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 …
Ethanol Producer on Capitol Hill
Considering Republication opposition to ethanol initiatives in the House Continuing Resolution, some ethanol producers are taking to Capitol Hill for face-to-face discussions with their lawmakers about the importance of ethanol to the country. Two representatives from Marquis Energy of Hennepin, Illinois were in Washington, D.C. this week for personal meetings with representatives from their state, including Robert Schilling (R-17), Aaron …
Biofuels Part of Bright Outlook for Farm Economy
The full House Agriculture Committee held a hearing today to hear from Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack about the outlook for the farm economy, which is being supported by strong demand for ethanol and biodiesel. Vilsack told the committee that the farm economy continues to remain strong with U.S. agricultural exports, farm cash receipts and net farm income projected at …
New Ethanol Fuel Finder App from RFA
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is excited to announce the release of a new Flex-Fuel Station Locator application for iPhones, iPads and the iPod Touch – free and available from the App Store. The Flex-Fuel Station Locator iPhone application will help users pinpoint any E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) station in the United States, providing the user with station locations, …
Ethanol Report on New Advanced Ethanol Council
In this edition of “The Ethanol Report” podcast, we hear from the executive director of the newly formed Advanced Ethanol Council (AEC), Brooke Coleman. Coleman has been involved with the ethanol industry for over a decade, most recently as Executive Director of the New Fuels Alliance. He says that the new organization came together around a common theme. “The common …