The Consumer Federation of America, a consumer watchdog group, says big oil companies are trying to stop the growth of the ethanol industry… and Big Oil is using consumers’ pocketbooks in the fight. In a report entitled “Big Oil’s Choke Hold: How Competition from Ethanol Can Help Lower Gasoline Prices for Consumers,” CFA charges that oil companies have used their …
Clinton Spins on Ethanol
Add Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to the list of folks who suddenly seem to be a friend of ethanol. Just like in my June 5th post about Sen. John McCain, it comes down to two words for these presidential wannabes: Iowa caucus. Democrat Clinton, just like Republican McCain, wanting to make sure she woos Iowa voters so she can grab …
NBB Calls for Passage of Farm Bill
The National Biodiesel Board today called for passage of the U.S. House’s version of the Farm Bill – H.R. 2419, the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 – especially the parts referring to biodiesel. NBB officials say the energy title portion of the bill includes an expansion of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Bioenergy Program and the Biodiesel Education …
North Dakota Opens First Wind-to-Hydrogen Project
North Dakota State University has opened a first-of-its-kind wind-to-hydrogen project at the North Central Research Extension Center just south of Minot, ND. In an article in the Minot Daily News, Sen. Byron Dorgan said this country desperately needs an energy source besides oil: “In the longer term, in my judgment, the fuel of the future is going to be hydrogen,” …
Marathon Pumping Biodiesel at Two Illinois Terminals
Marathon Oil Company is now pumping biodiesel at two of its terminals in Illinois. This company press release says the biodiesel blended fuel will be available at its Robinson and Champaign terminals: “Marathon is proud to announce that two more locations have been expanded to offer biodiesel storage and distribution. Similar to our existing biodiesel facilities in Minnesota and Kentucky, …
VeraSun’s Charles City Biorefinery Opening
VeraSun Energy will hold a grand opening ceremony for its 110 million-gallon-a-year ethanol plant at Charles City, Iowa on August 17th, 2007. A company press release says Democratic Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama will be the keynote speaker at the event… which still has its exact time to be determined. The grand opening actually comes several months after the plant …
Giuliani Promotes Ethanol During Iowa Campaign Stop
Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani says he can lead America to energy independence, and of course, tells Iowans during a campaign stop in the Hawkeye State that ethanol is one of the keys. This story in Forbes points out that Iowa leads the nation in ethanol production. And right now, it leads in presidential campaign promises: Presidents going back to …
Green Generators for Entertainment
Green Power Generators is helping the entertainment industry lessen its carbon footprint. GPG is already known for its biodiesel-fueled power generators. According to this story posted on on BusinessWire.com, the company has come up with the next generation of green fuel power: “We’re very excited to be able to provide the entertainment industry with the only truly eco-friendly energy outsourcing …
Iowa Forms Biodiesel Board; Sponsors Soy Biodiesel 225
The Iowa Soybean Association will be using some of its checkoff dolars to form the Iowa Biodiesel Board… with the obvious mission of promoting Iowa’s biodiesel industry. This story in the Des Moines (IA) Register quotes Randy Olson, executive director of the organization as saying the board was created by demand from “the entire biodiesel chain”: Issues facing the biodiesel …
USDA: Half of Livestock Producers Feeding Ethanol Co-products
A new USDA report says that about half of the cattle and hog operations in a 12-state Midwest region either fed ethanol co-products or considered feeding them to their livestock last year. This story from Cattle Network.com says about 9,400 livestock operations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin were surveyed. …