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 …
Biofuels Groups Support RFS in Federal Lawsuit
Ethanol and advanced biofuels groups are mobilizing to fight a court challenge by the petroleum industry over the Renewable Fuel Standard. Six biofuel trade associations have filed a motion in the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to intervene in support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) 2012 final rule being …
E15 in Spotlight at Indiana Ethanol Forum
EPA’s approval this week of 15% ethanol blended gasoline (E15) as a registered fuel dominated the Indiana Ethanol Forum at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center Pavilion in Indianapolis yesterday. The invitation only event featured comments from Governor Mitch Daniels, Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate John Gregg, Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mike Pence, Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen, and author …
Vilsack Announces Advanced Biofuels Roundtable
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack addressed the 2012 Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference, presented by Biofuels Digest, Tuesday in Washington D.C. and announced an upcoming Advanced Biofuels Industry Roundtable to be held next month. Vilsack said the Roundtable will be a joint effort between USDA, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Navy and will be held on May 18 “as …
Oregon Governor Tours ZeaChem Biorefinery
Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber took a tour of the ZeaChem 250,000 gallon-per-year biorefinery in Boardman Monday as the company announced it has begun construction on the Department of Energy-funded project for the production of cellulosic ethanol. Earlier this year, the company announced the start of operations of the core facility for the production of intermediate chemicals acetic acid and ethyl …
EPA Approves E15 as a Registered Fuel
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finally taken the official step of approving 15% ethanol blended gasoline (E15) as a registered fuel. On Monday, the EPA announced the approval of the first applications for registration of ethanol to make E15. “Registration of ethanol to make E15 is a significant step toward its production, sale, and use in model year 2001 …
Research Shows Value of Ethanol Co-Product for Dairy
Research by a South Dakota State University dairy science student shows the energy value of the ethanol co-product distillers grains (DDGS) in dairy feed. Sanjeewa Ranathunga was recognized for his research at the recent annual meeting of the Midwest American Dairy Science Association meetings with the Young Dairy Scholars Award. Ranathunga is in the final stages of his Ph.D. program …
Most Corn Acres Since 1937 Expected
The last time the United States planted as many corn acres as USDA is predicting for this year, Franklin D. Roosevelt was just entering his second term as president. It was 1937 when an estimated 97.2 million acres were planted. This year, the USDA Prospective Planting report predicts that corn growers will plant nearly 96 million acres – 95.9 million …
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, …
Senators Introduce Domestic Fuels Act of 2012
Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), John Hoeven (R-ND), Roy Blunt (R-MO), and Mike Crapo (R-ID) this week introduced bipartisan legislation that would “help produce more energy, increase competition, promote alternative fuels, provide more consumer choice and lower the cost of fuels at the pump.” Sen. Klobuchar says the Domestic Fuels Act of 2012 would make it easier to market all fuels …