by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts are the headliners in a battle in and about Washington DC this week. You can call it what you want: it’s …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Velocys enables modular gas-to-liquids and biomass-to-liquids plants to convert unconventional, remote and problem gas and waste biomass into valuable, drop-in liquid fuels.
After 15 years and some $300 million in investment, …

(Univeristy of Pittsburg/R&D Magazine)  Numerous studies have raised critical concerns about the promise of corn ethanol’s ability to mitigate climate change and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Some of the studies have suggested that after …

by Timothy Cama (The Hill) … Glenn Coffee and Crystal Coon, through their firm, Coffee Group, filed paperwork this week with Congress to represent Oklahoma-based gasoline station and convenience store owner QuikTrip Corp. on issues related to …

by Brady Dennis and Steven Mufson (The Washington Post)  In his previous role as Oklahoma’s attorney general, the Environmental Protection Agency’s new administrator regularly huddled with fossil fuel firms and electric utilities about how to combat federal …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Velocys enables modular gas-to-liquids and biomass-to-liquids plants to convert unconventional, remote and problem gas and waste biomass into valuable, drop-in liquid fuels.
After 15 years and some $300 million in investment, …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Oklahoma, the team behind the ENVIA Energy gas-to-liquids plant confirmed that the first Fischer-Tropsch product has been successfully produced at the company’s first commercial-scale plant in Oklahoma City.
What makes it …

(University of Missouri)  Switchgrass Can Improve Soil Quality on Eroded Farms, Study Finds  —  The loss of fertile topsoil from agricultural fields is an economic problem for modern farmers. When runoff water washes topsoil from …

by Matt Dinger, & Adam Wilmoth (The Oklahoman)  Oklahoma bridges inspected following Cushing earthquake; Regulators working on new directive following Cushing earthquake; Buildings to be closed Monday in Cushing due to earthquake damage; What are some …

(News9/Associated Press)  A magnitude 4.5 magnitude earthquake shook north-central Oklahoma late Tuesday.  This one occurred at 11:27 p.m.   The U.S. Geological Survey reports the epicenter was near Pawnee, about 70 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Velocys enables modular gas-to-liquids and biomass-to-liquids plants to convert unconventional, remote and problem gas and waste biomass into valuable, drop-in liquid fuels.
After 15 years and some $300 million in investment, …

(Biofuels International)  Velocys, a UK-based gas-to-liquids (GTL) has announced that it is pushing ahead with the operational start-up of its Envia GTL plant in Oklahoma City, US.  The company recently announced that it completed the …

by Doug Stranglin (USA Today)  One of the largest earthquakes in Oklahoma rattled the Midwest on Saturday all the way from Nebraska to North Texas.  —  Oklahoma regulators on Saturday shut down 37 wastewater wells connected …

(KXLG)  There’s no need to panic, says an auto expert, following reports of a recent equipment malfunction at six Magellan pipeline distribution bays in Oklahoma that caused a 30 percent versus 10 percent higher ethanol blend …

by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association)  … Mr. (Mark) Perry suggests (without any scientific support or a single citation) that ethanol expansion has somehow led to “destruction” of prairie in the Great Plains, but says not …

by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/U.S. News and World Report)  … Indeed, it’s fairly obvious that (Mark) Perry’s yarn is simply intended to shift attention away from the real culprit behind destruction of prairie in the Great …

by Terry Mazanec (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels Digest)  … The US EPA estimates that 250 million tons of municipal solid wastes are sent to landfills each year. These materials have a wide range of chemicals in them, including …

by Carleton English (The Street)  The Colorado biofuels company announced a partnership with Musket Corp. a week after a similar collaboration with Alaska Air.  —  … The Colorado-based biofuels company announced that it partnered with Musket …

(Oklahoma State University/Biomass Magazine)  The popular method of breaking down lignin to convert biomass into valuable biofuels and chemicals is done by using fungi. However, researchers at Oklahoma State University are turning that process on …

by Adam Wilmoth (The Oklahoman/Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise)  An oil-field waste product that poses environmental challenges and is linked to earthquakes could become a valuable economic resource if the efforts of Oklahoma State University researchers are successful.
Biosystems …

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 …

by Adam Klasfeld (Courthouse News Service)  Officially linking a controversial natural gas-drilling method to earthquakes for the first time, the U.S. Geological Survey released a groundbreaking report documenting links between fracking and skyrocketing seismic activity.
Released …

by Brady Dennis (The Washington Post)  More than a dozen state attorneys general gathered in New York earlier this week, ostensibly to announce their support for President Obama’s efforts to combat global warming and to underscore …

by Asjylyn Loder (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)  … The excitement made it easy to ignore one big problem: It was one of the most expensive booms in history. Devon, Chesapeake, SandRidge Energy, and Continental Resources were spending almost …

