This Memorial Day weekend many motorists may be wistfully remembering the days of $2 a gallon gasoline as prices at the pump may hit $4 average nationwide by the holiday. The American Automobile Association (AAA) predicts that nearly 32 million drivers will hit the road for the long holiday weekend. However, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) says there is some …
Beer Waste Ethanol to Fuel DNC Vehicles
The Democratic National Convention in Denver will be fueled with ethanol made from beer waste, thanks to a donation from Molson Coors Brewing Company. The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee has announced that the leading global brewer and its U.S. subsidiary, Coors Brewing Company, will be the “Official E85 Ethanol Producer for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.” Molson Coors is …
Author to Keynote Ethanol Conference
The author of “Energy Victory: Winning the War on Terror by Breaking Free of Oil” will be the keynote speaker at the 2008 Fuel Ethanol Workshop in Nashville next month. In his book, Dr. Robert Zubrin shows how we could be using fuel dollars that are now being sent to countries with ties to terrorism to help farmers here and …
Hoosier Ethanol Opinions
This week is the biggest week of the year for Hoosiers in Indianapolis with the 92nd Indy 500 coming up and since it is also the second year that the race will be running on 100 percent fuel grade ethanol, it’s a big week for the corn and ethanol industries in the state. The Indiana Corn Marketing Council has been …
USDA Chief Says “Underground” Tactics Have Targeted Ethanol
The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture has a difference of opinion with the Grocery Manufacturers Association. During a Monday press conference, Secretary Ed Schafer said he had talked to the people who have “initiated these underground things that have been going on” to influence public opinion about ethanol incentives and found that while they understand that higher energy and transportation costs …
USDA Makes Case for Food and Fuel
Armed with power points and statistics, officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture held a press conference in Washington DC Monday to discuss the case for producing both food and fuel in the United States. “We think the time has come for USDA to join in the public conversation about the relationship between food prices and biofuels,” said Agriculture Secretary …
EPA Seeks Input on RFS Waiver Request
The Environmental Protection Agency is following through on Texas Governor Rick Perry’s request to reduce the volume of renewable fuel required to be used in motor vehicles and other engines. EPA is publishing a Federal Register notice opening a 30-day comment period on the request. The RFS mandate for 2008 is the equivalent of 9 billion gallons. The Energy Policy …
SunEthanol Awarded Third DOE Grant
The U.S. Department of Energy recently awarded SunEthanol a $100,000 research grant to help America develop clean transportation fuels from a variety of non-food feedstocks, including corn stover, bagasse, switchgrass, sorghum, softwoods like pine, and high lignin poplar. This is the third DOE grant that SunEthanol has been awarded in the past year. According to the company, this latest grant …
Farm Bill Promotes Cellulosic Ethanol
The Farm, Nutrition and Bioenergy Act of 2008 passed by Congress last week has some significant incentives to promote second generation ethanol. Among them are a cellulosic biofuels production tax credit for up to $1.01 per gallon; funding for loan guarantees to commercial scale bio-refineries for advanced biofuels; a program to encourage farmers to establish and grow biomass crops in …
Senators Pleased With Energy Title of Farm Bill
Two of the main architects of the new Farm Bill are more than thrilled with overwhelming passage of the legislation this week by both the House and Senate. “Senate passage of the farm bill conference report on a strong, bipartisan basis demonstrates support for core farm bill initiatives – conservation, energy, nutrition and rural development – while continuing and strengthening …