Brazil Aids Kenya with Sugarcane Ethanol Development

Joanna Schroeder

In past posts, I’ve written (or re-published) about how countries like Brazil are taking a leadership role in global biofuels development. I came across an article recently in the Business Daily that discusses how Brazilian biofuels experts are working with Kenya to boost their biofuels development. While there are still global concerns about biofuels relationship to food, especially food security, …

biofuels, Brazil, Ethanol, News

Controversial Clean Energy Killer Added to Cali Ballot

Joanna Schroeder

There is a highly controversial provision being added to California’s ballots this November called Prop 23. The proposition, which is backed by several oil companies, is asking for the state to suspend California’s 2006 Global Warming Solutions Act that calls for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) to 1990 levels by 2020. Supporters of Prop 23 want the suspension …

biofuels, Electricity, Energy, Environment, politics

New Renewable Energy Power Set to Surpass Fossil Fuels

Joanna Schroeder

This month several reports have been released on the global growth of renewable energy. According to two new reports released by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), for two consecutive years, the United States and Europe added more power from renewable sources such as wind and solar than from conventional …

biofuels, Electricity, Energy, News

World Bank Report Takes New Look at Food and Fuel

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol production probably had less impact on global commodity prices in 2008 than many were saying at the time. A newly released working paper, entitled “Placing the 2006/08 Commodity Price Boom into Perspective,” from the Development Prospects Group at the World Bank, concludes that “…the effect of biofuels on food prices has not been as large as originally thought.” Authors …

biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, food and fuel, Food prices, International, RFA

CARB Proposes LCFS Soil Sustainability Provisions

Joanna Schroeder

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is far from over on discrediting biofuels as part of their mandated policy known as the Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS). For the past year, the ethanol industry has been embroiled in a fight for proper reflections of biofuel’s indirect greenhouse gas emissions, aka indirect land use. Now, CARB has created a working group …

biofuels, Environment, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Legislation, Opinion

More Transparency Needed Among Environmental Groups

Joanna Schroeder

I’m calling the environmental movement out for supporting nothing and opposing everything. Not too long ago, I was proud to call myself an environmentalist. Today, I’m bordering on embarrassed to admit that I support sustainability programs. The cause of my distress is what is happening under the carpet among environmental groups. On the surface, they look squeaky clean, but when …

biofuels, Energy, Environment, Oil, Opinion

Algae Biofuel Maker Gets First Customer

John Davis

A California-based biofuel maker that extracts its feedstock oil from algae and uses that oil for several other products has its first customer. OriginOil, Inc. has announced that it is shipping a Quantum Fracturing™ System, the first unit in a multi-phase commercialization program, to Australian company MBD Energy Limited: “This is a major milestone for OriginOil and represents our first …

algae, biofuels

Boeing: Biofuel Use by Airlines Up to 1% by 2015

John Davis

Boeing’s top environmental officer says that commercial airlines might use up to 1 percent biofuels made from plants and algae by the year 2015. Bloomberg quotes Billy Glover, managing director of environmental strategy at Boeing’s commercial airplanes unit, as pointing out that has worked with airlines from the U.S. to Japan to test jet fuels made from plants such as …

algae, biofuels

CFDC Urges More Dialogue on Biofuels Tax Incentives

Joanna Schroeder

Recent Department of Commerce figures are showing that despite an effort for America to curb its imports of foreign oil, they are actually increasing. This at the cost of billions of dollars flowing to foreign companies, governments and citizens. For this reason, Clean Fuels Development Coalition (CFDC) is urging Congress to be mindful of the significant contributions from ethanol. They …

biofuels, Ethanol, News

Green Scissors 2010 Calls for Cut in Wasteful Spending

Joanna Schroeder

At the helm of Friends of the Earth, a new report was released today highlighting government programs and subsidies that are wasteful to taxpayers, harmful to the environment and bad for consumers. The Green Scissors 2010 report targeted four major areas for budget cuts including energy, agriculture and biofuels, infrastructure, and public lands. Many of the recommendations of this report …

biofuels, Ethanol, Oil, Opinion, politics, Research, Solar, transportation, Wind