A Texas man gets five years for his part in defrauding investors to sink money into a biodiesel plant that never existed. The Houston Press reports that Kenneth Paul Lawrence was convicted on two charges for his role in raising money for a purported biodiesel plant and sentenced to five years for money laundering. According to the [Texas State] Securities …
Riding Safe, Fueling Right at Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
Ride Safe. Fuel Right. That’s the message from the Renewable Fuels Association here in Sturgis, SD at the 2013 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. I’m on location for the next couple days at the Legendary Buffalo Chip Campground where I’ll be documenting the activities with staff members from RFA. We’ll start out with a dinner tonight and the Legends Ride tomorrow that …
Motorcycle Enthusiasts Choose Ethanol at Sturgis Rally
Ethanol will be on display in Sturgis, SD once again this year in front of a huge crowd at the Legendary Buffalo Chip Campground and the 73rd Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. I’ll be working with our good friends at the Renewable Fuels Association. They are partnered with the event and venue to promote the use of ethanol fuel to motorcycle …
Brazilian Biofuel Trade Mission
A first-of-its-kind joint trade mission to Brazil has been scheduled to “improve and enhance biofuels trade by matching businesses seeking greater trade opportunities in ethanol and other biofuels as well as green technology designed to expand and enhance biofuel production.” Approximately 15 companies will be selected for the mission, which is the product of a partnership between the Renewable Fuels …
Are Electric Cars Really Green?
According to two recent articles published in IEEE Spectrum, electric vehicles (EVs) may not be so “green”. The first report, Unclean at Any Speed, describes how the subsidies for electric cars may cause more harm than good after considering full electric vehicle lifecycles. It advocates directing EV subsidies toward initiatives such as emissions testing, bicycle infrastructure, public transit and land-use …
BioEnergy Bytes
Verenium Corporation has announced that James Levine, Chief Executive Officer, and Janet Roemer, Chief Operating Officer, will present at two upcoming conferences. Roemer will present at the Southern California Investor Conference on Thursday, August 8, 2013 at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach, California at 2:00 pm ET and Levine will present at the upcoming Jefferies 2013 Global Industrials Conference …
New Biofuels Projects Announced by DOE
During remarks at the Energy Department’s (DOE) Biomass 2013 annual conference, Secretary Ernest Moniz highlighted the important role biofuels play in the Administration’s Climate Action Plan to increase our energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. During the event, Secretary Moniz announced over $22 million in new investments to help develop cost-competitive algae fuels and streamline …
Feedstock Flexibility Program Final Rule Published
The Farm Service Agency has made the final Feedstock Flexibility Program (FFP) public and was published in the Federal Register on Monday, July 29, 2013. Congress created the FFP in the 2008 Farm Bill, allowing for the purchase of excess sugar to produce bioenergy in order to avoid forfeiture of sugar pledged as collateral by processors when securing short-term commodity …
Biodiesel Part of Soybean Demand Success
The domestic crush of soybeans is more during each of the first five months of the current marketing year (September 2012 through January 2013) than it was for the same time a year earlier. According to this analysis from Darrel Good at the University of Illinois, part of that success can be attributed to biodiesel: The amount of soybean oil …
Purdue Jet to Fly on Camelina-based Biofuel
A jet from Purdue University will fly on a camelina-based biofuel at an international air show today. This story from the school says the Embraer Phenom 100 jet takes part in the Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture in Oshkosh using the jet biofuel developed by the U.S. Air Force. “Aviation biofuels, some of which are approved for use today, are of …