The energy bill was on a roll after passing the House Thursday, but a failed vote on Friday to end debate in the Senate puts the bill back in limbo. In urging Senators to block a vote on the bill, Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico, the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, argued: “This is …
Ethanol, Biodiesel Large Part of Support for Bull Market
Chris Hurt, ag economist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana says ethanol and biodiesel… and the demands for the feedstocks to make the biofuels… are a big reason for the current bull market. This story in the Bluffton (IN) News-Banner says Hurt made the remarks at a recent ag outlook breakfast: Hurt sees continual price rises in the corn, …
Two Companies Combine for WI Biodiesel Plant
The two biggest biodiesel producers in Wisconsin have combined forces to put the state’s second largest biodiesel plant online by the end of the year. BEST Energies and Sanimax are in the joint venture, according to this BEST Energies press release: BEST Energies Inc. is beginning start-up of a new 10 million gallon biodiesel plant located in Cashton, Wisconsin with …
Energy Bill Passes with Expanded RFS
The U.S. House has passed the Energy Independence and Security Act (H.R. 6) by a vote of 235 to 181. The measure expands the Renewable Fuel Standard by seven times to 36 billion gallons a year by 2022… with 21 billion gallons of ethanol coming from cellulosic feedstocks, such as wood scraps… and requiring that 500 million gallons of biodiesel …
NBB Conference to Focus on Feedstock Development
The upcoming National Biodiesel Board’s 2008 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo, February 3-6th at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, will be focusing on developing the feedstocks to make the green fuel. The NBB’s December, 2007 newsletter has more details: Alan Weber, economic consultant to National Biodiesel Board, will lead the final general session of the …
Rallying for RFS
The National Biodiesel Board has joined some key members of the House Agriculture Committee to rally for the expansion of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). This NBB press release says the biodiesel group joined Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN), Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) during the rally: The Energy Bill scheduled for consideration in the …
The Commodores of Biodiesel
Vanderbilt University is the recipient of a $100,000 grant from Japanese auto components supplier, DENSO Corporation to put in a state-of-the-art biodiesel tester. This news story from Vanderbilt has more details: Beginning in the fall of 2008, students from various engineering disciplines will use the Vanderbilt Multi-User Biodiesel Engine Test Facility to investigate diesel engine performance parameters and test campus-produced …
Making Your Own Biodiesel at Home
Check out this interesting little gadget. It’s the FuelPod2, selling in the United Kingdom. This review on the Red Ferret Journal tells a little more about the two-foot-wide by 4.5-feet high device that will make up to 13 gallons of biodiesel a day… right in your own driveway: FuelPod2 is a ‘plug and play’ home biofuel processor. Just pour that …
Second Montana Camelina Biodiesel Refinery Planned
Another biodiesel plant using the oilseed camelina is planned for Montana. Great Plains Oil and Exploration, aka Great Plains – The Camelina Company, has plans to build an oilseed cruching facility and biodiesel refinery in Eastern Montana. A company press release says the final location for the plant will be disclosed by the end of the year. That part of …
CASE IH Supporting 100% Biodiesel
Cindy reported previously that New Holland is backing biodiesel 100%. Now it looks like sister company Case IH is coming on board with that idea. Case IH has extended its recommendations on use of biofuels to include B100 — or pure biodiesel — on even more of its farm equipment models. Farmers now can use B100 on nearly all Case …