According to an economic analysis from Cardno ENTRIX, unveiled during the 2011 National Ethanol Conference, John Urbanchuk 70,600 Americans are employed directly in the production of ethanol and in industries providing goods and services to ethanol producers. Today, there are ethanol plants either operational or in construction in 29 states, and as a result of the economic activity generated by …
Clinton Strikes Nerve with Ethanol Comment
Former President Bill Clinton struck a raw nerve with ethanol supporters with his comments at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual Outlook Forum today. “We have to become energy independent but we don’t want to do it at the expense of food riots,” Clinton said, calling for a periodic reassessment of the industry “with 3-5 year time horizons based on …
GM Test Drive at Ethanol Conference
GM featured test drives in new Flex Fuel 2011 Buick Regal Turbos and GMC Terrains at the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) 2011 National Ethanol Conference and dozens of attendees took advantage of the opportunity. Pictured is RFA board member Ray Defenbaugh of Big River Resources West Burlington preparing to take a spin in a Regal Turbo. I took a drive …
National Ethanol Conference Wrap Up
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) celebrated 30 years of advocating for ethanol this week during the 16th annual National Ethanol Conference in Phoenix. This edition of “The Ethanol Report” podcast features an interview with RFA president and CEO Bob Dinneen on the conference, the state of the ethanol industry, the new Advanced Ethanol Council and recent developments in Congress regarding …
National Ethanol Scholarship Winners
For the second year, the Renewable Fuels Association and the Renewable Fuels Foundation sponsored the National Ethanol Conference Scholarship program to help students pursuing advanced education in ethanol related careers to attend the conference. This year’s five winners hailed from all over the country and are interested in a variety of areas related to the ethanol industry. From left to …
Corn Forecast Bright for Ethanol
Corn stocks may be a little tight right now, but National Corn Growers Association CEO Rick Tolman thinks that is probably a short term situation “Still our biggest challenge is that we can overproduce the market,” Tolman said during an interview after a presentation at the National Ethanol Conference on Monday. “Farmers respond to incentives, there’s an incentive right now …
Green Floyd Debuts New Ethanol Song
A gorgeous desert sunset provided the perfect backdrop for the National Ethanol Conference networking reception Monday night, featuring the ethanol industry’s own “Green Floyd.” The Green Floyd band is made up of Frontline Bioenergy CEO Bill Lee, Neil and Tom Koehler with Pacific Ethanol and Paul Kamp with Inbicon. The group played a variety of songs from blues to folk …
Future of Ethanol Tax Policy
The most important issue facing the ethanol industry this year on a policy level is the future of biofuels tax policy when the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) expires at the end of this year. Several experts in tax policy and economics took the stage during the general session of the 2011 National Ethanol Conference Monday to tackle that …
Matalin and Carville Visit Ethanol Conference
America’s most well-known political odd couple were the keynote speakers for the National Ethanol Conference luncheon on Monday. James Carville and Mary Matalin gave their opposite views of the political landscape to a crowd of about 1300 ethanol supporters from around the country. The couple are pictured here with Renewable Fuels Association chairman Chuck Woodside and RFA CEO Bob Dinneen. …
Celebrating 30 Years of Ethanol Advocacy
There are some 1300 ethanol industry leaders gathered this week in Phoenix to celebrate 30 years of advocating for ethanol at the 2011 National Ethanol Conference. Chuck Woodside, General Manager of farmer-owned KAAPA Ethanol in Minden, Nebraska is the current chairman of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). “I am fortunate to follow in the footsteps of great leaders in this …