A tentative agreement reached by conference committee members on funding for a new farm bill would reduce the tax incentive for blenders to use ethanol from 51 cents a gallon to 45 cents. The president of the Renewable Fuels Association says they can support that. “We do understand that they are looking at that in order to pay for cellulosic …
EBB, NBB Get Into Biodiesel Fight
Members of the European Biodiesel Board have asked the European Union to impose punitive tariffs on American biodiesel over complaints that U.S. subsidies on the green fuel are unfair. But their American counterparts at the National Biodiesel Board aren’t taking the threats lightly as they promise to hit back on what the NBB says are unfair trade barriers by the …
Alabama Town Considers Biodiesel to Save Money
As oil prices rise, so does the price of diesel fuel. Truckers, construction companies and municipalities are feeling the pinch of $4-plus-a-gallon diesel fuel, and one town in Alabama has figured out that a less expensive… and greener… solution is biodiesel. This story from the Fort Payne (AL) Times-Journal says the city’s council is looking at the less expensive biodiesel …
Americans Worried About Energy Issues
A new poll shows that when it comes to energy, Americans are most worried about dependence on foreign oil. The survey, commissioned by Renewable Fuels Now and conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates Inc., polled 1200 voters earlier this year about a number of issues facing Americans. The top three concerns were the war in Iraq, health insurance and …
US-Brazilian Companies Team Up for Sugar Cane Biodiesel
With the Brazilian massive sugar cane crops being turned into ethanol and Americans leading the way in biodiesel production, it was just a matter of time before these two biofuels giants put their heads together to combine the best of both worlds. This Reuters story says U.S. company Amyris Biotechnologies and Brazil’s Crystalsev, a sugar and (naturally) ethanol producer to …
Brothers, 9 & 13, Create Biodiesel Symbol
The two sons of a man who runs the green initiatives portion of a New York metro area company that rents out chillers, air conditioners, generators, electric heaters, oil-fired heaters, comfort cooling, air compressors, propane and natural gas heat, and portable air handlers have come up with what they hope becomes an international symbol for biodiesel (pictured left). Alex and …
NorthStar Fleet Goes Biodiesel
NorthStar Moving says its trucks might be red on the outside, but they’re now green on the inside. The moving and storage company is operating its truck fleet on biodiesel fuel. NorthStar Moving Corporation has announced that they have converted all of their trucks to biodiesel fuel. NorthStar Moving continues to find new ways to lighten its carbon footprint, now …
Click & Clack Search for Ideal Hybrid
I don’t recommend a lot of TV shows on this blog (you’re too busy reading Domestic Fuel, right?), but I did catch an episode of Nova on PBS tonight that I thought would be of interest here. In honor of Earth Day today, the show, “Car of the Future,” looked at the various alternative energy vehicles out there. Leading the …
Ultrasonic Horns Could Help Produce More Biodiesel & Ethanol
A Canadian company says it has technology that will help shake loose more sugars from corn to make more ethanol and more oil from feedstocks, in particular algae, to make more biodiesel. An e-mail to Domestic Fuel from Industrial Sonomechanics says the company has made ultrasonic technology on an industrial scale that would be perfect for biofuel production. Now while …
Hybrid Cars Take Off Dramatically
A new report from R.L. Polk & Co. says sales of hybrid vehicles rose 38 percent in 2007, compared to the previous year. The report also points out that better technologies and infrastructure are needed for ethanol- and biodiesel-powered vehicles to live up to their sales potential. This press release from the automotive marketing and research company says the economical …