An innovative sustainable food production project in the Windy City has received a grant for a renewable energy system that uses waste materials. The project called “The Plant” was recently awarded a total of $1.5 million in grant funds from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to support a comprehensive renewable energy system that will accept up …
Senate Amendment Attempts to End Blender Pump Funding
Ethanol interests were quick to oppose an amendment offered by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) today that would prohibit the U.S. Department of Agriculture from funding Flex Fuel pump installations. “The McCain amendment would smother the only initiative we have to provide consumers the power to choose their fuel, and it gives OPEC the green light to tighten its grip on …
Senators to Address Algae Biomass Summit
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Al Franken (D-MN) will address the 2011 Algae Biomass Summit October 25-27 in Minneapolis, according to the Algal Biomass Organization (ABO). Senator Franken will help kickoff the conference on October 25, while Senator Klobuchar will address the conference via a video lunchtime keynote on October 26, focusing on home grown energy and job creation. …
Plug In Day Celebrates Electric Vehicles
Sunday was National Plug-in Day and among many events around the country was a parade of electric vehicles (EV) with over 200 EV drivers taking part in Santa Monica, California. The day was organized by Plug-in America and included EV events in over 20 simultaneous venues from Honolulu to New York with displays and demonstrations of plug-in vehicles by Nissan, …
Ethanol Leader Responds to Perry Energy Plan
Texas Governor and Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry donned a hard hat at a Pennsylvania steel plant on Friday to announce his “Energizing American Jobs and Security” plan that he says will create over a million jobs and “reduce dependence on hostile foreign oil.” “We are standing atop the next American economic boom – energy – and the quickest way …
Biodiesel Fuels Soybean Oil Production
Corn stocks and use for ethanol seem to get all the attention when the USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates are released each month, but soybean oil use for biodiesel attracting some notice lately. World Agricultural Outlook Board Chairman Gerry Bange says soybean oil use for biodiesel is up 44% over last year at 3.6 billion pounds. “The EPA …
Ethanol Supporting Former Brazilian President Honored for Hunger Efforts
A strong supporter of ethanol was honored this week for his efforts to fight hunger and poverty in Brazil. Former Brazilian President Lula da Silva was recognized with the 2011 World Food Prize for his Zero Hunger strategy, which resulted in Brazil reducing by half its proportion of hungry people (with 93 percent of children and 82 percent of adults …
Ethanol Exports Drop While DDGS Rise
Ethanol exports took a dive in August, but exports of the ethanol co-product distillers grains (DDGS) set a new record, according to a post on the Renewable Fuels Association E-xchange Blog. RFA’s Geoff Cooper quotes new government figures that show exports of denatured and undenatured (non-beverage) ethanol totaled 52.1 million gallons (mg) in August, down from 127.4 mg in July …
IT Management for Energy Crops
Farmers interested in producing and trading energy crops for feedstock could be helped by a new IT management platform. Ontario-based New Energy Farms, a developer of the energy crop Miscanthus in North America, has teamed up with Muddy Boots Software to provide this new service to the energy crop market. According to the companies, the platform will enable direct trading …
Hino Showcases Biodiesel Approved Hybrid Trucks
The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) is partnering with Hino Trucks to showcase a new line of biodiesel-capable trucks at the Hybrid, Electric, and High Efficiency Truck Users Forum (HTUF) Conference in Baltimore this week. The 2012 Hino 195h diesel-electric hybrid cab over truck, on display at the HTUF Expo, will show off its capabilities running on a 20 percent biodiesel …