(Phys.Org) … Today, scientists are exploring how grasses, and switchgrass in particular, can enrich the nation’s biofuel supply, which is currently dominated by corn, a crop relatively easy to convert to biofuel but also in demand …

by Heide Brandes  (Reuters)  Earthquakes in Oklahoma in the past week, including one of the strongest ever recorded in the state, have led to calls for the governor to make changes to oil and gas drilling …

(Agri-View/Renewable Energy World)  The relationship between a prairie grass such as switchgrass and naturally occurring microbes may help shed light on growing hardier plants for livestock and humans. Understanding how microbes promote prairie grasses to …

(Algae Industry Magazine)  In any industry, a few incredible people make an enormous impact. The algae industry is fortunate to honor Algae Ambassadors that are great scientists and industry leaders. They are also superb educators …

by Kay Ledbette (Texas A&M AgriLife)   …  Russ Jessup, an AgriLife Research perennial grass breeder in College Station, said he is introducing a new biofuel-biomass feedstock that is a hybrid “similar to seedless watermelons, …

(Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research/EurekAlert!)  DOE-funded project will track movement of phosphate in real time  —  Professor Maria Harrison has received part of a $1.2 million grant from the Department of Energy to support …

(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 …

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. …

(Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)  Switchgrass, a perennial native to the tallgrass prairie, is one of the most promising bioenergy crops in the United States, with potential to provide high-yield biomass on marginal soils unsuitable for …

by Elliot Levine (US Department of Energy)  A five-company team led by Haldor Topsoe, and funded in part by the Energy Department, produced 10,000 gallons of gasoline from woody biomass, which included trees and wood …

by Nichola Groom (Reuters)  … The visitor represented Clean Line Energy Partners LLC, a Texas company established to build transmission lines for carrying wind and solar power. He had come to tell (Dave) Ulery about a …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Four new technologies approach scaled operations, all with one element in common – Velocys technology on the back-end.  Why Velocys, why now? The Digest investigates.
In Oklahoma, Southeast Oregon, Eastern Ohio, …

(US Department of Agriculture)  U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini announced that enrollment begins today for farmers and forest landowners seeking financial assistance for growing new sources of biomass …

by Barry Blitstein  (Oklahoman)  … Calling the Renewable Fuel Standard a farce is an unfair assessment. It’s true that fracking has impacted the domestic energy picture but it’s only temporary. The IEA projects the Middle East …

(Thompson Reuters)  An Oklahoma woman who was injured when an earthquake rocked her home in 2011 can sue oil companies for damages, the state’s highest court ruled on Tuesday, opening the door to other potential …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Kum & Go has announced it will begin offering E15 as a fuel option. Over the next two years, the company plans to make E15 available at more than …

by Miguel Bustillo adn Dan Molinski  (The Wall Street Journal)  Scientists say practice of wastewater injection has caused seismic activity in Oklahoma, Texas, other parts of the U.S.
New scientific findings released Tuesday linked earthquakes to …

by Lori Montgomery (The Washington Post)  … What to do about the plague of earthquakes is, however, very much an open question in Oklahoma. Last year, 567 quakes of at least 3.0 magnitude rocked a swath of …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Bunnies, liposuction fat, Prince Charles’ leftover wine, day-old whale, the human poo bus, fire ants dipped in hexane, old beer, raging fireballs, vibrating blobs, dope, and even the New Orleans …

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 …

by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine)  Tulsa, Okla.-based food truck entrepreneur Wil Braggs, known as The Cheese Guy, is working to change people’s perceptions of the food truck industry by going green.
“There is a reputation among …

by Daniel Looker (Agriculture.com)  … Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, another ethanol group, agrees that “biofuels policy is bipartisan and always has been.”  But he also looks for more pressure on ethanol in the …

(Velocys plc)  Velocys plc (VLS.L), the technology innovator for smaller scale gas-to-liquids (GTL), is pleased to announce that it has entered a joint venture (JV) with Waste Management, NRG Energy (NRG), and Ventech Engineers International …

by Eric Hand (Science Magazine)  So far in 2014, Oklahoma has seen more earthquakes than California—and seismologists are increasingly blaming them on the injection of wastewater from oil and gas operations. A study published online this …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Farm Bill Implementation Continues at Brisk Pace with Universities and State Cooperative Extension Programs Now Set to Help Educate Farmers
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture …

