HCL CleanTech has changed its name to Virdia and announced new funding for the development of cellulosic sugars for biofuels and other uses. Virdia today officially announced the closing of $30 million in private financing and a $75 million loan package from the Mississippi Development Authority to build manufacturing plants in the state. Founded in 2007 as HCL CleanTech, Virdia …
NEC Food Vs Fuel Panel Includes Fact and Fabrication
Ethanol has been scapegoated for just about every blip in food markets in recent years, but the question of whether that is fact or fabrication was taken on during the recent 17th annual National Ethanol Conference. In keeping with the NEC’s tradition of generating constructive debate by exposing members to opposition viewpoints, the Food Versus Fuel panel included Dr. Steve …
Ethanol Groups Order Injunction on California LCFS
A coalition of ethanol and agriculture groups, including the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth Energy, have filed a brief urging the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a court-ordered injunction on the low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS). At issue is California’s request for a stay of the injunction issued by District Court Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill when he …
Analyst Expects New Biofuels Policy in 2013
A global economic analyst expects that Washington may be taking another look at biofuels policy in 2013. “I think more of that will happen when we know more about who controls the Senate and the House, and who’s the president and where the EPA is on all this after November,” said Bill Lapp of Advanced Economic Solutions during an Ag …
RFS May Top Farm Bill in Importance to Corn Growers
Maintaining the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) may be more important to corn growers than a new farm bill. “If you took a poll of our members, and we may well do that at our Commodity Classic next week, I would say that they view the RFS as more important than the farm bill,” said National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Vice …
Ethanol Report Wraps Up NEC
The The 17th annual National Ethanol Conference (NEC) of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) was one of the best ever, with a good crowd and headline speakers. Over 1200 ethanol industry leaders from around the country and the world attended the conference in Orlando and were treated to yet another first class event that provided the most up-to-date information on …
RFA CEO Pleased with Ethanol Conference
Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen was very happy with the 17th annual National Ethanol Conference held last week in Orlando, Florida. “I actually think this was our best conference ever,” Dinneen said at the conclusion of the event on Friday which drew 1200 attendees and headline speakers. “I just thought the vibe in the room was very, …
President Stresses All of the Above Energy Policy
As the ethanol industry was meeting in Orlando last week, President Obama was talking energy just a few hundred miles to the south at the University of Miami. “If we’re going to take control of our energy future and can start avoiding these annual gas price spikes that happen every year — when the economy starts getting better, world demand …
Views from the Political Right and Left at NEC
Positioned on opposite sides of the stage to their political leanings, two former presidential advisors took on a range of questions related to the 2012 election year and important policy issues in front of 1200 attendees at the 17th annual National Ethanol Conference (NEC) last week. On the left, was senior advisor to President George W. Bush, Karl Rove, while …
State of the Advanced Ethanol Industry
A panel of advanced ethanol company executives at the National Ethanol Conference was at the same time optimistic and sobering about the future of next generation biofuel production. “We openly acknowledged the ‘elephant in the room’ and that is that some of the numbers that people were talking about are bigger than we can expect in the immediate term,” said …