Members of the American Soybean Association (ASA) were back on Capitol Hill… this time testifying before the House Small Business Subcommittee on Regulations, Healthcare and Trade that the new proposed Environmental Protection Agency rules are undermining investor confidence in the biodiesel industry. Biodiesel Magazine reports that the ASA complained the EPA rules, which excludes soy-based biodiesel from the fuels counted …
Hope Meets Destiny
The nation’s first eco-sustainable city, which will use biodiesel, ethanol, solar and wind sources to power the community and its green industries (such as building solar panels), has been selected as one among 16 founding projects of the for former President Bill Clinton’s Climate Positive Development Program. This press release from Destiny, Florida says the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) program …
DF Cast – Conservation through Exploration
Getting ready to take off on your summer vacation? Planning to drive 100… 200… 1,000 miles from home? How about 60,000 miles? That’s been Brian Brawdy’s 11-month long road trip fueled with biodiesel, solar and wind power… plus he captures rainwater when he can to drink. Brawdy has been using a Ford F-350 diesel pickup truck with a camper in …
Biodiesel Could Benefit from Higher CAFE Standards
President Barack Obama has proposed that vehicle fuel economy standards be substantially increased to 35.5 miles per gallon by the year 2016… and biodiesel could be a big benefactor of that change. This article from Biodiesel Magazine says auto industry folks, such as Dave Barthmuss, group manager for General Motors Environment and Energy Communications North America, believe the new Corporate …
Renewable Energy Part of Next Farm Foundation Forum
Get your reservation in for the next free Farm Foundation Forum, as the topic of discussion will turn to the subject of greenhouse gases and the options for agriculture. Entitled “Carbon Policy Options and Implications for Agriculture,” the forum will be held on Tuesday, June 2: Presenters confirmed for this Forum are Iowa farmer Varel Bailey, and Jon Scholl of …
Making Ethanol from Solid Waste
Canadian waste-to-biofuels technology company Enerkem has received North America’s first unconditional commercial permit to produce advanced biofuels, in particular, ethanol, from sorted municipal solid waste. This company press release says Enerkem GreenField Alberta Biofuels (EGAB) received the pemit to make the ethanol at a facility in Edmonton, Alberta: “This unprecedented project is set to change the dynamics of the waste …
Making Algae Commercially Viable Workshop Coming Up
Algae is being seen as the next great feedstock for biodiesel… if the industry can grow the algae and extract the oil in a commercially-viable way. To that end, our friends from the National Algae Association`s Mid-South Chapter are hosting a one-day workshop on algae commercialization on June 12, 2009 at the Doubletree Castle Hotel in Orlando, Florida. According to …
EU Wants to Extend Biodiesel Tariffs
Temporary tariffs on American biodiesel imposed by the European Union could become more permanent. In March, the EU, citing what it called unfair subsidies by the U.S. government that help American biodiesel producers, slapped temporary duties on biodiesel coming from this side of the pond. And, according to this story on CNMoney.com, the duties, which typically last five years, could …
Imperium Might Re-start Biodiesel Plant… IF…
What a rollercoaster couple of years it has been for Seattle-based Imperium Renewables. Back in August, 2007, I was telling you about how Imperium was opening a 100-million-gallon-a-year biodiesel plant in the Pacific Northwest, representing 30 percent of all U.S. biodiesel production. A year later, the company was in trouble, canceling long-term contracts, cutting production and laying off almost all …
Sapphire Makes Case for Algae-Biofuels in Cap & Trade
The head of a company that is making energy out of algae wants lawmakers to ensure that their type of fuel is part of upcoming Cap and Trade legislation. The president of Sapphire Energy, Cynthia J. Warner, testified today before the full U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works to encourage legislators to allow industries that produce carbon dioxide, …