As BP struggles to stop the oil gushing out into the Gulf of Mexico, an announcement comes today that the company is making a major investment in cellulosic ethanol, as BP Biofuels North America is acquiring Verenium’s cellulosic biofuels business – which includes facilities in Jennings, LA and San Diego, CA – for $98.3 million. BP and Verenium have been …
Senators Introduce Domestic Energy Bill
Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tim Johnson (D-SD) introduced legislation yesterday that “focuses on developing and deploying safe, reliable domestically grown and produced energy.” According to the senators, the Securing America’s Future with Energy and Sustainable Technologies Act (SAFEST) establishes strong renewable energy and energy efficiency standards, incentives for developing biofuels and biofuel infrastructure, and targets for the availability of …
Purdue Develops Mobile Biofuels Processing Method
Mobile processing plants might hold the key to harvesting agricultural waste on the farm for biofuels production. Chemical engineers at Purdue University have come up with the concept and developed a new method to process agricultural waste and other biomass into biofuels. The method would utilize various types of biomass, including wood chips, switch grass, corn stover, rice husks, and …
ADM Opens Nebraska Ethanol Plant
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) opened a new 300 million gallon per year ethanol plant in Columbus, Nebraska on Friday. The grand opening ceremony featured ADM President Patricia Woertz, U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Nebraska Lieutenant Gov. Rick Sheehy and other honored guests. “We at ADM are proud to harness the power and ingenuity of American agriculture to help …
GAO Urges Changes to Energy Department Loan Program
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report urging the Department of Energy (DOE) to make changes to its current loan guarantee program to make it more effective. This program is intended to support “early commercial production and use of new or significantly improved technologies in energy projects that abate emissions of air pollutants or of greenhouse gases” including …
New Texas E85 Station
MidTex Oil has opened the first E85 station in New Braunfels, Texas, which is located between Austin and San Antonio. “We are focused on providing our customers with what they want. Whether it is our one-stop shop Pit Stop Food Marts and Fischer’s Market concept stores to make their lives more convenient or giving them an alternative to gasoline derived …
Industry Concerned About Lowering Cellulosic Ethanol Goals
A big change in the 2011 proposed targets for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today lowers the volume for cellulosic ethanol, compared to what is in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA). The proposed goal for cellulosic biofuels next year under the proposal is now a range of 5 …
EIA Looks at Ethanol Blend Wall
The July 8 Energy Information Administration (EIA) “This Week in Petroleum” report takes a look at the fast approaching ethanol blend wall, predicting ethanol’s share of the gasoline market will reach the 10% saturation point by the beginning of 2011. During April 2010 an estimated 834,000 bbl/d (12.8 billion gallons per year [BGY]) of fuel ethanol was blended into gasoline, …
EPA Proposes 2011 Renewable Fuel Standard
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released a proposal for comment that sets the 2011 percentage standards under the agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard program, known as RFS2. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) established the annual renewable fuel volume targets, reaching an overall level of 36 billion gallons in 2022. To achieve these volumes, EPA calculates …
MO Ethanol Plant Helps Feed Hungry
With the help of corn growers and FFA members, a northwest Missouri ethanol plant helped provide 2,600 meals for hungry families in the Kansas City area last week. Mid-Missouri Energy, a farmer-owned ethanol plant near Malta Bend, Mo., donated a plot of land to grow sweet corn for the hungry. Members of the Missouri Corn Growers Association (MCGA) and Malta …