Want to feel good about Internal Revenue Service this time of year? Well, maybe you won’t be doing the wave for tax collectors, but the IRS is helping out those filing tax credit claims for biodiesel mixtures and alternative fuels sold or used in 2012. Biodiesel Magazine explains that several fuel tax credits, including the cellulosic biofuel producer credit, the …
Virginia Tech Finds Way to Get Hydrogen from Plants
Researchers at Virginia Tech have found a way to extract hydrogen from any plant, a breakthrough touted as possibly bringing a low-cost, environmentally friendly fuel source to the world. “Our new process could help end our dependence on fossil fuels,” said Y.H. Percival Zhang, an associate professor of biological systems engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and …
DOE to Fund Three Bioenergy Research Centers
Three labs working on advanced, next-generation biofuels will get funding for another five years … of course, if Congress funds it. The U.S. Department of Energy announced the intent to fund the BioEnergy Research Center (BESC) led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison in partnership with Michigan State …
Canadian Renewable Fuels Welcomes GF2 Policy
The Canadian Renewable Fuels Association welcomed this week’s launch of that country’s agriculture policy. The Growing Forward 2 (GF2) policy framework was unveiled this week, and CRFA sees it as good for Canada’s renewable fuels industry and the farmers who grow the feedstocks for biofuels: Today, CRFA members are producing clean-burning renewable fuels across the country. This success is a …
Ethanol Blender Pumps Funds Now Available
Federal money to help offset the costs of putting in ethanol blender pumps is being made available. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) announced the USDA is now accepting applications for federal Rural Energy For America Program (REAP) funds to help gasoline retailers install blender pumps, the third year that blender pumps have been authorized as part of the REAP program …
Register Now for Ethanol 2013: Emerging Issues Forum
Just a few seats left for the Nebraska Ethanol Board’s Ethanol 2013: Emerging Issues Forum! The April 18-19 event in Omaha, Nebraska at the Magnolia Hotel will include several key speakers, including Ron Lamberty with the American Coalition for Ethanol, Greg Krissek from ICM and Sandra Dunphy with Weaver, LLP. Weaver specializes in EPA compliance and fuels consulting for the …
Analysis: RIN Prices Not Pushing Up Gas Prices
Contrary to what some in oil industry are trying to tell the public, the recent rise in prices for Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs), the government’s tracking system to make sure companies are properly complying with federal rules about using renewable energy, is not pushing up gas prices. University of Illinois analysts Scott Irwin and Darrel Good say RINs also don’t …
More Corn Could Mean More Corn Oil for Biodiesel
As we reported earlier this week, the latest USDA 2013 Prospective Plantings report says corn acreage will be at its highest level ever, but soybeans are expected to be lower. You would think that could be bad news for biodiesel makers, who make the green fuel primarily from soybeans. But Biodiesel Magazine points out that biodiesel refineries are already clamoring …
Growth Energy Joins with Military Support Group
A group that lends its support to ethanol producers is also backing the men and women and their families who have served and continue to serve this country through the military. Growth Energy and the Armed Forces Foundation have joined in the “Fueling our Forces” campaign, a charity contest between Growth Energy members to raise the most money possible by …
Solar Plane to Make Cross-Country Trip Across U.S.
Makers of a solar-powered airplane have released the itinerary of a trip that will take it from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts late this spring and early this summer. The Solar Impulse will start out May 1st, depending on weather, of course, in California with several stops inbetween before ending its journey in early July in New York City: …