An announcement by General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner at the opening of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit yesterday made for big alternative energy news nationwide. Wagoner announced GM’s partnership with Coskata, an Illinois company that has a process for for turning wood chips, grasses, or municipal waste into ethanol. Coskata uses a proprietary process that leverages patented …
Ethanol Outlook for 2008
2008 could be an even better year than 2007 for the ethanol industry. That’s the outlook of Renewable Fuels Association president Bob Dinneen. In the first “Ethanol Report” podcast for 2008, Dinneen gazes into his crystal ball and sees blue skies and big challenges for the ethanol industry this year. “I think we will continue to see dramatic growth in …
Ethanol Pioneer Dies
One of the original ethanol visionaries has passed away, but the plant he helped to build in 1984 continues to operate. The Washington Post today published the obituary of Donald Evans, a Washington area lawyer and “70s ethanol pioneer,” as the headline reads. In 1980, he and other partners formed New Energy Inc. of Indiana to build a $185 million …
POET Opens First Ohio Plant
POET hosted a grand opening ceremony Thursday for their 22nd ethanol production facility and the first in the state of Ohio. Some 3,000 people attended the opening of POET Biorefining – Leipsic, including Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, Ohio Congressman Bob Latta and Mike Wagner, Executive Director for the Buckeye Renewable Fuels Association. “The State of Ohio is excited to partner …
Good News Network
Not all the news out there about ethanol is negative, even though it sometimes seems that way. The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council has started a new e-newsletter to spread the good press that ethanol is getting. The “Ethanol Good News Network” communication is sent out twice weekly on Monday and Friday afternoons. EPIC members are automatically subscribed.
E States Number 28
The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) state branding program has added another three states to the list of those that have approved the “e” label for ethanol at the pump. Maine, Mississippi and Wisconsin are the latest to approve the pump label, a project EPIC has been working on for just about a year now. The map shows all …
Melon Fuel Still in Development
The National Watermelon Association is still working on making fuel from melons. Executive Director Bob Morrissey says they still believe there is a future in the idea, which we first reported on here in September 2006. “We still have to do some homework on the logistics portion and the economics portion,” he said. “Our initial idea is to get a …
WIREC 2008 Agenda Set
The agenda has been set for the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference, or WIREC 2008. Cabinet-level government officials from more than 70 countries will gather with industry leaders at the event to discuss the opportunities and challenges of a global, rapid deployment of renewable energy. WIREC 2008 is the third global ministerial-level conference on renewable energy, following events in Beijing …
MO Governor Pushes More Ethanol
Missouri Governor Matt Blunt is serious about making the Show Me State a renewable fuels leader. As of January 1, the state became only the third in the nation to implement a statewide 10 percent ethanol standard. Now the governor has proposed several initiatives targeted at promoting the use of and expanding access to E85 in Missouri. At the Missouri …
New Ethanol Book
Two brothers with plant and environmental science backgrounds have just released a new book about the “past, present, and future of ethanol fuel.” “Sustainable Ethanol,” written by Jeffery and Adrian Goettemoeller, attempts clear up myths and misconceptions about fuel ethanol. They tackle topics such as ethanol’s fuel economy, energy replacement ratio, transportation issues and food versus fuel arguments. It explores …