Scott Faber has never been known for his love of ethanol. In fact, Faber could be called the “architect of the food versus fuel campaign,” as he engineered much of the opposition to ethanol as lobbyist for the Grocery Manufacturers Association. Now he has joined the Environmental Working Group, an organization which also tends to position itself on the opposite …
Futurist Sees Future in Ethanol
Futurist Dr. James Canton says the biggest national security risk today is what he calls the “Petro-Risk” – and only biofuels hold the key to alleviating that risk. “Clearly, biofuels are the future,” Canton said Thursday at the opening session of the 17th annual National Ethanol Conference. “For all intents and purposes, there’s not an alternative energy that’s non-CO2 that …
GROWMARK Announces Dieselex Gold Reformulation
GROWMARK and its member cooperatives are excited about the latest formulation of their flagship fuel, Dieselex Gold. “It’s time to get excited and it’s time to show some passion,” said Kevin Carroll, GROWMARK Vice President for Energy, at the new reformulation “Gold Rush” kick off event for FS member cooperatives in East Peoria on Tuesday. “Dieselex Gold is a product …
Former Speaker of House on Energy Policy
The 59th Speaker of the House, who played an active role in the development of current energy policy, spoke about leadership and the importance of the nation’s energy security during an appearance at the GROWMARK, FS System “Gold Rush” event in East Peoria, Illinois to introduce re-formulated Dieselex Gold. Dennis Hastert, a native of Illinois, told the group that growing …
Ethanol Report Previews National Conference
The The 17th annual National Ethanol Conference (NEC) is upon us already. It will be held this week, February 22-24, at the Gaylord Palms Convention Center in Orlando. Last year, more than 1,250 industry leaders attended the NEC, representing 42 states and 19 countries and at least as many, likely more, will be there this year at the preeminent conference …
Genome Map May Lead Miscanthus to Biofuels
A genome map for miscanthus could point the way to a source for better biofuels production. According to Science Daily, researchers at the University of Georgia have mapped the genomes of two originator cells of Miscanthus x giganteus, a large perennial grass with promise as a source of ethanol and bioenergy. Changsoo Kim, a postdoctoral research associate in the UGA …
Biofuels in Focus at First Farm Bill Hearing
The importance of biofuels to rural development was a focus of the first Farm Bill hearing by the Senate Committee on Agriculture this week. “In the last Farm Bill, this Committee wisely focused on energy policy,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told the panel. “Renewable energy – including biofuels, biomass, wind and solar – are an important source of jobs and …
EPA Approval Moves E15 Closer to the Market
Fifteen percent ethanol blended motor fuel has gotten one step closer to commercial availability with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval of health effects testing submitted by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth Energy. EPA concluded, “Our evaluation therefore concludes that RFA/Growth Energy has submitted data and analysis that would satisfy the Tier 1 and Tier 2 testing requirements for …
Company Developing Drop-In Fuel From Biomass
A New Jersey-based company is developing renewable drop-in gasoline from biomass. Primus Green Energy reports that the first sample of renewable drop-in gasoline has been produced through the company’s proprietary combination of biomass conversion technologies. The technique “transforms herbaceous and woody biomass, in conjunction with natural gas, into high-octane gasoline.” According to Primus, the gasoline produced from the technology is …
Brazil Ethanol Sales Down
A lower percentage of ethanol required to be blended with gasoline in Brazil is resulting in lower ethanol sales, according to the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA). UNICA reports that ethanol sales by mills in the South-Central region totaled 1.29 billion liters in January, a drop of 32.32% compared to the 1.90 billion liters sold during the same period in …