Midwest Facing Fuel Shortages

Cindy Zimmerman

CulverIn an effort to address low gasoline and diesel supplies caused by recent refinery outages, Iowa Governor Chet Culver has signed a proclamation to temporarily lift regulatory provisions that limit the number of hours gasoline and diesel truck drivers can be on the road, according to the governor’s office. Ethanol and biodiesel are also eligible for hauling subject to the emergency declaration.

“This was a necessary step,” said Governor Culver. “Supplies were tight to begin with, and then after the Coffeyville, Kansas refinery was flooded last week, supplies became very tight.

“Now is as good of a time as any to point out the need for our state and our country to focus on energy conservation, fuel efficiency and researching and developing new, innovative alternative fuels. I look forward to a day where gasoline refinery outages will not impact Iowa’s energy supply. Simply put, we must work to wean ourselves off foreign oil. I am committed to doing everything I can as Governor to ensure that Iowa remains a leader developing new, clean forms of alternative energy for future generations.”

Minnesota, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, and Kansas have also issued waivers.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Government, News

Third POET Plant for Indiana

Cindy Zimmerman

POETPOET officials broke ground Friday for their third ethanol production facility in Indiana, this one near North Manchester.

According to POET, the 65 million gallon per year facility will be one of the most environmentally friendly ethanol production facilities in operation today.

It will utilize proprietary technology from POET, like the patent-pending BPX process that eliminates cooking in ethanol production and reduces energy use by as much as 15 percent in comparison with conventional plants. The plant will recycle all water used in the ethanol production process and will be outfitted with a regenerative thermal oxidizer that eliminates up to 99.9 percent of air emissions.

EPIC, Ethanol, Facilities, News

Florida Follows California Energy Lead

Cindy Zimmerman

CristFlorida Governor Charlie Crist signed three Executive Orders Friday initiating Florida’s energy policy. The signing ceremony concluded the Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change held in Miami this week.

According to the governor’s press office, the Executive Orders carry out Governor Crist’s commitment to reducing Florida’s greenhouse gases and increasing energy efficiency. As a result, Florida will pursue renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy, as well as alternative energy such as ethanol and hydrogen.

Governor Crist said, “During the next few months, Florida’s Action Team on Energy and Climate Change will develop further recommendations for our state’s long-term climate-friendly efforts.”

Among the provisions in the orders, any purchased state vehicles should be fuel efficient and use ethanol and biodiesel fuels when available. Florida will also adopt the California motor vehicle emission standards, pending approval of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency waiver.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger joined Crist at the Summit in hosting a roundtable discussion among chief executive officers of business corporations and non-government organizations and also as the luncheon keynote speaker.

Biodiesel, conferences, Energy, Ethanol, global warming, Government, News

Stocks Powered by the Wind

John Davis

Stock in wind-power generating companies could have portfolios breezing right along.

This post on the Seeking Alpha web site, a stock market opinion and analysis blog, points out that wind power generation rose 300% between 2000 and 2006. And it highlights 12 stocks you might want to consider if you want to add some of that rising sector to your holdings, including:

Alstom (AOMFF.PK), based in Spain; Americas Wind Energy Corporation (AWNE.OB), which manufactures, and markets wind turbines for the North American market; Composite Technology (CPTC.OB), which makes and markets wind generation turbines under the brand name ‘DeWind;’ Gamesa Corp. (GCTAF.PK) of Spain, which has an 18% share of the global wind turbine market; Energias de Portugal (EDPFY.PK), of Portugal, one of Europe’s largest electricity providers; Iberdrola Sa Sponsored ADR (IBDRY.PK), the world’s largest provider of wind power; Kore Holdings (KORH.PK), is a power provider, and a marketer of alternative energy; McKenzie Bay International Ltd. [MKBY.PK], which develops wind powered alternative energy systems; Mass Megawatts Wind Power Inc. (MMGW.OB), which develops prototype wind energy production equipment. Nordex (NRDXF.PK), a wind turbine company that is based in Germany; Tower Tech Holdings Inc. (TWRT.OB), which is involved in the engineering, manufacture, and sale of wind turbine extension towers to the wind energy industry; Vestas Wind Systems (VWSYF.PK), a Denmark-based company that is the world’s largest manufacturer of wind turbines; Western Wind Energy (WNDEF.PK), produces clean renewable electrical energy from over 500 wind turbine generators located in Tehachapi, and the San Gorgonio Pass, near Palm Springs, California.

Companies such as General Electric that have wind operations but are not primarily dedicated to that were not considered.

Wind

NY Movers Moving on Biodiesel

John Davis

New York City is getting its first fleet of moving trucks powered by biodiesel.

This story in the New York Sun has more:

MarjamOne of the largest building suppliers on the Northeast, Marjam, is converting 28 of its moving trucks to biodiesel fuel from regular diesel. If the pilot program proves successful, the company plans to convert its entire fleet of 500 trucks to the cleaner fuel, a spokesman said.

Officials with the company say converting their fleet to biodiesel is equal to taking about 45 vehicles a year off the road.

Biodiesel

AFVi to Host Biofuels Forum in Vegas

John Davis

AFViThe Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute (AFVi) is hosting a one-day forum in Las Vegas on September 20, 2007 to provide information so that those who manage vehicle fleets and make the decisions to incorporate biodiesel and E85 ethanol.

