National commodity organizations representing growers of corn, soybeans, wheat and sorghum gathered together for the first time as one group last week in Grapevine, Texas at the annual Commodity Classic. Corn and soybean growers have been together as one for the past 14 years, wheat joined the group last year, and sorghum made four this year. Renewable fuels were a …
USDA Support for Renewable Energy
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will be providing loan guarantees to help the ethanol industry, according to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. At last week’s USDA Outlook Conference, Vilsack said the USDA “has a responsibility for keeping an eye on that industry” to maintain an infrastructure to produce the next generation of biofuels. Vilsack also says USDA is working with …
Obama’s Budget Calls for $15 billion for Renewables
After alluding to putting $15 billion in renewable energy development during his State of the Union Address (see my post from last Tuesday night), Pres. Barack Obama has officially called for the money in his first budget. From his statement posted on the White House Web page: Because our future depends on our ability to break free from oil that’s …
New Report Shows Biodiesel, Ethanol Roles in Job Growth
In a time when we constantly hear about rising unemployment, there’s some good news for the U.S. job sector… thanks to ethanol and biodiesel. A new report says advanced biofuels could directly create nearly 200,000 jobs in the next 13 years, with indirect and direct effects accounting for more than 800,000 new jobs and nearly $150 billion in economic activity …
America’s Destiny: An Eco-Sustainable City
This edition of the DomesticFuel Cast… and yes, we have returned on a regular basis… we look at Destiny, Florida… a community striving to be the nation’s first eco-sustainable city. We talked to Roz Gatewood, the Vice President of Business Development for the 41,000-acre community founded in 2005 in South Central Florida… less than an hour from the attractions of …
Biodiesel Making Fast, Clean VWs Faster, Greener
Volkswagen will be running B5 biodiesel in all its race cars, transport vehicles and generators during the 2009 Jetta TDI Cup season. This press release says they’ll be using the green fuel provided by Houston-based HYPERFUELS: “We are extremely pleased to have HYPERFUELS as a partner for the 2009 Jetta TDI Cup series. SynDiesel(R) B5 biodiesel has been fully approved …
Obama Calls for $15 Billion for Alternative Energy Development
Just moments ago, Pres. Barack Obama, in his first State of the Union Address, laid out his plan he believes will lead to the recovery of the U.S. economy. And alternative energy could wind up being a big winner as part of the plan. Obama said that while “we have known for decades that our survival depends on finding new …
UNI Professor Calls for Diversity in Alternative Energy
We should not put all of our energy eggs in one basket… that’s the view of a professor from the University of Northern Iowa, who also dismisses some of the food-versus-fuel myths in this fascinating guest column in the Des Moines (IA) Register. Lou Honary, a professor and director of the National Ag-Based Lubricants Center at UNI, says while biodiesel …
Texas Plant Ramps Up Waterless Biodiesel Process
El Paso, Texas-based biodiesel producer Global Alternative Fuels, LLC will triple its output using a production method provided by Greenline Industries, the world’s largest producer of small-to-medium scale biodiesel production equipment. This Greenline press release says its waterless method is a natural for the dry conditions of West Texas: “El Paso is in a desert area, so we chose Greenline’s …
Governors Urge Immediate Biofuels Action
The Governors’ Biofuels Coalition is calling on President Obama to tap the job growth potential of the biofuels industry. According to the 35 member coalition, the nation’s biofuels industry is poised to provide immediate job growth, generate economic activity and prepare the nation for the next increase in world oil prices and they are urging the president to capitalize on …