Chuck Woodside, General Manager of farmer-owned KAAPA Ethanol in Minden, Nebraska, was just re-elected for a second year as chairman of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). I caught up with him this week for an update on the state of the industry, how this year has been, progress on implementing EPA’s E15 waiver, challenges to the RFS2, the importance of …
Reports Blame Speculators for Higher Prices
Two reports released earlier this week concluded that commodity market speculation is largely to blame for increasing prices of food and energy. The reports were issued in advance of the October 18 meeting of the Commodities Futures and Trading Commission (CFTC) which placed limits on speculation in a variety of commodities including oil, corn, gold and natural gas. One report …
USDA Plans to Cancel Ethanol Co-Product Report
In a cost-cutting measure, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is planning to cancel the Distiller Co-Products for Feed Survey announced in March slated to be done in January 2012. The report, which was designed to better calculate the use of the ethanol co-product known as DDGS in livestock feed, is one of several that USDA plans to eliminate or …
ZeaChem Makes Cleantech 100 List
Cellulosic ethanol developer ZeaChem has been named one of the 2011 Global Cleantech 100 companies. The annual list is produced by Cleantech Group in collaboration with UK’s Guardian News, focusing on companies they believe are likely to make the most significant impact over the next 5-10 years. “ZeaChem is building a portfolio of advanced biofuels and bio-based chemicals derived from …
Bill Would Require New Analysis of 15% Ethanol Blend
A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would mean additional testing for the use of 15% ethanol in regular gasoline. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) introduced the legislation to require the Environmental Protection Agency to seek independent scientific analysis on the effects of 15 percent blend ethanol gasoline. Sensenbrenner says he has “serious concerns that the EPA used only …
Cellulosic Ethanol Demo Plant Marks Milestone
Biofuel tech company Coskata marked two years of successful operations at a cellulosic ethanol semi-commercial facility in Madison, Pennsylvania this month. According to company officials, the facility has completed over 15,000 run hours of operation and successfully converted wood biomass and municipal solid waste into fuel-grade ethanol. “The data and operating experience cultivated at this pre-commercial scale facility has conclusively …
Joule Wins Wall Street Journal Award
Joule Unlimited Technologies has received the 2011 Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award in the Energy category and was also named the Silver award winner across all of the competition’s 16 categories, from more than 600 entries around the globe. “We are honored to be the Wall Street Journal’s choice for the most innovative energy company, and to be recognized …
Senate Amendment Attempts to End Blender Pump Funding
Ethanol interests were quick to oppose an amendment offered by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) today that would prohibit the U.S. Department of Agriculture from funding Flex Fuel pump installations. “The McCain amendment would smother the only initiative we have to provide consumers the power to choose their fuel, and it gives OPEC the green light to tighten its grip on …
Ethanol Leader Responds to Perry Energy Plan
Texas Governor and Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry donned a hard hat at a Pennsylvania steel plant on Friday to announce his “Energizing American Jobs and Security” plan that he says will create over a million jobs and “reduce dependence on hostile foreign oil.” “We are standing atop the next American economic boom – energy – and the quickest way …
Ethanol Supporting Former Brazilian President Honored for Hunger Efforts
A strong supporter of ethanol was honored this week for his efforts to fight hunger and poverty in Brazil. Former Brazilian President Lula da Silva was recognized with the 2011 World Food Prize for his Zero Hunger strategy, which resulted in Brazil reducing by half its proportion of hungry people (with 93 percent of children and 82 percent of adults …