New car buyers in the state of Washington are going to get a break on their sales taxes when they buy some vehicles that run on alternative fuels. This story from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer says it’s expected to save them $18.6 million over the next couple of years and is designed to get people to trade in their old gas …
Biodiesel Bus Coming to ISU
Last week, I told you how a group of students at Washington State University had formed a biodiesel club to make their own green fuel to run a bus around campus. Well, it must either be the high cost of tuition or the realization that regular gas is just too much of a drain on the wallet (most likely, both), …
Hydrogen Car Gets Real-World Test at EPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is practicing what it preaches as the agency in charge of keeping America clean is testing a hydrogen fuel cell car that is part of its green fleet of vehicles. This press release from the EPA says the Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell Car is the latest in American technology: “EPA is turning the key on …
Wal-Mart Donation to Fund Ethanol Research
Wal-Mart Foundation recently donated $369,000 to the Arkansas Biosciences Institute at Arkansas State University to help fund biomass to ethanol research. According to a university news release, the donation will be used to meet the cost share requirement for a U.S. Department of Energy grant awarded to the university. The Arkansas Biosciences Institute is researching the commercialization of biobased product …
USDA Crop Forecast and Ethanol Demand
The latest crop production forecast out Friday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture slightly lowered the production estimate of the 2008 corn crop from 12.288 billion to 12.072 billion bushels, which would still be the second highest on record. “We were expecting to see the numbers decrease a little, but we remain optimistic about this year’s crop,” said National Corn …
POET Opens Third Indiana Ethanol Plant
Ethanol-powered planes flew in formation in the blue Hoosier sky Thursday to mark the opening of Indiana’s newest ethanol plant in North Manchester. POET hosted a grand opening event for POET Biorefining – North Manchester, the company’s 24th production facility and the third in Indiana. “With its third Indiana facility, POET is quickly becoming a household name in our small …
Austrian Views on Food Versus Fuel
The issue of food versus fuel was a topic of discussion among international agricultural journalists visiting Austria this past week. The group of 250 International Federation of Agricultural Journalists members representing nearly 20 countries was led by former commissioner of agriculture for the European Union Franz Fischler, a native Austrian. Fischler called the food versus fuel controversy “unfair.” “They don’t …
Biodiesel Board Makes Case for Tax Break
Members of the National Biodiesel Board were on Capitol Hill this week, trying to convince lawmakers to renew the biodiesel tax incentive set to expire at the end of this year. This NBB press release says Manning Feraci, the Vice President of Federal Affairs for the board made the case before the U.S. House Committee on Small Business: “We have …
Wazzu Biodiesel Club Gets Start
A handful of students at Washington State University are trying to take their energy future into their own hands. While the WSU Biodiesel Club only got about 10 members at their first meeting this week, organizers hope that the student-run operation soon will be producing 200 gallons of the green fuel a day. This story from the student paper, The …