Ethanol production was up in February compared to the previous month and a year ago. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), American ethanol facilities produced 647,000 barrels per day in February. That’s up 25 percent from February 2008 and 17,000 barrels per day more compared to the previous month. Ethanol demand, as calculated by the Renewable Fuels Association, also …
NRDC Launches Good Vs. Bad Biofuels Campaign
A new campaign funded by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has created controversy in the biofuels industry. The campaign was developed, according to a blog post by Nathanael Greene, “to sharpen the distinction between biofuels done right and biofuels done wrong.” The campaign cites that ethanol plants using coal power is “wrong” as well as biofuels that “pillage” natural …
Renewable Energy in First 100 Days Progress Report
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack counted progress toward energy independence among the Obama administration’s first 100 days accomplishments. During a meeting in Washington DC with agricultural journalists this week, Vilsack said implementing the 2008 Farm Bill was his number one priority when he took the office of secretary. “The president gave me an instruction when he hired me to continue …
New Study: Evaluating Options for GHG Mitigation
There is a lot of dialogue surrounding the best way to create energy and environmental policies, specifically around greenhouse gas emissions. The RAND Corporation recently released a study, “Evaluating Options for U.S. Greenhouse-Gas Mitigation Using Multiple Criteria,” that evaluates three past attempts to develop energy policy. The study notes that the majority of current policy focuses on cost-effectiveness but policy …
Ethanol Groups Disappointed by California Ruling
Ethanol interests are expressing their disappointment in this week’s ruling by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to adopt a low carbon fuel standard that uses controversial methods to determine indirect land use changes attributable to biofuels. “Adopting this standard sets a dangerous precedent about the application of unproven science to industries across the country,” said Bob Dinneen, President and …
GHG Worse than Thought from Foreign Crude
A press release by Growth Energy highlights a new study that shows greenhouse gas emissions of gasoline from foreign oil are at least twice what was previously thought when the indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to military operations in the Middle East are taken into account. The study is published in “Biofuels, Bioproducts & Biorefining”. The study comes as …
Final Day for Comments on CARB Plan
Earth Day 2009 is ironically the final day for filing written comments with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) on a proposed low-carbon fuel standard, or LCFS, that threatens to undermine the role of renewable fuels in helping the environment. An increasing number of university professors, scientists, researchers, and industry trade organizations have registered their opposition to the controversial proposal …
Save the Carbon Cycle
Carbon dioxide has become an enemy of the Earth for its role in contributing to global climate change. One man wants to stop this unfair protrayal of “our friend carbon”. Dr. Norman Airs, the executive director of The Carbon Awareness Institute is on a crusade to save the carbon cycle. He has appeared on a TV show produced by My …
Bioenergy Could Provide Benefits for Rural Poor
A new international study indicates that small-scale bioenergy plants can play a significant role in rural development for poorer nations. The new report, “Small Scale Bioenergy Initiatives: Brief Description and Preliminary Lessons on Livelihood Impacts from Case Studies in Latin America, Asia and Africa,” was published jointly by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UK’s Department …