In addition to loan guarantees for biorefineries in the southeast, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Energy (DOE) announced other steps today designed to give the advanced biofuels industry a much-needed boost. “With the renewable fuels standard goal, there’s going to be a need for additional biofuels and it must be met in large part by advanced biofuels,” said …
USDA Announces Funding for Biorefinery Projects
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced $405 million in guarantee loans for three biorefinery projects in the southeast under the Biorefinery Assistance Program. The three projects are located in Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. “We believe it’s critical and crucial to develop a biofuel industry powered by feedstocks produced in every corner of the country,” said Vilsack during a conference call …
Genetic Mutation Creates Drought Tolerance in Plants
Researchers at Purdue University have discovered a genetic mutation that allows a plant to better endure drought conditions without losing biomass. This discovery could prove significant because it could lead to plants that need less water to survive and thrive despite adverse climatic conditions. Mike Mickelbart, an assistant professor of horticulture; Mike Hasegawa, a professor of horticulture; and Chal Yul …
An In-depth Look At Waste’s Role in Energy
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 …