A fascinating discussion this morning at the opening session of the Transition to a Bioeconomy: Environmental and Rural Development Impacts conference here in St. Louis. Speakers have included government and university experts who are presenting what challenges face the bioeconomy, especially on the environmental side of the issue. Kitty Smith with the USDA’s Economic Research Service and chair of the …
Transition to a Bioeconomy About to Begin
The latest in a series of Farm Foundation-sponsored meetings on how to transition the country to a bioeconomy is about to get underway this morning in St. Louis, Mo. Transition to a Bio Economy: Environmental and Rural Development Impacts is taking place at the Hyatt Regency-Union Station today and tomorrow, and your intrepid blogger will be here to update you …
Flying the Eco-Friendly Skies
With rising fuel costs and dropping passenger rates, airlines around the world are looking at ways to keep their operations in the air, both literally and financially. This story in the Vancouver (BC) Sun says the 230 airline members of the International Air Transport Association and its 230 member-airlines believe biodiesel and ethanol could be part of the solution: [T]he …
ASTM Publishes New Biodiesel Blend Specs
New specifications for biodiesel have been published by one of the most highly regarded standard development organizations in the world. ASTM International has published new biodiesel blend specifications for: * ASTM D975-08a, Specification for Diesel Fuel Oils — used for on- and off-road diesel applications; revised to include requirements for up to 5 percent biodiesel. * ASTM D396-08b, Specification for …
Alternatives Fuel Michigan Senate Race
With high gas prices cutting into motorists’ pocketbooks and Michigan’s auto industry, it’s no wonder that biodiesel, ethanol, wind and solar are figuring into the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democrat Carl Levin and Republican Jack Hoogendyk. This story from MLive.com says the two have very different approaches on how to fix the energy crisis that has crippled the state: …
Biodiesel Cop Car to Debut
A police car, designed from the ground up specifically for law enforcement officers and will run on biodiesel, will debut during a nationwide tour starting tomorrow (Oct. 14th). The Carbon ‘E7’ built by Carbon Motors Corporation will be shown during the nine-city 2008 Pure Justice Tour starting in Chicago, heading to the West Coast and finishing in Florida in the …
Transitioning to St. Louis
The latest in a series of conferences sponsored by the Farm Foundation on how this country can transition to a bioeconomy takes place this week in St. Louis, Mo. Transition to a Bioeconomy: Environmental and Rural Development Impacts brings together government officials… featuring USDA chief Ed Schafer…, bioenergy experts and leaders in the private industry to discuss environmental and rural …
Mo Gov Candidates Debate But Agree on Alternative Energy
Candidates for governor in Missouri aren’t seeing eye-to-eye on much these days (and trust me… we’re hearing and seeing plenty of tit-for-tat attack ads here in Central Missouri), but Republican Kenny Hulshof and Democrat Jay Nixon did seem to agree on the importance of renewable energy during their debate this week in Kansas City. According to this story in the …
FEMA Buys Biodiesel Buses for New Orleans
New Orleans is getting some biodiesel buses… thanks to some money from the federal government. This press release from Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu says the Federal Emergency Management Agency has given the city the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) $44 million to replace… and to upgrade… 204 buses and 31 vans that were destroyed by flooding during Hurricane Katrina: …
Developing an Ethanol-Biodiesel Pipeline
An Iowa-based ethanol company is working to develop a pipeline that is capable of carrying both ethanol and biodiesel, as well as some other key liquids. This press release from ALL Fuels & Energy (AFSE) says the company has entered into agreements with two privately-held infrastructure technology firms, which will provide proprietary, patent-pending technologies to help build the multi-purpose pipelines: …