May soyoil futures on the Chicago Board of Trade rose to a high of 33 cents per pound Thursday.. the highest for a nearby contract in nearly three years. Those nearby soyoil futures have appreciated more than 10% over the last three weeks. According to this AP story in the Houston Chronicle, the rise has been fueled by the jump …
O2 Diesel Powers SD School Buses
The historic communities of Lead and Deadwood, South Dakota will be the latest to experience a promising new age in environmentally friendly school transportation. All buses in the Lead-Deadwood School District will be powered by O2Diesel(TM), a fuel blend of ethanol-diesel. According to an O2 Diesel press release, “The essence of why we are using O2Diesel is we believe it …
Minnesota Biodiesel Shows Improvement
A year ago, clogged fuel filters and angry truckers were a big part of the biodiesel scene in Minnesota, where the state had just implemented a biodiesel requirement. But according to this story in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, this past winter was much better: Truckers in Minnesota still experienced lots of clogged fuel filters over the winter, but an …
Biodiesel Part of Latest Illinois State Agribusiness Grants
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has given out $240,000 in Opportunity Returns grants including money for a feasibility study to find new uses for a by-product of biodiesel production. Northern Illinois University in DeKalb received $16,850, to identify and evaluate new uses for glycerin to use as an energy feedstock. This from a governor’s press release: “This investment demonstrates Gov. Blagojevich’s …
Homebrew Biodiesel Makers Running Afoul of Tax Laws
The other day I told you about a pair of Wisconsin biodiesel homebrewers who have been sent a tax bill by the state for about 33 cents a gallon of what they’ve been making and using in their vehicles. Now, a Virginia man has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor tax evasion on biodiesel he’s been making and selling. According to this …
Special Delivery by Alternative Fuel
After meeting with the CEOs of major automobile manufacturers on Monday, President Bush spent Tuesday taking a look at alternative fuel vehicles used by the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, UPS, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. According to a White House fact sheet, the U.S. Postal Service has the “largest alternative fuel vehicle fleet in the world. Almost 13 …
Ground Broken at New Biodiesel Plant in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle and officials with North Prairie Productions, LLC were among those at a groundbreaking ceremony in Evansville for the state’s latest biodiesel plant. According to this article posted on the Wisconsin Technology Network web site, when completed, the plant will produce 45 million gallons of biodiesel a year: “Our state has the ideal resources to be a …
Crops for Fuel
During a renewable energy roundtable discussion at Purdue University last week, the question was posed, why are we using food for fuel? USDA Chief Economist Dr. Keith Collins had the chance to respond to the questioner with an important point. “I first would say that I don’t think about using food for fuel. I think about using crops for fuel. …
Bush and the Big Three
President George W. Bush participated in a demonstration of alternative fuel vehicles on the South Lawn drive of the White House Monday with the CEOs of the three largest auto makers. The president said he “found it very interesting that by 2012, 50 percent of the automobiles in America will be flex-fuel vehicles. That means that the American consumer will …
Wisconsin Taxing Home-brewed Biodiesel
In what might be some concerning news to those trying to be truly independent of foreign oil and good for the environment, the State of Wisconsin is taxing the biodiesel home-brewed by two Manitowoc men. According to this AP story posted on WFRV-TV Green Bay web site, Steven Griesbach and Paul Simon received letters from the state Department of Revenue …