Green Plains Inc. has announced the completion of the acquisition of three ethanol plants from Abengoa Bioenergy. The biorefineries are located in Madison, Ill., Mount Vernon, Ind. and York, Neb and were purchased for approximately $237 million in cash plus some working capital adjustments. The ethanol facilities are currently in operation and will produce 236 million gallons per year of …
Renmatix Secures $14M
Renmatix has announced a $14 million investment led by Bill Gates. The company has developed a process called Plantrose that produces cellulosic sugars that can be used to produce bioproducts such as biofuels and biochemcals. The monies raised will be used, in part, to commercialize Plantrose through license sales. “To effectively address climate change, we need to develop an energy …
Governors’ Biofuels Coalition Turns 25
The Governors’ Biofuels Coalition is celebrating its silver anniversary this month. “No one would have guessed that a meeting I had with Iowa Governor Terry Branstad 25 years ago this month, in the basement of the governor’s mansion in Lincoln, Nebraska, would lead to the formation of a group of governors who changed the nation’s energy history,” said former Nebraska …
GFRA: Biofuels Will Help Lower CO2, Temps
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released a global temperature analysis that finds 2016 is on track to be one of the hottest years on record, even surpassing 2014 and 2015. Recent data from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have also shown upward trends in temperature as well as carbon dioxide, that according to …
Consumers Ability to Choose #E15 Back at the Pumps
Consumers will have the choice to purchase E15 at the pump again tomorrow, September 16, 2016. For drivers owning a 2001 or newer vehicle, E15 sales are restricted during summer months due to an arcane U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation on Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP). The 15th marks the end of EPA’s “volatility control season” opening the fuel back …
MN Congressman Gets #Ethanol Education
Representative Tom Emmer (R-MN) recently spent some time learning more about ethanol production and its benefits to Minnesota and the country. He met with the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association, and during the meeting learned about the latest ethanol technologies along with hearing about some of the challenges facing the state’s ethanol industry and the entire industry. “Minnesota and America’s heartland are …
Biofuels & Carbon Study Continues to be Debunked
Responses to the recent study by John DeCicco on biofuels and carbon continue with many coming from researchers including Dr. Steffen Mueller, principal economist with the Energy Resources Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In a published retort, he wrote that the study, “…fails to establish a correlation between existing biofuels policies and net carbon uptake and it …
IA Gov. Branstad Checks Out #FarmProgessShow
Another successful Farm Progress Show has wrapped up in Boone, Iowa. We ended on a high note with Iowa Governor Terry Branstad visiting exhibitors and stopping by the BASF Media Tent to speak with reporters about key ag issues. I spoke with him about three issues: ethanol, water quality and trade. Branstad said that we appreciate the private sector support …
GROWMARK Talks Ethanol Tax Credits
The upcoming Presidential election, and the potential changes to funding and regulation that the changing administration may bring, is a concern for many within the agriculture industry, and it was a major talking point during the 2016 GROWMARK Annual Meeting & Agribusiness Symposium. Chuck Spencer, Executive Director for Government Affairs at GROWMARK, is using the upcoming elections as an opportunity …
NEB Unveils Spill Prevention Plan
The Nebraska Ethanol Board (NEB) has partnered with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Engineering’s Partners in Pollution Prevention program to develop a new Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) plan for agriculture producers who maintain their own fuel storage. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), fuels are hazardous materials, and as such, handling or storing them improperly can …