E15, a blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent ethanol, has arrived in Fort Dodge, Iowa. STAR Energy is the 14th E15 retailer in the state, offering the blend to drivers of cars manufactured in 2001 or later. STAR Energy also offers E20, E30, E85 and biodiesel. “Fort Dodge-area residents are now able to benefit from E15, the lowest-cost …
Ethanol Celebrates Six Years of RFS
Six years ago today, President George W. Bush signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), which greatly expanded Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to become the RFS2. The goals of the new standard were to reduce our dependence on oil, confront global climate change, and expand production of renewable fuels for the security of future generations. …
IL Sen. Todd Sieben “Retired To” Working for Ethanol
A good friend once told Todd Sieben, Chairman Central Bank and retired state senator, that when you get ready to retire, don’t retire from something, but retire to something. After 21 years as a state legislator, Sieben did just that and he “retired to” working on projects in his local community including helping to bring the idea of Patriot Renewable …
Benefits of Biodiesel Topic During IRFA Summit
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) has announced additional speakers for its 2014 Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit and Trade Show. These new speakers will address the biodiesel market through policy initiatives and broader distribution networks. The event takes place January 28, 2014 at The Meadows Conference Center at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa. The “More B for Me: Growing …
Iowans Deserve a Fair Hearing on Renewable Fuels
Americans United for Change is echoing Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Iowa Senator Tom Harkin along with the rest of the Iowa congressional delegation for the EPA to hold a hearing in Iowa on the Renewable Fuel Standard. Iowa is the country’s leader in production of renewable fuels with 42 ethanol refineries capable of producing over 3.8 billion gallons annually, …
DF Cast: EPA Proposal More Than Just Numbers
We’ve heard a lot of the national numbers in the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to cut the amount of ethanol and biodiesel going into the country’s fuel supply… cellulosic biofuels at 17 million gallons, biomass-based diesel at 1.28 billion gallons, advanced biofuels at 2.20 billion gallons and renewable fuels at 15.21 billion. But outside of all these national numbers is …
Analyst Offers Sobering Ethanol Outlook
AgResource Company president Dan Basse looked at the year in review for grain markets and gave his outlook for the future at the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) CSS 2013 and Seed Expo last week in Chicago. That included a pretty sobering outlook for corn and ethanol. First off, Basse said he expects North America to be “energy self-sufficient by …
Tips from Patriot’s Dave Gerhart on Improving Efficiency
When you want to learn about ethanol, you go to an industry veteran and I did just that when I spoke with Patriot Renewable Fuels Plant Manager Dave Gerhart who began his career in the early 80s at is what is now known as Nebraska-based Chief Ethanol Fuels. At the time, they were the largest dry mill ethanol plant in …
Abundant Corn Harvest Increases Ethanol Production
According to a recent Today in Energy published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), expectations of a record corn harvest in 2013 have helped lower corn prices and improve ethanol production margins. This has also increased ethanol production and supply. It was just last year that the 2012 corn harvest faced some of the most severe and far-reaching drought …
A Q&A with JatroDiesel
JatroDiesel’s technology has been selected by Patriot Renewable Fuels for its 4-5 million biodiesel facility under construction next to its ethanol plant in Annawan, Illinois. The biodiesel plant, when it goes into operation in September 2014 will use the corn oil produced during the ethanol process for its primary feedstock. To learn more about the multi-feedstock biodiesel technology, I spoke …