Ethanol industry leaders are looking forward to working with the Obama administration on the creation of a “clean energy economy,” as outlined in the president’s “American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.” This edition of “The Ethanol Report” features comments from Renewable Fuels Association chairman of the board Chris Standlee of Abengoa Bioenergy and RFA president and CEO Bob Dinneen on priorities …
President Promises Clean Energy Economy
Energy is one of the top priorities of the new administration, as outlined by President Obama in his first weekly address to the nation. Obama used the forum to explain how he believes his “American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan” will jump-start the economy. “This is not just a short-term program to boost employment,” he said. “It’s one that will invest …
Michigan State Patents Cellulosic Ethanol Process
Michigan State University (MSU) has patented a process to pretreat agricultural waste products that would dramatically reduce the cost of making biofuels from cellulose. According to a university release, The AFEX (ammonia fiber expansion) pretreatment process, developed by MSU chemical engineering professor Bruce Dale, uses ammonia to make the breakdown of cellulose and hemicellulose in plants 75 percent more efficient …
Report Shows Efficiency of Ethanol Production
A new report concludes that America’s ethanol industry is energy efficient and doing its part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research has just released its report entitled “Improvements in Life Cycle Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Corn Ethanol” which was published in Yale’s Journal of Industrial Ecology (JIE). According …
Renewable Fuels on Ag Secretary Agenda
In his first day on the job at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, newly confirmed Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack laid out his top priorities to USDA staff. In a USDA radio report, Vilsack said that President Obama is “adamant on the need for us to continue to find creative ways to provide the fuel and the energy that this …
New Nebraska Ethanol Board Officers
The Nebraska Ethanol Board elected new officers for the new year at the organization’s recent board meeting. Mike Thede of Palmer was elected Chairman of the board. Thede represents general farming interests on the board and also serves as president of the Howard County Farm Bureau and sits on the United Soybean Board. Thede said that he is optimistic about …
Alternative Energy in Inaugural Address
Among the challenges outlined by President Barack Obama in his inaugural address today was a nod to the need for alternative energy sources in our nation. “We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories,” the new president said as part of his paragraph on “work that needs to be …
Ethanol Plants to be Auctioned
Less than one year after the merger of VeraSun Energy and US BioEnergy, seven of the ethanol plants acquired in the merger are scheduled to be sold at auction. The auction will take place between March 16 and March 31. The merger of the two companies was final on April 1, 2008. Plants to be auctioned include two in Nebraska, …
Ethanol Plant Offers Barley Bonuses
A Virginia-based ethanol plant is offering incentives for regional farmers to produce barley for biofuel. Osage Bio Energy will award $1,000 to the farmers in each of seven states with the highest barley yield per acre. The top producer of the Barley Bin Builder Yield Contest will receive the grand prize of a GM FlexFuel pickup truck. “Osage Bio Energy’s …
USDA Provides Loan for Cellulosic Ethanol Plant
In one of his last official acts as Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Schafer announced today that USDA Rural Development has approved the first ever loan guarantee to a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant. Under the Biorefinery Assistance Program authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill, USDA will provide an $80 million loan to Range Fuels of Soperton, Georgia. When fully operational in …