Cobalt Technologies has added Andrew Meyer to its executive team. He will be serving as the company’s Senior Vice President of Business Development and he will be responsible for leading Cobalt’s effort to commercialize biobutanol. Most recently, he was with Amyris where he was director of Supply and Distribution where he developed the company’s fuel marketing program. He has also …
Tempers Mount in Tariff Tiff
Before the ink was dry extending the 54 cent ethanol tariff for one more year, the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) threatened to take the legality of the ethanol tariff to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Now several U.S. senators are embroiled in the debate including John McCain (R-AZ) and John Barrasso (R-WY) who said earlier this week that the …
Iowa to Get Another Ethanol Plant
The state of Iowa continues its monopoly over ethanol plants today with the announcement that the Iowa Power Fund has awarded DuPont Danisco (DDCE) a $9 million grant to build a cellulosic ethanol plant in either Story or Webster County. The biorefinery will use corncobs, leaves and stalks to produce cellulosic ethanol. Interestingly, should the plant be sited in Emmetsburg, …
Distillers Grains Producers Urged to Register with USGC
The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) is helping U.S. companies register as interested parties to China’s anti-dumping investigation against imports of U.S. origin distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), an ethanol by-product. The first step in the investigation involves helping DDGS producers register as interested parties, a process that must be completed no later than Jan. 17 in Beijing (which is …
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 …
Southeastern Alabama Gets E85 Pumps
Flex fuel vehicle (FFV) drivers in southeast Alabama now have two new locations to get 85 percent ethanol fuel with the opportunity to get mid grade ethanol blends in the future. Inland Stores (a subsidiary of Southwest Georgia Oil Company) has replaced all of its dispensers at their SunValley Market stores in Enterprise and Dothan, AL with new blender dispensers. …
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 …
Ethanol Industry Responds to Corn Harvest Report
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its final report on the total 2010 corn crop and supply and well as its updated estimates of corn use. The total 2010 corn production was 12.45 billion bushels, the third largest crop in U.S. history. There were some unanticipated changes in the report as well. First, the corn yield was lower …
EPA Delays Decision on Biogenic Carbon Emissions
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that they will be delaying any decisions on greenhouse gas permitting requirements (GHG) for carbon dioxide from biomass combustion and other biogenic emissions. Last fall, the EPA said that they were considering adding these types of emissions to the required reporting under the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) Tailoring Rule. With this news, the …
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 …