(Oklahoma State University/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  … Hasan Atiyeh, assistant professor in biosystems and agricultural engineering, recently received a South Central Sun Grant Award to advance the development of a new hybrid conversion process.
“The hybrid gasification-syngas fermentation …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  First plant go/no-go expected in 2014; target: Oklahoma.  Future expansion in North America, UK, China.
In Oklahoma, Velocys, Waste Management, NRG Energy, and Ventech Engineers International announced a joint venture to …

(Oklahoma State University) Oklahoma landowners have been hearing for years that removing the eastern redcedar trees from their property is essential for proper land management.
Aside from being an eyesore, the trees are extremely invasive, are an …

(Renewable Energy Group/Biodiesel Magazine)  Renewable Energy Group Inc. and Syntroleum Corp. announced Dec. 17 that they have entered into an asset purchase agreement pursuant to which REG would acquire substantially all of the assets of Syntroleum …

by Clare Foran (National Journal)  Senators are working on separate bills to aggressively reduce the amount of corn-based ethanol required under the renewable-fuel standard.
Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Senate Environment and Public Works Committee ranking member …

by Jean Caspers-Simmet (AgriNews.com)  Eric Koehlmoos’ research on cellulosic ethanol led to national champion honors at the National FFA Science Fair last month in Louisville.
The 17-year-old junior at South O’Brien High School finished first in …

by Seth Borenstein (Associated Press/US News and World Report)  The United States is spewing 50 percent more methane — a potent heat-trapping gas — than the federal government estimates, a new comprehensive scientific study says. …

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)  Senator Feinstein (D-CA) and Senator Coburn (R-OK) are introducing legislation to eliminate conventional biofuels from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). According to a story first published by Greenwire, the impending bill would …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  A month ago this week, Syntroleum (owner of a half interest in Dynamic Fuels, the renewable diesel technology) announced that it was “evaluating strategic alternatives” — and just a few …

(Algae Biomass Organization)  The algae industry is moving faster than many people suspect. To help demonstrate how far along so many of ABO’s members are we  recently created the Algae Industry Project Book, an illustrated guide …

(US Department of Energy)  Following last week’s rollout of President Obama’s plan to cut carbon pollution, the Energy Department today announced four research and development projects to bring next generation biofuels on line faster and …

(Algae Industry Magazine)   An algae research proposal from Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center (FAPC) was ranked No. 1 of 28 plant-related research projects, resulting in $100,000 in funding …

by Adam Wilmoth  (News OK)  OSU researcher Gerald Schoenknecht and his team recently completed genome sequencing for an algae that thrives inside active volcanoes. The researchers hope to use their findings to help make tough …

by Sean Hubbard  (EdmondSun.com)  The U.S. Department of Agriculture, United Sorghum Checkoff Program, Oklahoma Bioenergy Center and the South Central Sun Grant Program have taken note and funded the majority of the research of Danielle …

by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com)  Shane Robinson, associate professor in the Oklahoma State University Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Leadership wants to teach students math and science through green energy and biofuels. He is partnering with the …

(US Department of Agriculture)    Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $10 million in research grants to spur production of bioenergy and biobased products that will lead to the development of sustainable regional systems and help …

by Kyle Arnold   (Tulsa World)  Each of the new stores has 20 fueling stations that offer diesel and unleaded grades of gasoline, as well as a higher ethanol blend, E-85.  READ MORE

by Brent Erickson (BIO/Biofuels Digest)  For the advanced biofuels industry, the 2012 election turned on Senate races.
…The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has jurisdiction over the RFS.
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) will remain Chairwoman, but …

(USDA Agricultural Research Service)  From 1850 to 1950, the Tri-State Mining District of southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, and northeastern Oklahoma produced 50 percent of the zinc and 10 percent of the lead in the United …

Hui Shen, Xianzhi He, Charleson R. Poovaiah, Wegi A. Wuddineh, Junying Ma, David G. J. Mann, Huanzhong Wang,  Lisa Jackson, Yuhong Tang, C. Neal Stewart Jr, Fang Chen, Richard A. Dixon (New Phytologist)

The major obstacle for bioenergy production from switchgrass biomass is the low saccharification efficiency …

by Chunxiang Fu,  Jonathan R. Mielenz, Xirong Xiao, Yaxin Ge, Choo Y. Hamilton,  Miguel Rodriguez, Jr.,  Fang Chen, Marcus Foston,  Arthur Ragauskas, Joseph Bouton, Richard A. Dixon, and Zeng-Yu Wang  (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)   Switchgrass is a leading dedicated bioenergy …

Lina Gallego-Giraldo, Luis Escamilla-Trevino,  Lisa A. Jackson, and Richard A. Dixon (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)   Down-regulation of the enzyme hydroxycinnamoyl CoA: shikimate hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (HCT) in thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa) leads …

