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 her party’s nomination, has pulled a 180 and is now a big supporter of ethanol… at least when she’s in the Hawkeye State, according to this article in Newsday:
At one time, Clinton stood squarely with ethanol’s opponents, and voted several times against ethanol bills.
When the Senate last took up ethanol-related legislation in 2005, the former first lady unsuccessfully opposed requiring refiners to boost their use of renewable fuels and the 51-cent tax credit.
Previously, she had warned that requiring added ethanol would bring higher gasoline prices and environmental risks.
“We are providing a single industry with a guaranteed market for its products — subsidies on top of subsidies on top of subsidies and, on top of that, protection from liability,” she said during an April 2002 Senate energy bill debate. “What a sweetheart deal.”
Her tune has certainly changed now that she wants those corn farmers’ votes:
“Now, Iowa is way ahead of the rest of the country,” the presidential hopeful told listeners at a July 2 campaign stop. “What you’ve done with ethanol … you’re setting the pace.”
Political observers view her about-face as a political necessity, saying Iowa’s first-in-the-nation’s caucuses — in which residents of the country’s biggest corn-producing state vote their choice for presidential nominee — makes it politically risky to avoid kneeling at the altar of ethanol-from-corn.
I’m sure we’ll see a steady train of presidential candidates turned ethanol bandwaggoners for the next six months. Let’s just hope they’re still on board with ethanol when January 2008 is over.
The National Biodiesel Board today called for passage of the U.S. House’s version of the Farm Bill – H.R. 2419, the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 – especially the parts referring to biodiesel. 
“The NBB believes these energy initiatives are critical in continuing to make biodiesel an important part of a diverse energy portfolio,” said Joe Jobe, NBB CEO. “As the bill moves forward, we will continue to work with our partners in Congress to ensure that necessary funding is provided for these programs, and that the Bioenergy Program is ultimately structured in a manner that will best help the U.S. biodiesel industry reduce America’s reliance on foreign oil.”
A middle school student from Merritt Island was in the spotlight at the 2007 Florida Farm to Fuel Summit last week in St. Petersburg for her work in making biofuels.
The main focus of the Florida Farm to Fuel Summit in St. Petersburg last week was getting biofuels production going in the Sunshine State.
“We have the only existing fuel ethanol plant in Florida,” said Banks. “With an aim of being up and running by the summer of 2008. For that, we need about four million bushels of something.”
“In the longer term, in my judgment, the fuel of the future is going to be hydrogen,” Dorgan said. “I’m a big fan of the biofuels, I’m a big fan of ethanol, I believe it’s enormously important that we’ve invested in wind energy. But I believe —especially in the longer term — our grandkids need to be driving vehicles that put water vapor out the tailpipe and have twice the efficiency of power to the wheel. That comes with hydrogen fuel cells. It allows us to say to the Saudis and the Kuwaitis and others, ‘We don’t need your oil.’”
Marathon Oil Company is now pumping biodiesel at two of its terminals in Illinois.
VeraSun Energy will hold a grand opening ceremony for its 110 million-gallon-a-year ethanol plant at Charles City, Iowa on August 17th, 2007.
Ryan Hunter-Reay said he would be happy if his first IndyCar Series race ended with a “top 6 or 7” finish and he got his wish. He finished seventh, overcoming some mechanical problems in practice.
There was reason for a cellulosic ethanol celebration at the second annual Farm to Fuel Summit held in St. Petersburg last week.
The check, representing the beginning of profitability of this technology, was presented at the second annual Farm to Fuel Summit.
DomesticFuel did a