Legislation that would allow producers to make cellulosic ethanol out of waste wood from federal forest land was re-introduced last week in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) are co-sponsoring the Renewable Biofuels Facilitation Act, legislation that would fix a provision in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 that …
USDA Support for Renewable Energy
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will be providing loan guarantees to help the ethanol industry, according to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. At last week’s USDA Outlook Conference, Vilsack said the USDA “has a responsibility for keeping an eye on that industry” to maintain an infrastructure to produce the next generation of biofuels. Vilsack also says USDA is working with …
Free Ethanol and Lunch for Kansas State Students
It certainly pays to be a Kansas State Wildcat this coming Monday, as students will get a FREE tank of E85 or E10 ethanol and a free lunch when they show their student ID at the Manhattan Farmers Cooperative. Plus, you could win an computer or a new hard drive. The “Wildcat Free-For-All,” sponsored by the Kansas Corn Commission, the …
Obama’s Budget Calls for $15 billion for Renewables
After alluding to putting $15 billion in renewable energy development during his State of the Union Address (see my post from last Tuesday night), Pres. Barack Obama has officially called for the money in his first budget. From his statement posted on the White House Web page: Because our future depends on our ability to break free from oil that’s …
New Report Shows Biodiesel, Ethanol Roles in Job Growth
In a time when we constantly hear about rising unemployment, there’s some good news for the U.S. job sector… thanks to ethanol and biodiesel. A new report says advanced biofuels could directly create nearly 200,000 jobs in the next 13 years, with indirect and direct effects accounting for more than 800,000 new jobs and nearly $150 billion in economic activity …
America’s Destiny: An Eco-Sustainable City
This edition of the DomesticFuel Cast… and yes, we have returned on a regular basis… we look at Destiny, Florida… a community striving to be the nation’s first eco-sustainable city. We talked to Roz Gatewood, the Vice President of Business Development for the 41,000-acre community founded in 2005 in South Central Florida… less than an hour from the attractions of …
“2008 an Anomaly Year”
“When the history books are written, 2008 most likely will go down as an anomaly year, ” began John Urbanchuk, Director of LEGC, LLC. Housing market crash. Financial market crash. Global recession. Commodity boom and bust. Wave of bankruptcies. “We slipped into a recession in December 2007, ending a seven year run of economic growth.” But, he continued, President Obama, in his address …
NRDC’s Take on Indirect Land Use
Indirect land use has been a hot topic at this year’s 14th annual National Ethanol Conference. The ethanol industry has been working closely with many organizations on this issue including the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). I caught up with Nathanael Greene, Senior Policy Analyst–Air and Energy, after he participated in the panel: The Impact of Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions …