A few months ago, I did a review of the book, The Story of Stuff. While the book was good, I was alarmed at the author Annie Leonard’s, unflattering views of waste-to-energy. For decades, municipal waste companies have been burning their trash. Known as incineration, Leonard says that this causes a multitude of problems, the first being burning pollutes and …
Biofuels Messaging Webinar
A webinar on messaging for the biofuels industry will be held Wednesday, January 26 from 2:00 – 3:00 PM central time. The webinar, “Back to the Basics: Three Reasons the Biofuels Message Has Gone Bad,” will discuss how ineffective messaging by the industry has helped lead to a decline in public support for biofuels in recent years, and how we …
Valero Invests in Michigan Cellulosic Ethanol Plant
Energy company Valero Energy Corporation will invest up to $50 million dollars into one of the world’s first commercial scale wood-based cellulosic ethanol biorefineries to be started later this year in Kinross Charter Township, Michigan. This press release from biofuels company Mascoma Corporation says the deal through Mascoma’s operating subsidiary, Frontier Renewable Resources LLC, with Valero, the nation’s largest independent …
Car Czar: More US Autos to Use More Biofuels
More American vehicles will be using more biofuels, as well as electricity and natural gas, in the next 12 years … according to the man in charge of the U.S. government’s investments in General Motors and Chrysler – aka, President Obama’s “car czar.” This article from Reuters says that U.S. Treasury official Ron Bloom believes the U.S. auto industry will …
“For the Good of the Land” Co. Gets Biofuels Contract
A company whose name means “for the good of the land” has landed a contract from Hawaiian Electric Company to provide sustainable biofuels for the utility. This press release says ‘Āina Koa Pono will partner with HEC to help the state reach its clean energy goal of meeting 70 percent of its electricity and ground transportation needs from clean, renewable …
Farm Bureau Supports Change in Biofuels Policy
The American Farm Bureau Federation is supporting a new direction in biofuels policy away from the blenders tax credit and toward increasing infrastructure. “The whole discussion has been evolving within the industry and within the Congress,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman during a press conference following the conclusion of the organization’s 92nd annual meeting. “It doesn’t surprise me that that …
Available Land Could Produce 1/2 World’s Fuel
According to a new paper published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, “Land Availability for Biofuel Production,” authored by researchers from the University of Illinois, using detailed land analysis, biofuel crops cultivated on available land could produce up to half of the world’s current fuel consumption. This could be done, the researchers say, without negatively affecting food crops or …
OriginOil CEO: 2011 Year of Algae Bio-based Chemicals
This year will be the year of bio-based chemicals made from algae … that according to the CEO of OriginOil, algae-to-biofuel maker. Riggs Eckelberry made the prediction on MoneyTV, an internationally-syndicated weekly business television program. “2011 is the year of biochemicals made from algae.” OriginOil on MoneyTV, 6 Jan 2011 from OriginOil on Vimeo. Eckelberry says some major players in …
Book Review – Why We Hate The Oil Companies
Two, four, six, eight, who do we love to hate? The oil companies! Despite my story lead, I was not a cheerleader in another life but I couldn’t get that cheer out of my head while I read this week’s book, “Why We Hate The Oil Companies Straight Talk From An Energy Insider,” by John Hofmeister. I recently gave Mr. …
Banned Energy Drinks Turned To Ethanol
People desperate for the rush of excessive caffeine while drinking alcohol had their shaky nerves calmed when oodles of Four Loko and other alcohol-laden energy drinks were yanked from the shelves. Federal authorities asked manufactures to discontinue producing these drinks citing they were dangerous and calling them an “unsafe food additive” that caused partakers to become “wide-awake drunk.” According to …