World and energy industry leaders are gathering this week in Dubai at the World Energy Forum. The major goal of the forum is to chart a roadmap for a sustainable energy mix. In light of the meeting, the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) renewed its call for the adoption of politices that will include biofuels as a significant part of …
Governors Decline Iowa Hospitality
Despite planned trips to Iowa, Texas Governor Rick Perry and Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell declined invitations to visit an Iowa ethanol plant and cattle operation from the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA). Both governors were part of a group that filed for waivers of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) for 2012 and 2013. At this time, the Environmental Protection Agency …
Running on Empty
For those of you who watched the second debate between Governor Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama, you’ll have heard something that hasn’t come out of the mouth of a presidential candidate in quite some time: ethanol. During discussion on energy policy, candidates typically use the term biofuels – a seemingly less taboo word as criticism surrounds “ethanol”. How much …
Green Metrics Missing in Biofuel Debate
According to Jody Endres, College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences, and The Energy Biosciences Institute at the University of Illinois, and Daniel Szewczyk, academia has failed to create green metrics in measuring the pros and cons of biofuels. A framework to evaluate what constitutes a “green” economy is needed along with measurement metrics. Endres and Szewczyk note that energy …
Tuscon Clean Cities Wins Oil Displacement Honor
During the 2012 Clean Cities Peer Exchange and Vehicle Technology Deployment Workshop, Tuscon Clean Cities Coalition was awarded the Top Award for Greatest Displacement of Petroleum Using E85. The award came from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) who thanked the coalition for the work they are doing to reduce petroleum consumption. There are around 100 Clean Cities coalitions across …
USDA Announces 6th Regional Biofuels System
The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced a research grant to develop next generation biofuels in the Northeast. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today awarded Pennsylvania State University a five-year research grant valued at roughly $10 million to develop biomass supply chains for the production of liquid transportation and aviation biofuels in the Northeast. This is the sixth such award made …
Global Renewable Energy Investments Growing
Despite global struggles with the economy, investments in renewable energy technologies have continued to grow in 2011. New investments in renewable power and fuels (excluding large hydropower and solar hot water) reached $257 billion, and increase $37 billion from 2010. This according to research conducted by the WorldWatch Institute’s Climate and Energy program. In addition, during 2011, investments in renewable …
Ethanol Industry Pumps $5B Into MN State Economy
According to a new report from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), the state’s ethanol industry generated more than $5 billion in total economic activity in 2011. In addition, the ethanol industry supported more than 12,600 jobs. The state is 5th nationwide in ethanol production with 21 ethanol biorefineries. According to the MDA report, ethanol added $912 million to the …
Platts Acquires Global Sugar & Biofuels Info Provider
Platts, a division of McGraw-Hill, is in the process of acquiring Kingsman, SA, a Switzerland-based provider of price information and analytics for the global sugar and biofuels markets. If all goes as planned, the acquisition will become official on November 1, 2012. Platts focuses on delivering news to the agricultural and energy sectors. “Kingsman is widely recognized as the leading …
ACE Kicks Off RFS Benefits Campaign
As the ink dries on all the letters of support for the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2), the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) has launched a public letter writing campaign to help raise awareness of how ethanol and the RFS benefits America. Another goal of the campaign is to counter inaccurate stories about ethanol and the industry. A view that is …