U. S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack made a visit to St. Louis earlier this week where he was the keynote speaker at the St. Louis Agribusiness Club meeting. As part of his address, he noted the importance of biofuels production for rural economies. Vilsack noted that there are about 600,000 people in rural America who would describe themselves as …
Book Review – Climate of Corruption
In the past several years, there seems to be a growing number of people who believe that global warming is a very orchestrated political and environmental hoax. As hype around Earth Day is growing (April 22, 2011), I thought it would be interesting to read, “Climate of Corruption: Politics and Power Behind the Global Warming Hoax,” by Larry Bell. Now …
Obama Sticks to His Guns on Biofuel Policy Support
President Obama is sticking to his guns in his support of biofuels, among other energy sources, as viable ways for America to reduce its dependence on foreign sources of oil. This morning, his administration released its plan for a comprehensive energy policy their report, “Blueprint For A Secure Energy Future.” As a result of the report, the biofuel and biotech …
Senate Ag Holds Hearing on High Gas Prices
How domestic fuel can fight higher gas prices was the focus of a hearing today before the Senate agriculture committee. “Fundamentals and Farming: Evaluating High Gas Prices and How New Rules and Innovative Farming Can Help” featured a panel that included POET CEO Jeff Broin who testified on how the industry needs market access to help alleviate high gas prices …
President Calls for Secure Energy Future
President Obama today released his administration’s Blueprint for A Secure Energy Future that outlines the comprehensive national energy policy. “In an economy that relies on oil, rising prices at the pump affect everybody – workers and farmers; truck drivers and restaurant owners,” said the president during a speech in Georgetown. “The only way for America’s energy supply to be truly …
The Convergence of First & Second Gen Biofuels
Often times, it appears that people pit first generation biofuel technologies against second generation biofuel technologies. This leads me to ask the question, Why can’t we all get along? Well, now we can with the convergence of conventional ethanol technologies and emerging algal biomass technologies being developed by BioProcess Algae. BioProcess Algae is based in Portsmouth, Rhode Island and the …
Biofools or Bio-Heroes?
It’s pretty much a badge of honor in the biofuels industry to be nominated by Friends of the Earth as “Biofool of the Year.” Growth Energy is calling this year’s nominees “Bio-Heroes” in a blog post today. “Critics of biofuels would go to great lengths to distort the truth and smear the records of supporters. One doesn’t have to look …
Higher Oil Prices Offset Higher Biofuel Feedstock Costs
A new study shows that U.S. farmers will enjoy better incomes in 2011, thanks to increasing crop prices. And while that might translate into higher feedstock costs for ethanol and biodiesel producers, the report from the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri shows higher oil prices should offset those higher prices being paid for the …
Alt Energy Groups Ask Congress to Support DOE Programs
A multitude of leading energy trade associations today wrote to Congressional leaders with a request for Congress to maintain support and funding for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) including the Loan Guarantee Program. The program, in part, is used to help bring emerging alternative energy technologies to market. Groups that signed the letter include the Advanced Ethanol Council (AEC), …
ACE Fly-In Participants Ready To Educate The Beltway
More than 50 American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) members and ethanol supporters from 15 different states are descending on Washington D.C. tomorrow as part of ACE’s annual fly-in. This year, Executive Vice President, Brian Jennings, said that the group will be playing a bit of offense and a bit of defense when they meet with more than 100 Congressional offices. …