With the Pearl Harbor memorial as a backdrop and a Pacific Biodiesel hat on the podium, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Tuesday highlighted the use of biodiesel by the U.S. Navy. Pearl Harbor naval base was the first Hawaii military marine fleet to use biodiesel, replacing the Department of Navy-operated tour boats that shuttled visitors to and from the USS Arizona …
USDA to Highlight Biodiesel at Pearl Harbor
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is in Hawaii this week to address the annual meeting of the American Farm Bureau Federation and highlight the Obama Administration’s commitment to renewable energy at the Pearl Harbor memorial center. Vilsack will be at the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument’s Pearl Harbor Visitor Center on Tuesday to talk about how USDA …
Register for Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit
The 6th annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit on January 24 in Des Moines is free and open to all who want to attend, but they want to know if you are going to be there. “Registration is required and can be done on-line at iowarfa.org,” said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Managing Director Lucy Norton. The registration deadline for the event …
Final Weekly Ethanol Production Report for 2011
Ethanol plants continued to crank up production right through the end of 2011, setting yet another record for the last week of the year after already setting new records for the two weeks prior. According to the Energy Information Administration, ethanol production averaged 963,000 barrels per day – or 40.45 million gallons daily – for the week ending 12/30/2011. That’s …
Register Now for Process Optimization Seminar
Managers of ethanol plants are encouraged to attend the latest in the Process Optimization Seminar management series, coming up February 8-10 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The event is organized by Fermentis, Fremont Industries, Novozymes and Phibro Ethanol Performance Group. “This is our seventh event,” said Phibro’s Tom Slunecka. “All prior events have been sold out and we believe that’s based …
Coalition for E85 Fights Back Against Rising Prices
As prices for 85 percent ethanol fuel are rising in the wake of the expiration of the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) on January 1, the Coalition for E85 is increasing its effort to have American-made 85-percent ethanol recognized as an alternative fuel along with natural gas, propane, and hydrogen alternatives. The expiration of the VEETC resulted in an …
California Files Appeal in Ethanol Ruling
As expected, the California Air Resources Board today filed an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to challenge last week’s ruling that the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) violates the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) responded to the expected action by noting that the judge who issued the …
DuPont and NexSteppe Team for New Bio Feedstocks
Two companies have teamed up to develop advanced feedstocks for biofuels, biopower and biobased products. The collaboration between DuPont and the bio-based firm NexSteppe will be working on new feedstocks for renewable energy, including sweet sorghum and high biomass sorghum hybrids. Under the agreement, DuPont has made an equity investment in NexSteppe, and through its Pioneer Hi-Bred business, will provide …
BASF Invests in Cellulosic Sugar Company
Global chemical giant BASF has invested $30 million in a Pennsylvania-based company that has developed a process to produce cellulosic sugars for renewable chemicals and biofuels. BASF, through subsidiary BASF Biorenewable Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG led a $50 million financing round in the technology firm Renmatix Inc. Renmatix has developed the patented Plantrose™ platform whereby industrial sugar can be …
Corn Growers Pleased with Ruling on California LCFS
Corn growers are pleased with the ruling last week by a Federal District Court judge in Fresno, California that the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) violates the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution and is therefore unconstitutional. The ruling is in response to a suit filed in December 2009 by the Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy asserting that …