The National Corn Growers Association is both pleased and disappointed by the Environmental Protection Agency announcement this week to delay final action on a waiver that would allow up to 15 percent ethanol blends in regular gasoline. “While we are disappointed the Environmental Protection Agency has chosen to postpone its decision on the higher ethanol blends, we are pleased the …
Solazyme: Biofuels Digest’s Top Bioenergy Company
Biofuels Digest has announced its “Hottest 50 Companies in Bioenergy” for 2009/2010. The top of the list? Solazyme, a company specializing in developing renewable oils. The list is determined by a combination of a 75-member panel of international selectors and votes from Biofuels Digest subscribers, and is one of the most coveted by bioenergy companies. Last year, Solayme was ranked …
Book Review – The Chilling Stars
Yesterday, in the post Countdown to Copenhagen, I mentioned that there are still quite a few scientists around the world who agree that climate change exists, but don’t agree about the cause. To kick off my three views in seven days series, is a review of the book, “The Chilling Stars A New Theory of Climate Change.” The authors are …
SC to Convert Buses to Biodiesel, Ethanol & More
The University of South Carolina has launched an ambitious program that will convert all of its campus vehicles to biodiesel, ethanol and more green fuels. This press release from the school says the “Genesis 2015 Initiative” will reduce the campus fleet’s carbon dioxide emissions by 90 percent within five years: The plan puts Carolina among the nation’s first campuses committed …
USDA Responds To EPA’s Postponement of E15 Waiver
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has responded to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) postponement of the E15 Waiver request. In a statement issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Vilsack said, “We are very encouraged that the results of the tests of E15 in newer model cars have been positive. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) movement towards developing an …
Countdown to Copenhagen
The countdown to the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference is on as the talks begin in six days. The conference, December 7-18, 2009 is a meeting of the UN to hash out a successor to the Kyoto protocol that is set to expire in 2012. The aim is to prevent global warming, and similar talks date back to the 1992 Earth …
ACE Confident EPA Will Approve E15 by Mid-2010
The ethanol industry continues to let the EPA know its thoughts on the postponement of the decision regarding the E15 Waiver request, but like many other organization, is confident that the EPA will approve up to E15 blends by mid-2010. Brian Jennings, the Executive Vice President of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) and one of the ethanol groups to …
RFA: EPA Needs to Avoid Paralysis by Analysis
The EPA received more than 80,000 comments regarding the E15 waiver and with responses coming in a tidal wave, there may well be another 80,000 more. Yesterday, the EPA submitted a letter to “postpone” making a decision regarding the E15 waiver petition. “This delay from EPA threatens to paralyze the continued growth of the American ethanol industry because of its …
EPA Rules to Not Rule on E15 Waiver Petition
The deadline was met yesterday on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ruling on the E15 waiver, or was it? The EPA, in a letter to Growth Energy, the organization that filed the E15 Waiver, also known as the Green Jobs Waiver, has ruled to not rule. According to the letter the EPA wrote, “we want to make sure we have …
Ethanol Industry Reacts to EPA Decision
Ethanol industry groups are reacting to the announcement this morning from the Environmental Protection Agency that may be another six months before a final decision can be made on increasing the allowable ethanol content in fuel to 15 percent. Growth Energy, the coalition of U.S. ethanol supporters that filed the Green Jobs Waiver seeking E15, is optimistic that the agency …