Huanzhong Wang,  Utku Avci,  Jin Nakashima,  Michael G. Hahn, Fang Chen, and Richard A. Dixon (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)  Stems of dicotyledonous plants consist of an outer epidermis, a cortex, a ring of secondarily …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Arch-critic of the cost of military biofuels — Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe — comes under scrutiny over earmarks for natural gas-based military fuels that cost 29 times more than conventional …

by James Neal (Enid News and Eagle)  Enid Regional Development Alliance is hoping to turn one of Oklahoma’s liabilities into a national asset, and boost the local economy in the process, with an ambitious plan …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Section 9011 of the Farm Bill – the Biomass Crop Assistance Program – USDA deploys $9.6M in new investments in bioenergy crops as questions revolve around the program’s future and …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Most of the stories we write at the Digest on the subject of biofuels feedstocks fall into the well-established realms of normal. But every once in  a while, a feedstock …

(OPISNet.com)  It’s been a long time coming, but ethanol now dominates the U.S. gasoline blending landscape. The number of wholesale terminals supplying only conventional clear gasoline for truck loadings has trimmed down to just nine …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …But in the past two years, five technologies have emerged that are focused on renewable gasoline (along with some others that have the capability of producing gasoline-like fuels but are …

by Michael McNutt  (NewsOK)  Oklahoma House panel passes measure that would prohibit growing the ornamental plant commercially as a biofuel crop. The flowering plant still may be grown by nurseries.
Growing castor beans for commercial purposes …

(PressZoom/Iowa State University)   An Iowa State University research team is collaborating with scientists at the Samuel Roberts Nobel Foundation and also with scientists in Japan to develop an international partnership to help make strides …

by Randy Krehbiel (Durant Daily Democrat)  …Ricin, which can be extracted from crushed castor beans, is so potent a toxin that a dose equivalent to a few grains of salt induces a slow, agonizing death …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  In Colorado, Sundrop Fuels announced that they have agreed to purchase about 1,200 acres of land near Alexandria, Louisiana to build their first plant.  Using forest waste and hydrogen from natural …

(Railway Age)  Amtrak says that it found the use of a renewable biodiesel fuel blend to power its daily Heartland Flyer train “resulted in no more wear on the locomotive than traditional diesel fuels and …

by Greg Emmerson (EuroTuner)  Using the new 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbo-diesel engine, the truck hit a top speed of 171.123mph setting the new B Production Diesel Truck land speed record.
The Ford truck broke the …

by Erin Voegele (Biodiesel Magazine)  The railroad is already considered one of the most environmentally sustainable and efficient ways to transport freight. Although most railways address fuel efficiency in terms of gallons-per-mile rather than miles-per-gallon, …

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

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  With help from the USDA Biomass Crop Assistance Program, Abengoa is on its way to establishing a significantly sized switchgrass plantation in parts of Kansas and Oklahoma surrounding the …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA and DOE have awarded 10 grants totaling $12.2 million to spur research into improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of growing biofuel and bioenergy …

by Jeff Latzke (Forbes)  Oklahoma State University is nearing completion of a new $15 million biosciences research center in Ardmore that will serve as a hub for scientists studying alternative fuels.
Vice President for Agricultural Programs …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today the creation of four additional Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) project areas in six states to expand the availability of non-food crops to be …

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 …

by Jay Marks (NewsOK.com)   Q:  RS Fuel recently opened a convenience store at 3330 W Memorial Road offering compressed natural gas and E85 ethanol. Why did you think it was important to offer those …

(OriginOil)  Global distribution plan extends to product integration, manufacturing and mutual marketing
OriginOil, Inc., the developer of breakthrough technology to transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, today announced …

by Maynard Herron and Bob Matousek   (Kansas Alliance for Biorefining and Bioenergy)     AGCO (Hesston, KS) received an award for biomass feedstock supply demonstration as a partial match of a $5 million renewable …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  Syntroleum reported a $9.6 million loss for fiscal 2010 in its 10K SEC form, with revenues having declined $19 million compared to 2009.  In a teleconference to discuss Syntroleum’s report, …

by Kristi Eaton  (Bloomberg Business Week)   An Oklahoma State University professor says she’s found a way to turn byproducts from the production of soda pop into ethanol.
Biosystems and agricultural engineering associate professor Danielle Bellmer said …

(Science Daily)  Oklahoma State University’s sorghum-related biofuels research is taking a localized approach, with the aim of making possible the effective production of ethanol in the farmer’s own field.
Sweet sorghum can be grown throughout temperate …