How can we tell the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) is working? By how nervous it’s making the big oil companies. That was the message attendees at the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference near Washington, D.C. heard. “We are disrupting an existing marketplace,” says Brooke Coleman, Executive Director of the Advanced Ethanol Council. “We are not social media. We are not creating …
Vilsack, LaHood Extend Aviation Biofuels Commitment
Two members of Pres. Obama’s cabinet today have signed their names to an agreement that will extend the administration’s commitment to the production of biofuels for use in airplanes. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood have extended by five years the “Farm to Fly” program, an initiative to partner the USDA and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) …
Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conf. Underway in DC
Hello from the Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference, just a few miles south of the Nation’s capital at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center! A lot has been going on already this morning, but before it all got started, I caught up with Jim Lane, the editor for Biofuels Digest, who is putting on this event. He told me that …
Growth Energy Heads to the Hill
Growth Energy and its members are heading to Capitol Hill today to meet with legislators regarding the benefits of the ethanol industry. In particular, participants will discuss the value of E15, the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and the issues surrounding Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs). This morning, the Growth Energy leadership team, CEO Tom Buis, and Co-Chairmen of the Board General …
Oversupply Could Provide US Sugar for Ethanol
Ethanol producers could get a sweet deal on sugar for ethanol if the administration approves the sale of up to 400,000 tons of surplus sugar under the 2008 Farm Bill Farm Bill Feedstock Flexibility Program. The program allows USDA to buy the surplus sugar and then sell it to ethanol producers at a loss in order to keep prices from …
DF Cast: Countering RIN-sanity
There’s been a lot of talk about the prices for Renewable Identification Numbers … better known as RINs … especially from Big Oil trying to blame RINs for the rise in gasoline prices. But in this edition of the Domestic Fuel Cast, Ron Lamberty, Senior Vice President with the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) and Brian Jennings, Executive Vice President …
An American Success Story
The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) has created an ‘infographic’ promoting the benefits of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Entitled “An American Success Story,” the new infographic pinpoints how the RFS is accomplishing the goals set by Congress. “ACE’s infographic is a vivid and effective ‘show and tell’ tool for ethanol advocates to use in proactively promoting the benefits of …
RIN Study Counters “Hyperbole”
According to new analysis conducted by Informa Economics, Inc., ethanol costs significantly less than gasoline at the wholesale level and is reducing pump prices for consumers across the country. The report demonstrates that the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and its associated “RIN” credits, have not been a factor in this spring’s higher retail gasoline prices. A RIN is a Renewable …
Florida House Committee Passes FL RFS Repeal Bill
Yesterday I traveled to Tallahassee, Florida to testify at a hearing of the Florida House of Representatives Regulatory Affairs Committee on HB 4001 which is a bill to repeal the Florida Renewable Fuel Standard. This hearing was actually an extension of one held previously that ran out of time to conclude. You can watch the session here. The portion on …
Algae.Tec Using Shipping Containers to Grow Algae
When it comes to alternatives to some of the more conventional sources of oils for biofuels, many companies are looking to go green. And some, such as the folks at Algae.Tec, are looking to green shipping containers to grow a literal green feedstock. “What we wanted was a significant bulk outcome, in other words fuels and possibly food, producing the …