The nation’s largest dry mill ethanol producer was recently honored by U.S. troops serving in Iraq. The American flag in the photo being handed to POET CEO Jeff Broin by Major Andrew Chontos, MD was flown over the Sather Air Base at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq during OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM on Sunday, June 24, 2007. The flag was flown “in …
Energy Title of House Farm Bill
The US House passed its version of the 2007 Farm Bill Friday by a vote of 231 to 191 – a vote largely along party lines on a bill that came out of the House agriculture committee as a bipartisan piece of legislation. Republican members of the committee withdrew their support for the bill when a tax increase on foreign …
Green… and Safe
An ethanol plant in Kansas is the first in the nation to win a U.S. government award for a safe working environment. The White Energy ethanol plant just outside of Russell, Kansas won the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) SHARP award for “upholding high standards for workplace safety and health.” This article from the Hays (KS) …
Pizza and Ethanol
The ethanol industry is starting to get fed up with being blamed for higher food prices. “The ethanol industry has become a convenient scapegoat for corporate America to justify price increases to maintain profits,” said Tom Slunecka, executive director of the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC). “The debate over rising food prices has bordered on the ludicrous; the facts …
Ethanol Corn Shortage Subsiding
The corn shortage earlier this year, brought on by the unprecedented increase in interest in ethanol, seems to be easing a bit. This story from Forbes says an expected giant corn crop this year should make up for all the corn going into ethanol production: Ethanol producers have been squeezed by rising costs lately. Corn prices skyrocketed as demand from …
Biofuels Bring Left and Right Together
Ethanol and biodiesel are experiencing what some are calling a “gold rush” as the biofuels have seen dramatic jumps in usage… and investors… to the green technology. This column from Renewable Energy Access.com says, in the U.S., tax incentives have helped grow the biodiesel market by a whopping 1000 percent in just a two year stretch between 2004 and 2006: …
RFA Offers Ethanol Firefighting Video
The Renewable Fuels Association has released a video to help first responders in case they have to fight an ethanol-fueled fire. The educational video, titled “Responding to Ethanol Incidents,” gives firefighters and ethanol plant operators important information on proper materials needed to fight potential ethanol incidents. Much of the information in the video was gained during testing of different kinds …
RFA Supports House Ag Farm Bill
The Renewable Fuels Association is pleased with support for biofuels in the 2007 Farm Bill passed by the House Agriculture Committee last week. RFA President Bob Dinneen says the programs included in the Energy Title of H.R. 2419 will greatly contribute to ensuring America’s future energy security. “The programs included in the Energy Title will promote Federal procurement of biobased …
CFA Says Big Oil is Trying to Stop Ethanol
The Consumer Federation of America, a consumer watchdog group, says big oil companies are trying to stop the growth of the ethanol industry… and Big Oil is using consumers’ pocketbooks in the fight. In a report entitled “Big Oil’s Choke Hold: How Competition from Ethanol Can Help Lower Gasoline Prices for Consumers,” CFA charges that oil companies have used their …
Clinton Spins on Ethanol
Add Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to the list of folks who suddenly seem to be a friend of ethanol. Just like in my June 5th post about Sen. John McCain, it comes down to two words for these presidential wannabes: Iowa caucus. Democrat Clinton, just like Republican McCain, wanting to make sure she woos Iowa voters so she can grab …