Snyder (Bloomberg) ...Senators Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, and Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican, said the 45-cent credit, which is given to oil refiners for each gallon of ethanol they blend with gasoline, was unjustified given the U.S. deficit. The break
May 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Next-Generation Biofuels Panel Discussion
(Milken Institute Global Conference) With oil prices spiking and concern over climate change growing, biofuels hold tremendous appeal. But they must overcome considerable hurdles. Further process and technology refinements are needed to ensure that biofuels make a significant dent in
May 04, 2011 Read Full Article
Baucus Crafts Oil Tax Break Repeal Plan Amid High Profit Reports
by Ben Geman (The Hill/E2Wire) Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) struck while the iron was hot Thursday and vowed to shepherd a plan through the panel that ends billions of dollars in tax breaks for the largest oil
May 03, 2011 Read Full Article
GasHole: Dirty Oil and the Biofuel Myth
by Allison Kilkenny (Huffington Post) This week marked the world premiere of GasHole, a new documentary film (narrated by Peter Gallagher) about the history of oil prices and the future of alternative fuels. Biofuel gossip has been everywhere in the news
May 02, 2011 Read Full Article
John Boehner: Oil Companies Should Pay Their 'Fair Share'
by Darren Goode (Politico) House Speaker John Boehner says he’s open to calls from the White House to curb some of the $4 billion in oil and gas subsidies and tax incentives, as Washington continues to feel the heat over
April 28, 2011 Read Full Article
The Impact of Ethanol and Ethanol Subsidies on Corn Prices: Revisiting History
by Bruce A. Babcock, Jacinto F. Fabiosa (Iowa State University) The rapid rise in corn prices that began in the fall of 2006 coincided with exponential growth in U.S. corn ethanol production. At about the same time, new ethanol consumption
April 28, 2011 Read Full Article
Franken Tours Poet Ethanol Plant
(AlbertLeaTribune.com) Get ethanol at the pumps. That’s what the farmer owners of the Poet Glenville ethanol plant told Sen. Al Franken they would like to see. The comments came during a meeting Wednesday at the plant. “We want consumers to have a