Good news is emerging from the most recent soil data of the Project LIBERTY biomass harvesting research in northwest Iowa. Harvesting crop residue can be a responsible part of good farm management. Project LIBERTY is a commercial-scale, cellulosic ethanol plant that is scheduled to begin operations in Emmetsburg, Iowa in late 2013. The plant will use corncobs, leaves, husk, and …
Car Drives on Primus’ New Biomass & Natural Gas Fuel
To show off their new $7 million demonstration plant in Hillsborough, New Jersey, the folks at Primus Green Energys took out for a spin a car fueled with the company’s 93-octane gasoline made from natural gas and biomass. Primus offcials were joined by several federal, state and local officials, including former N.J. Gov. James J. Florio: The speakers remarks centered …
USDA Funds Rural Energy Projects
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA has selected for funding 450 projects focused on helping agricultural producers and rural small businesses reduce energy consumption and costs; use renewable energy technologies in their operation; and/or conduct feasibility studies for renewable energy projects. Funding is made available through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) under the 2008 Farm Bill. …
Farm Bill Amendments Target Energy Programs
Several of the more than 200 amendments proposed for the 2012 Farm Bill in the Senate would negatively impact Farm Bill energy programs. Among the growing list are two from Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) that would eliminate all energy title mandatory funding and prohibit loan guarantees. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) is seeking to kill the Biorefinery Assistance Program and Sen. …
New Energy Farms Announces Development of CEEDS
New Energy Farms (NEF) has developed a revolutionary new method of propagating energy grasses that will reduce farmer establishment costs by 50 percent or more. Cost effective scaling of perennial energy grasses such as Miscanthus, Arundo donax and energy cane has previously inhibited expansion. NEF has developed a new planting product for vegetative energy crops called CEEDS. These are small …
Sweet Sorghum Produces Renewable Diesel
Ceres’ sweet sorghum hybrids have been successfully processed into renewable diesel by Amyris. The pilot-scale project was part of a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Amyris presented a summary of results during the 34th Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals held in New Orleans, Louisiana. The project evaluated both sugars and biomass from sweet sorghum …
Energy “Partisan Divide” Is A Myth
According to a new survey, those who believe clean energy support is divided among party lines are wrong. Instead the survey found that the majority of Republicans, Independents and Democrats believe that the U.S. should transition away from dirty energy sources to clean energy sources. The survey was conducted by OCR International on behalf of the Civil Society Institute (CSI). …
Energy Coalition Disappointed in Farm Bill Draft
A coalition of trade groups and organizations representing renewable energy, energy efficiency, farm and environmental interests is disappointed in a 2012 Farm Bill draft out of the Senate Agriculture Committee that they say provides “no real funding for energy programs.” “The Committee draft bill moves the process forward, thankfully, and we support getting a bill done this year,” said Ag …
First Sorghum Renewables Summit This Month
The Sorghum Checkoff is hosting the first ever Sorghum Renewables Summit April 19-20 in Denver. The summit will bring together the industry’s leading researchers and companies for an event focused on agronomics, composition, technology, corporate governance and more related to using sorghum as a feedstock for renewable fuels. National Sorghum Producers chairman Terry Swanson, a grower from Colorado, says about …
Farm Bill Energy Legislation Introduced
Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Al Franken (D-MN) introduced legislation this week that would reauthorize and fund the primary energy programs included in the current Farm Bill. The Rural Energy Investment Act would include a mandatory total of $1.275 billion over 5 years to strengthen the biobased markets program, fund the Biorefinery Assistance Program, …