Presenters include leading executives from vehicle and engine manufacturing companies and suppliers, users of biofuels, and high-ranking officials from federal, state, and local government regulatory agencies. Early speaker commitments include Dan Hyde, Fleet Manager for the City of Las Vegas; Joe Jobe, Chief Executive Office of the National Biodiesel Board; and Chris Cassidy, United States Department of Agriculture.

The AFVi web site has more information.

The forum will be held at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas. Registration information is available by clicking here.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News

Refinery Damage Impacts Gas Prices

Cindy Zimmerman

Gas prices are on the rise again. Since July 1, gas prices have increased on average of more than 40 cents due in part to diminished refining capacity. Flooding and lightening related fire incidences have closed refineries in certain parts of the nation.

This is giving some fuel suppliers the jitters, like Gary Wright, vice president of Wright Oil, Inc., based in Central South Kansas.

“As we are watching the supply situation develop, we’re beginning to wonder if we are going to have adequate supplies for all our stations,” said Wright. “We’re currently selling no-lead gasoline for $3.36 but the E-85 is $2.80 per gallon. We’re hopeful that the price of ethanol will stay more or less stable or maybe decline, while the price of gasoline continues to go up, up, up.”

States affected by the numerous refineries that have incurred damage are: Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Okalahoma, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and parts of Ohio.

Tom Slunecka, executive director of the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) says the unfortunate occurrence of multiple weather related incidents affecting the Midwest oil refining industry are further highlighting this country’s need for diversification of our transportation fuel needs.

“We have a very sensitive system that creates and distributes the gasoline that this country uses, especially in the Midwest,” said Slunecka. “Fortunately, the ethanol industry has been working for many years to help alleviate these issues and we now have well over 100 ethanol production facilities on line producing over 5.5 billion gallons.”

Wright believes the increased ethanol production will be able to hold the prices down.

“So we are expecting that we’ll be able to offer some good value to our customers with E85 as opposed to straight gasoline,” he says.

Listen to audio sound bites from Wright and Slunecka on this issue here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/epic/epic-gas-prices.mp3]

Audio, EPIC, Ethanol, News

Summit on Energy Security

Cindy Zimmerman

LugarThe 2nd Annual National Summit on Energy Security is taking place today at the National Press Club in Washington DC, presented by 2020 Vision.

This year’s summit has the theme of “National Security and America’s Addiction to Carbon: Solutions to Oil Dependence and Climate Change” and features Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), among many other distinguished speakers.

The event kicked off this morning with a presentation of the first annual Energy Security Leadership Award to Sen. Richard Lugar.

StegerThe day will wrap up with a reception for and presentation by Arctic explorer Will Steger. Mr. Steger has recently finished a four month journey across the Canadian Arctic’s Baffin Island to experience and document how the Inuit culture is coping with global warming. He will present photos and information about this trip, as well as three upcoming trips, at a special VIP reception.

The event has been organized by 2020 Vision, which was formed in 1986 to promote global security and protect the environment. I spoke with executive director Tom Collina about the summit.

Listen to that interview here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/epic/energy-summit-collina.mp3]

Audio, conferences, EPIC, Ethanol, global warming, Government, News

Letter Urges Dropping “We Can’t with Ethanol” Attitude

John Davis

I don’t usually post opinion pieces, but I saw this letter-to-the-editor and thought it rose to the level of a post for Domestic Fuel.

Glenn Gryka of Mesa sent this letter to the Arizona Republic:

Ethanol is not cost effective, so we are told.

Infrastructure is not available. Ethanol can’t be transported.

Yada, yada, yada.

We import almost 50 percent of this nation’s ethanol from Brazil. Now that is a long trip. Oh, but it can’t be piped or trucked to the corner gas station?

The reason we can’t transport ethanol is because the fuel has trouble with condensation. The changes in temperature cause the fuel to condensate in the presence of air.

This condensation may rust pipelines, tanker trucks and your automobile gas tank.

Take a tip from the Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs and Mike Rowe, who climbed into a wing of a military aircraft to change the bladder.

The bladder would expand and contract with fuel in the tanker truck and the pipeline volume. That would in turn prevent condensation, which would prevent rusting metal – not to mention that it would just keep the corrosive ethanol off the metal to start with.

I am tired of hearing “we can’t.” If we can build a dam to hold back the Colorado River in 1931, we can do this.

It is more like “we don’t want to.”

Well said… in my opinion.

Ethanol, News, Opinion

Iowa Goes Over 225 MGPY of Biodiesel; Poised for More

John Davis

A new, 30-million-gallon-per-year biodiesel plant has pushed Iowa’s biodiesel production over the 225 gallon annually mark… and more is waiting in the wings.

iowarenewenergy1.GIFThis story posted on Grainnet.com says the Iowa Renewable Energy, LLC refinery at Washington, Iowa is just part of what’s making the Hawkeye State a world leader in renewable fuels:

The refinery was built by the Renewable Energy Group (REG). REG President Nile Ramsbottom stated: “The start of biodiesel production at this state-of-the-art facility is a great accomplishment.

“With cutting-edge technology and an in-house laboratory, Iowa Renewable Energy, LLC is poised to produce high quality biodiesel.”
IRE photo

Iowa is the leader in renewable fuels production.

Iowa has 12 biodiesel refineries with a combined annual capacity of nearly 230 million gallons in operation.

Two biodiesel refineries under construction will add 90 million gallons of capacity.

In addition, Iowa has 28 ethanol refineries with the capacity to produce over 1.9 billion gallons annually.

There are 20 ethanol refineries under construction or expansion that will add nearly 1.5 billion gallons of annual capacity.

Biodiesel