The lines were long today at the opening of the first blender pump in southern Illinois, according to Twitter updates from Illinois Corn Growers’ Tricia Braid Terry (agchick) at the scene. The pump in Sullivan is the first of 20 such pumps planned in the state in a pilot program approved by the Illinois Department of Agriculture with funding from …
Brazil Ethanol Lobbies DC With Gas Discount
The Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) is discounting gasoline by 54 cents per gallon on the Tuesday before Memorial Day at two Capitol Hill gas stations to draw attention to a 54 cents per gallon tariff on imported ethanol. “The one-day discount will provide Washington area residents with a preview of how Americans across the country could save money at …
Ethanol Pump Opening Celebrations
The grand openings of new ethanol pumps are being celebrated Friday in two different states – one big on corn ethanol, the other not so much. Illinois legislative officials and corn ethanol representatives will be opening the first blender pump in southern Illinois. The pump in Sullivan is the first of 20 such pumps planned in the state in a …
Novozymes and Ceres Partner on Biofuel Crops
Mixing enzyme cocktails and customized biofuel crops to make cellulosic ethanol a reality is the goal of a new industry partnership. Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. and enzyme provider Novozymes have announced a research collaboration to co-develop customized plant varieties and enzyme cocktails to improve the efficiency of converting biomass to fuel. “According to the Billion Ton Study by the …
Ethanol Testimony at Farm Bill Hearing
A House Agriculture Committee field hearing in South Dakota on the 2012 Farm Bill featured a lot of testimony about ethanol. POET Vice President for Commercial Development Scott Weishaar testified that the ethanol industry has become a legitimate threat to Big Oil and Washington deserves credit for envisioning that future when it created positive policies such as the Renewable Fuels …
Ethanol Report on Exports
As Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president Bob Dinneen was in Seville, Spain talking about American ethanol in the world market, the organization released a new report on rising U.S. ethanol exports. “The Paradox of Rising U.S. Ethanol Exports: Increased Market Opportunities at the Expense of Enhanced National Energy Security?” highlights how the nation quickly evolving from a net importer of …
RFA President Tweets Global Ethanol Meeting
Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen has been keeping his Twitter followers up to speed on the activities at the World Biofuels conference in Seville, Spain this week. Industry leaders from all over the world are meeting at the event, where Dinneen did a presentation on American ethanol in the world market. Here are a few of …
Poll Shows American Frustration Over Oil
As Congress holds hearings on the oil spill, a new study finds most Americans are ready to do what it takes to reduce dependence on oil. The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) report shows that, “even before the Gulf oil spill and Congressional hearings, Americans strongly supported reduced oil consumption and tougher fuel economy standards. In a late March survey …
Cellulosic Ethanol in Finland
A biorefinery company based in Finland has opened a plant for processing non-food biomass into cellulosic ethanol in Oulu. The Chempolis facility was officially opened last week by the Finnish Prime Minister, Matti Vanhanen. “The third-generation biorefining technology that we have developed enables us to produce multiple products from agricultural residues using all the vegetable matter they contain, maximising the …
Corn Growers Want End to Indirect Land Use Change
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) believes that it’s time to throw out the whole debated theory of indirect land use change. “In 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts our corn farmers will produce more than 300 million more bushels than just three years ago, and do so on nearly 5 million fewer acres,” NCGA President Darrin Ihnen said …