A much-anticipated vote on whether to allow a 320-million-gallon-a-year biodiesel plant to go into a site along the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia hit a delay on Tuesday evening. This story in the Virginian-Pilot says the South Norfolk city council wants to consider the issue a little longer: City Council members said they hope more time will resolve questions about the …
Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics About Ethanol
Borrowing part of a phrase from that great American humorist Mark Twain, when it comes to critics of ethanol, there seems to be “lies, damn lies, and statistics.” There has been a lot of misinformation spread about the green fuel, but there are some out there fighting the good fight dispelling these myths… especially the one that says it takes …
Nebraska Hazmat Crews Train on Ethanol Rail Cars
Nebraska is becoming one of the leaders in ethanol production and is shipping about 900 million gallons of the biofuel out of state. Since the ethanol industry has not quite figured out how to get the fuel through existing pipelines, long lines of tanker rail cars are the only way to move ethanol around. This story in the Columbus (NE) …
Iowa Governor Promotes Wind Power in Europe
Iowa Governor Chet Culver has made a trip to Europe to address wind energy issues at several events in Germany, Denmark, and Spain, delivering major speeches at the American Wind Energy Association Panel and the Husum Wind Conference – the largest wind trade show in Europe. This press release from Culver’s office says he is the only elected official from …
Biodiesel Bike Breaks Record
So you think a biodiesel engine is just for slow-moving tractors and slow-accelerating big rigs? Well, the bike pictured above is changing that whole line of thinking. What you see is the “DIE(sel) MOTO” project… a converted BMW biodiesel-powered motorcycle that now holds the world record for a diesel bike at more than 220 kph! This story on motoring.co.az says …
Smiling Earth Recommits to Chesapeake Biodiesel Plant
In an effort to quell some of the rumors that they might back out of building the nation’s largest biodiesel plant, senior managers for Smiling Earth Energy held a press conference today on a dock overlooking the Elizabeth River’s Southern Branch… the future site of a 320-million-gallon-a-year biodiesel refinery. This article in the Hampton Roads PilotOnline says it was the …
Virginia Governor’s Energy Plan Highlights Biofuels
Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine has released his plan for how Virginia will become more energy independent and practice better energy conservation… and at the top of the list seems to be the promise of more ethanol and biodiesel production. This press release from the governor highlights the Virginia Energy Plan: The first goal calls for increased energy independence through …
Ethanol Not to Blame for High Wheat Prices
The latest knock against ethanol claims the green fuel was fueling a spike in wheat prices as more growers were switching to corn acres to provide the feedstock for ethanol. But USDA’s Chief Economist Keith Collins says it just isn’t so. This story from Farms.com says Collins claims global stocks are really behind the rise in wheat: Collins took umbrage …
Safeway Turns to the Sun
California-based grocery store giant Safeway is converting 23 of its stores to run on solar power. This story on Environment News Service covers the opening of one such store in Dublin, California: California Congressman Jerry McNerney joined Safeway officials on a tour of the Dublin store’s rooftop solar panel array. The unit is currently generating electricity to power the 55,000-square-foot …
Commercial Roofer Goes Green with Biodiesel
The shingles might be black, but a leader in the commercial roofing business in California and Arizona is going green… by using bidiesel for its entire fleet of trucks in California. This press release from the company says Highland has always been committed to lowering man’s environmental footprint, and this was a natural fit: The switch to Biodiesel fuel was …