It’s been a long time in the making, but the Environmental Protection Agency has finally released the new Renewable Fuels Standard … better known as RFS-2. The standard requires that biofuels will have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to the gasoline and diesel fuels they displace and grow in production from last year’s 11.1 billion gallons to 36 billion …
Ethanol Poised to Create Jobs in Expanded RFS
This afternoon, Growth Energy responded to the Environmental Protection Agency’s expanded Renewable Fuels Standard, that will create the platform for reaching 36 billions gallons of biofuels by 2022, and specifically praised the Obama administration and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. “Growth Energy commends the Obama White House and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson for recognizing the value of domestic ethanol both as …
Ethanol Report on RFS2 Rules
Industry reaction to the Environmental Protection Agency announcement today of much-delayed rules for the second phase of the Renewable Fuel Standard has come quickly and is mostly positive. In this edition of “The Ethanol Report” podcast, Matt Hartwig with the Renewable Fuels Association talks about their reaction and what the rule means for the industry. You can subscribe to this …
DF Cast: Ethanol, Biodiesel Industries Optimistic on 2010
The new year brings in new hope, and it’s no different for the ethanol and biodiesel industries in this country. You couldn’t blame the folks who make biofuels in the U.S. if they just wanted to forget about 2009 … especially when you consider the fights over food versus fuel, delays of regulatory implementations that would have helped both ethanol …
Biodiesel Maker Contends Study Proves Algae’s Worth
A recent study that contends algae-based biodiesel is no more environmentally friendly than conventional row-crop feedstocks has generated some controversy, as well as quite a few comments. And even the algal-biofuel industry seems to be split on the issue. As you might remember from my story last week, University of Virginia researchers have concluded that algae’s environmental footprint is larger …
How to Create Effective Biofuels Public Policy
One of the biggest challenges for our country lies in the issue of how to create effective public policies that will grow the biofuels industry and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Dr. Antonio Bento, associate professor in the Applied Economics and Management Program at Cornell University, has been researching exactly how to do this and he shared his results …
Promoting Freedom at AG CONNECT Expo
In the growing field of biomass conversion to fuel there’s a plant that Mississippi State University thinks will help farmers and all Americans. It’s Giant Miscanthus and you can follow it on Twitter @GiantMiscanthus. They’ve actually licensed the product which is Freedom Giant Miscanthus that’s being marketed by Sunbelt Biofuels LLC. On the show floor at AG CONNECT Expo last …
Another Exciting Year for Ethanol
2010 promises to be another exciting year for ethanol, according to Matt Hartwig with the Renewable Fuels Association. “Like the last two, three, four years in the industry, 2010 promises to fulfill on excitement,” he says in this edition of “The Ethanol Report” podcast. That includes work on extending the blenders tax credit, increasing the ethanol blend level, implementing the …
Southeast Poised to be Leader in Energy Crops
The Southeast is poised to be the leader in energy crop production according to University of Florida Associate Professor and energy crops expert Dr. John Erickson. He has been focusing on research of perennial grasses, mostly C4 grasses in his work with the Agronomy department. These can include sugarcane, energycane, elephant grasses, miscanthus, giant reed, switchgrass and sorghum. In terms …
Transmission Challenges Slow Wind Energy Success
The wind energy industry enjoyed some success during 2009 despite the economic down-turn and the difficulty of obtaining private investment dollars. There are currently 31 gigawatts of wind in production throughout the U.S. that has reduced carbon dioxide emissions and water use. New projects have increased economic development and tax revenue and 35,000 new green jobs were created according to …