GM featured test drives in new Flex Fuel 2011 Buick Regal Turbos and GMC Terrains at the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) 2011 National Ethanol Conference and dozens of attendees took advantage of the opportunity. Pictured is RFA board member Ray Defenbaugh of Big River Resources West Burlington preparing to take a spin in a Regal Turbo. I took a drive …
National Ethanol Conference Wrap Up
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) celebrated 30 years of advocating for ethanol this week during the 16th annual National Ethanol Conference in Phoenix. This edition of “The Ethanol Report” podcast features an interview with RFA president and CEO Bob Dinneen on the conference, the state of the ethanol industry, the new Advanced Ethanol Council and recent developments in Congress regarding …
National Ethanol Scholarship Winners
For the second year, the Renewable Fuels Association and the Renewable Fuels Foundation sponsored the National Ethanol Conference Scholarship program to help students pursuing advanced education in ethanol related careers to attend the conference. This year’s five winners hailed from all over the country and are interested in a variety of areas related to the ethanol industry. From left to …
Corn Forecast Bright for Ethanol
Corn stocks may be a little tight right now, but National Corn Growers Association CEO Rick Tolman thinks that is probably a short term situation “Still our biggest challenge is that we can overproduce the market,” Tolman said during an interview after a presentation at the National Ethanol Conference on Monday. “Farmers respond to incentives, there’s an incentive right now …
Green Floyd Debuts New Ethanol Song
A gorgeous desert sunset provided the perfect backdrop for the National Ethanol Conference networking reception Monday night, featuring the ethanol industry’s own “Green Floyd.” The Green Floyd band is made up of Frontline Bioenergy CEO Bill Lee, Neil and Tom Koehler with Pacific Ethanol and Paul Kamp with Inbicon. The group played a variety of songs from blues to folk …
Future of Ethanol Tax Policy
The most important issue facing the ethanol industry this year on a policy level is the future of biofuels tax policy when the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) expires at the end of this year. Several experts in tax policy and economics took the stage during the general session of the 2011 National Ethanol Conference Monday to tackle that …
Celebrating 30 Years of Ethanol Advocacy
There are some 1300 ethanol industry leaders gathered this week in Phoenix to celebrate 30 years of advocating for ethanol at the 2011 National Ethanol Conference. Chuck Woodside, General Manager of farmer-owned KAAPA Ethanol in Minden, Nebraska is the current chairman of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). “I am fortunate to follow in the footsteps of great leaders in this …
2011 State of the Ethanol Industry
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is celebrating 30 years of advocating for the ethanol industry, and while the industry has come a long way since that time, some things never change. Giving the “State of the Ethanol Industry” address to some 1300 attendees at the National Ethanol Conference, RFA president and CEO Bob Dinneen started off quoting the organization’s first …
GROWMARK FS Platform is Homegrown Fuels
GROWMARK FS cooperatives promote a platform of homegrown fuels. That was the message Kevin DeGoey of the GROWMARK FS cooperative New Century in Iowa gave at the recent Iowa Renewable Fuel Association summit in Des Moines during a panel presentation by retailers and fuel distributors on how the approval of 15 percent ethanol blends can bring more fuel choices to …
Funding is Critical for Advanced Ethanol
Advanced biofuels from new feedstocks are facing a “chicken and egg” situation on the way to commercialization and that is why government funding remains vital to the industry. That was the message delivered by Chris Standlee, Executive Vice President of Abengoa Bioenergy, during a teleconference with other advanced biofuels company officials on Thursday. “It’s a critical ‘chicken and egg’ scenario …