The 6th Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit this week was another great one, according to Iowa Renewable Fuels Association president Brad Albin, who is VP of manufacturing for Renewable Energy Group (REG). There were over 500 people at the conference on Tuesday in Des Moines and Albin says that’s a far cry from when he first started in the biodiesel …
USDA Approves Support for Oregon Cellulosic Plant
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved a conditional commitment of $232.5 million to build a cellulosic ethanol plant in Boardman, Oregon. The commitment was made to ZeaChem Boardman Biorefinery, LLC (ZBB) through the Biorefinery Assistance Program. ZBB plans to operate a 25 million gallon per year biorefinery to be constructed on an industrial site in northeast Oregon, along the …
Biodiesel Board CEO Says RFS is Top Priority
The CEO of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) told attendees at the 6th Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit in Des Moines on Tuesday that the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) is the number one priority for the industry in 2012. “We have an immediate challenge before us,” NBB CEO Joe Jobe said of the postponed decision regarding 2013 volumes for biomass-based …
“Fuel the Future” Video Winners
For the second year in a row, Iowa high school students have been rewarded for their creative videos promoting renewable fuels. At the 6th Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit in Des Moines on Tuesday, Ames High School senior Sam Ennis was declared the first place winner of the 2nd Annual “Fuel the Future” video contest for Iowa high school students. …
Reaction to State of the Union
Reaction to President Obama’s call for an “all-of-the-above energy strategy” in Tuesday’s State of the Union address was met with applause by many renewable energy interests, who at the same time hope his words will be backed with actions. “We applaud the President’s announcement that he is going to push for homemade, U.S.-energy after 40 years of being addicted to …
Wind Energy Industry Worries About Job Losses
President Obama put a face on the wind energy industry during his State of the Union address on Tuesday. It was the face of Bryan Ritterby who “found work at Energetx, a wind turbine manufacturer in Michigan” after being laid off from a job making furniture and is “proud to be working in the industry of the future.” However, the …
Consumer Energy Alliance Opposes California LCFS
The ethanol industry has an unlikely ally in its opposition to the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard that bans the use of corn ethanol in that state. A diverse multi-state coalition that is primarily concerned with the rule’s impact on oil and gas is also opposed. The Consumer Energy Alliance, a coalition of over 170 energy consumer groups and 300,000 …
How to Turn Oil into Salt
The idea of turning oil into salt may sound like something that should be done in a science lab but Dr. Gal Luft says it’s something that Congress can do with a simple piece of legislation. Luft, who is executive director of the Institute for Analysis of Global Security, explained his analogy between oil and salt at the 6th Annual …
Ag Secretary to Speak at Ethanol Conference
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will be a headline speaker on Friday, February 24th, at the 17th annual National Ethanol Conference, which is being held February 22-24 at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando. During his tenure, Secretary Vilsack has been a champion for all domestic renewable fuels, including ethanol. Secretary Vilsack has led the charge to modernize …
Iowa Governor Proud of Renewable Fuels Leadership
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad is proud of his state’s leadership in the renewable fuels industry. “The state of Iowa is number one in ethanol, number one in biodiesel, we’re number two in wind energy but that’s number two to Texas and if you look at it per capita, we’re number one in that as well,” Branstad said at the 6th …