President George W. Bush participated in a demonstration of alternative fuel vehicles on the South Lawn drive of the White House Monday with the CEOs of the three largest auto makers. The president said he “found it very interesting that by 2012, 50 percent of the automobiles in America will be flex-fuel vehicles. That means that the American consumer will …
Wisconsin Taxing Home-brewed Biodiesel
In what might be some concerning news to those trying to be truly independent of foreign oil and good for the environment, the State of Wisconsin is taxing the biodiesel home-brewed by two Manitowoc men. According to this AP story posted on WFRV-TV Green Bay web site, Steven Griesbach and Paul Simon received letters from the state Department of Revenue …
Montreal Latest City to Fuel Buses with Biodiesel
Montreal, Canada will run its entire bus fleet on biodiesel by 2008 and will buy eight hybrid buses to test in the city’s cold climate. According to this story posted on the CBC’s web site, it should be an affordable proposition for the city: All Société de transport de Montréal (STM) buses will run on biodiesel fuel by 2008, and …
West Coast Biodiesel Giant Looks to Expand Into Hawaii
Seattle-based Imperium Renewables, ready to put the country’s largest biodiesel plant into operation and holder of the record for investment in a biodiesel company (see my posts on Feb. 2nd and Feb. 21st), is reportedly planning to build a $90-million refinery in Hawaii scheduled to open in April 2008. Although few details are forthcoming just yet, this story in the …
Oilseed Summit to Focus on Food and Fuel
The rise in popularity in biodiesel has caused some concerns that foodstuffs might be syphoned off to produce energy sources. To talk about those concerns, Soyatech… publisher of the Soya & Oilseed Bluebook… is sponsoring a summit November 11-13th in Chicago to discuss how to balance the needs for food and fuel with available oilseeds. From the Soyatech web site: …
Biodiesel Trucking Survey Shows Promising Results
A study by a large over-the-road carrier supports the use of biodiesel. Iowa-based Decker Truck Line, Inc., with more than 700 semis out on the road and nine terminals in five states, is the first major trucking company to compare a soy biodiesel B20 blend to regular diesel in a comprehensive over-the-road test covering two million miles. So far, 350,000 …
B20 Approved for Cummins Engines
Biodiesel got a boost when diesel engine making giant Cummins approved 20% biodiesel for many of its engines. In a news release, Cummins says it moved up from its previous recommendation of 5% biodiesel (B5) three main reasons: First, the American Society of Testing Materials specification ASTM D6751 now includes an important stability specification for B100 biodiesel. Second, the availability …
Minnesota Knows E85
According to a new survey commissioned by the American Lung Association of Minnesota, public awareness of the alternative fuel E85 is up more than 20 percent since two other surveys were conducted in 2006. More than four out of five Minnesota drivers surveyed by the Detroit-based Phoenix Marketing International firm in February said they were somewhat or very familiar with …
Building with Biodiesel
A new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists says that construction equipment is one of the largest sources of diesel pollution in California. But there is a better way. The National Biodiesel Board says cleaner-burning biodiesel could help construction companies reduce their impact. It cites two companies… Manatt’s in Iowa and North Bay Construction in California… and their positive …
Indiana Johanns Adventures
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns spent Wednesday in the state of Indiana talking about domestic fuel. First, the secretary joined Governor Mitch Daniels to break ground for BioTown, USA’s Phase II technology suite. BioTown is the country’s first effort toward creating communities where all energy needs are met through biorenewable resources. At that event, Johanns also announced the availability of $176.5 …