Before the ink was dry extending the 54 cent ethanol tariff for one more year, the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) threatened to take the legality of the ethanol tariff to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Now several U.S. senators are embroiled in the debate including John McCain (R-AZ) and John Barrasso (R-WY) who said earlier this week that the …
Iowa to Get Another Ethanol Plant
The state of Iowa continues its monopoly over ethanol plants today with the announcement that the Iowa Power Fund has awarded DuPont Danisco (DDCE) a $9 million grant to build a cellulosic ethanol plant in either Story or Webster County. The biorefinery will use corncobs, leaves and stalks to produce cellulosic ethanol. Interestingly, should the plant be sited in Emmetsburg, …
Distillers Grains Producers Urged to Register with USGC
The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) is helping U.S. companies register as interested parties to China’s anti-dumping investigation against imports of U.S. origin distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), an ethanol by-product. The first step in the investigation involves helping DDGS producers register as interested parties, a process that must be completed no later than Jan. 17 in Beijing (which is …
Biofuels Messaging Webinar
A webinar on messaging for the biofuels industry will be held Wednesday, January 26 from 2:00 – 3:00 PM central time. The webinar, “Back to the Basics: Three Reasons the Biofuels Message Has Gone Bad,” will discuss how ineffective messaging by the industry has helped lead to a decline in public support for biofuels in recent years, and how we …
Southeastern Alabama Gets E85 Pumps
Flex fuel vehicle (FFV) drivers in southeast Alabama now have two new locations to get 85 percent ethanol fuel with the opportunity to get mid grade ethanol blends in the future. Inland Stores (a subsidiary of Southwest Georgia Oil Company) has replaced all of its dispensers at their SunValley Market stores in Enterprise and Dothan, AL with new blender dispensers. …
Valero Invests in Michigan Cellulosic Ethanol Plant
Energy company Valero Energy Corporation will invest up to $50 million dollars into one of the world’s first commercial scale wood-based cellulosic ethanol biorefineries to be started later this year in Kinross Charter Township, Michigan. This press release from biofuels company Mascoma Corporation says the deal through Mascoma’s operating subsidiary, Frontier Renewable Resources LLC, with Valero, the nation’s largest independent …
Scholarships for Minnesota Biodiesel Essays
High school seniors in Minnesota will have the chance to receive scholarships for their essays on biodiesel. Biodiesel Magazine reports the American Lung Association in Minnesota and the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association are sponsoring the writing contest, now in its fifth year: “We’re always looking for new ways to get young people involved and informed about biodiesel,” said Robert Moffitt, …
Car Czar: More US Autos to Use More Biofuels
More American vehicles will be using more biofuels, as well as electricity and natural gas, in the next 12 years … according to the man in charge of the U.S. government’s investments in General Motors and Chrysler – aka, President Obama’s “car czar.” This article from Reuters says that U.S. Treasury official Ron Bloom believes the U.S. auto industry will …
Kyocera Launchs Interactive Solar Power Website
Kyocera Corporation has launched a new fun, interactive and educational website aimed at people of all ages to learn about solar energy and its role in combating global environmental concerns. The “Solar Power Expo” website is designed to give the student the experience of visiting a large outdoor solar power exposition with five unique pavilions featuring diverse themes. With engaging …
Ethanol Industry Responds to Corn Harvest Report
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its final report on the total 2010 corn crop and supply and well as its updated estimates of corn use. The total 2010 corn production was 12.45 billion bushels, the third largest crop in U.S. history. There were some unanticipated changes in the report as well. First, the corn yield was lower …