Two renewable energy programs designed to help make America more energy independent were slashed in the spending bill passed Tuesday night by the House Appropriations Committee. The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) which provides grants and loan guarantees to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to help purchase renewable energy systems, including ethanol blender pumps, was cut from the …
Biomass Harvest Still Allows Soil Conservation
New data shows that responsible harvesting of biomass for ethanol can be part of good soil management efforts for farmland. Iowa State University has completed analysis on data from the third year of an ongoing study for POET’s “Project LIBERTY” near Emmetsburg, Iowa to monitor how soil health is affected when crop residue is removed. The planned 25 million-gallon-per-year cellulosic …
RFA Co-Hosts California Ethanol Safety Seminar
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the San Joaquin Valley Clean Cities Coalition will be co-hosting a free Ethanol Safety Seminar in Stockton, California at the San Joaquin Delta College on June 6. Seminar attendees will receive in depth information on proper training techniques that first responders and hazmat personnel need to effectively respond to an ethanol related emergency. While …
Technology Can Make Ethanol From Coal
A new technology to produce ethanol from coal could be a new alternative to plant-produced ethanol. Chemical product company Celanese recently introduced investors to Celanese TCX™, a new and proprietary technology for ethanol production from coal, petroleum coke or natural gas. According to company officials who call it game-changing technology, Celanese TCX™ can produce ethanol at the equivalent of gasoline …
Iowa Governor Signs Bill to Boost Ethanol and Biodiesel
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has made good on a promise he made to the state’s renewable fuels industry back in January to revitalize Iowa’s rural economy by boosting sales of ethanol and production of biodiesel. “I want to work with the legislature to change the incentive from 10 percent to 15 percent,” Branstad said of ethanol in Iowa during an …
RFA: Ethanol Means Memorial Day Savings for Travelers
According to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), ethanol will save Memorial Day travelers this year $440 million on gas. As the summer season kicks off this weekend, AAA estimates that almost 31 million Americans will take a trip with an average distance of 792 miles, even though gas prices are up 40 percent, averaging $3.91, compared to $2.85 this time …
What State Should Have Biofuel Bragging Rights?
Minnesota and Wisconsin are in a battle to claim bragging rights as the best biofuel retailer. Two fuel retailers – one in Minnesota and one across the border in Wisconsin – have renewed a friendly rivalry to determine which station can sell more E85 during a promotion on Thursday, June 2, 2011 from 4-6 pm. This will be the second …
Federal Fleet to Use Alternative Fuels
President Obama wants the federal fleet of more than 600,000 vehicles to use alternative fuels by 2015. The goal of the Presidential Memorandum issued today implementing new Federal fleet management practices is “to cut oil imports by one-third by 2025 and to put one million advanced vehicles on the road by 2015.” By December 31, 2015, all new light duty …
Sales of 85 Percent Ethanol Up in Iowa
Iowa drivers are buying 85 percent ethanol for their flex fuel vehicles. According to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA), E85 sales in Iowa increased by 27 percent during the first quarter of 2011 compared to the fourth quarter of 2010. The Iowa Department of Revenue reports that sales of E85 by Iowa retailers reached 2,645,038 gallons during the first …
Ag Secretary Promotes 85 Percent Ethanol
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was in Nashville, Tennessee Monday visiting Thorntons Convenience Store E-85 fueling station to highlight the importance of moving toward a clean energy economy and decreasing the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. “Flex-fuel pumps give Americans a choice to purchase domestically produced renewable transportation fuels,” Vilsack said. “The Obama Administration is working to transform the United States …