Iowa Governor Terry Branstad is proud of his state’s leadership in the renewable fuels industry. “The state of Iowa is number one in ethanol, number one in biodiesel, we’re number two in wind energy but that’s number two to Texas and if you look at it per capita, we’re number one in that as well,” Branstad said at the 6th …
Obama Calls for End to Oil Subsidies
In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Obama voiced strong support for renewable energy and an end to oil subsidies. “We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That’s long enough,” the president said. “It’s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that’s rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that’s …
Retired Army General Calls Biofuels “Ammunition”
Like oil in World War II, U.S. Army Ret. General Paul J. Kern believes that biofuels are the “ammunition” for America today. Gen. Kern ended his address to the 6th Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit in Des Moines on Tuesday on that note, displaying a WWII military poster declaring “Stick to your job – oil is ammunition.” “It’s your job …
Iowa Renewable Fuels – Revived and Ready
The 6th Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit kicked off in Des Moines on Tuesday on a very positive note, considering that 2011 was a record year in the state for both ethanol and biodiesel. In his annual address to the summit, Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw noted that the state’s 41 ethanol plants produced 3.7 billion gallons …
Judge Denies Attempt to Enforce California LCFS
The federal district court judge who ruled California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) to be unconstitutional has denied a motion to continue implementation of the law. On Monday, Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill denied the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) motion to stay the decision he issued on December 29, 2011 that had halted the enforcement of the LCFS regulation because …
POET Partners With DSM for Cellulosic Ethanol
Ethanol giant POET is partnering with a Netherlands-based life sciences company with the intention of making advanced biofuels a reality by next year. POET has announced a joint venture with Royal DSM to commercially demonstrate and license cellulosic bio-ethanol based on their proprietary and complementary technologies. POET–DSM Advanced Biofuels, LLC, is scheduled to start production in the second half of …
On-Site Registration for Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit
If you did not register in advance for the 6th annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit, there will be registration available on site at the starting at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Veterans Memorial/Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines. It looks like the weather will be okay tomorrow so it will be worth the trip to see the …
Science Magazine Spotlights Seaweed to Biofuel Technology
The cover story in the latest issue of Science Magazine showcases a California-based company’s technology that converts seaweed to biofuel. The research article details breakthrough technology developed by scientists with Bio Architecture Lab (BAL) using a microbe to extract the sugars in macroalgae that could further the use of seaweed as a feedstock for advanced biofuels and renewable chemical production. …
Washington Times Editorial by Gal Luft
The Washington Times carried an editorial about ethanol last week from the director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, who will be speaking Tuesday at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit in Des Moines. Dr. Gal Luft wrote about how the ethanol industry no longer has the blenders tax credit or the associated tariff on imports and his …
POET Pipeline Project Postponed
Without a federal loan guarantee, POET has put a proposed dedicated ethanol pipeline project on hold for now, according to company officials. “We continue to believe that the pipeline is a viable project with tremendous benefits for the country,” said POET Founder & CEO Jeff Broin, “But with little prospects for a federal loan guarantee in the near future we …