While much of the nation’s economy is on shaky ground right now, places in the Midwest, such as Iowa, seem to be doing all right… thanks to wind energy and biofuels, such as biodiesel and ethanol.
This story from the Burlington (IA) Hawk Eye says Mike Tramontina, director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development, recently told a group in Fort Madison that the state is fortunate to be on the cutting edge of the alternative energy market:
While some industries such as housing and auto have taken nosedives, that has been offset by industries dealing with infrastructure, energy and bio-technology, he said.
Tramontina touted the Siemens windmill blade manufacturing plant in Fort Madison.
“If we could actually be lucky enough to keep our economy going and diversify moving into new industries like the new wind industry, into the new bio-fuels industry, into the new bio-economy and sciences industry … maybe we have a chance to absorb some of the workers we see coming out of some of the companies we are seeing out of housing, financial services automobiles and their supply chains,” he said.
Tramontina said the nation’s economy is shifting from an oil-based to a greener bio-based economy, that Iowa is primed to capitalize on.
Iowa now exports more ethanol than it uses, he added.
Tramontina admits that the high price of corn and soybeans has taken a bit of the wind out of the ethanol and biodiesel industries’ sails. But he expects they will come up with new innovations and increased efficiency to help keep them viable.
This week, Belgian professor and so-called United Nations “expert” Olivier de Schutter tried to blame the rise in food prices on biofuels. But Jobe fought back with the best weapon available: 
While the soaring price of oil is overwhelmingly recognized as the major factor driving food price increases, biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel have had a marginal effect on the increase in food prices in the U.S. – about four to five percent – according to the U.S. Department of Energy and the USDA.
Jenna Higgins Rose, the friendly communications director at NBB, gave me the “nickel tour” (although it didn’t cost a dime!) of their new digs. That’s Jenna on the right, showing me the new conference room with a state-of the art video conferencing system with the NBB’s office in Washington, DC (that’s a picture of the DC office on the screen). This is just one example of how the good folks at NBB are really practicing what they preach. Doing a conference over a video conference saves them not only thousands of dollars and many hours of travel time, but they greatly reduce their carbon footprint by not burning the fuel needed to fly to the various locations that this truly national organization covers.
According to a 
“The goal is to determine the best crop management, storage and handling practices for Georgia, and just as important, the performance of herbaceous biomass in Range Fuels’ conversion process,” said Anna Rath, Ceres vice president of commercial development. She noted that grass species, including both annuals and perennials, can provide a flexible and reliable supply of raw materials for fuel and power. “This is an important step in demonstrating that energy crops can be successfully and sustainably grown in the area surrounding the Range Fuels Soperton Plant site,” she said.
Florida Governor Charlie Crist says an ethanol plant may be built on land that the state is buying from U.S. Sugar to use for Everglades restoration.
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama spoke to the NFU members by phone and pledged his support for new investments in renewable fuels and other policies that would benefit rural America. Obama also reiterated his support of the Renewable Fuels Standard. “I am strongly committed to advancing biofuels as a key component of reducing our dependence on foreign oil,” he told the NFU members.
San Francisco’s proposed biodiesel plant would be situated within on old rendering facility in the Hunter’s Point district owned by Darling International. Under the plan the facility will be renovated to turn grease waste into useable, sustainable energy. Although the agreement has not yet been signed, it is expected that the city will purchase the fuel to cut down on shipments from the Midwest while feeding San Francisco’s biodiesel fleet of 1,500 vehicles.
Last week, 
Jobe told the crowd how the NBB was practicing what it preached in making the building as eco-friendly as possible. He also pointed out how the biodiesel industry is doing something to help the environment and America’s pressing energy needs.