Eight state departments of agriculture are asking Congress to extend the ethanol tax incentive set to expire at the end of the year. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today joined seven of his colleagues in requesting congressional leaders to act quickly to extend the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC), which expires at the end of the year. Legislation …
ILUC – One Consideration Too Many in Biofuel Regulation
In a recent article, “Indirect Land Use: One Consideration Too Many in Biofuel Regulation,” authors David Zilberman, a professor in UC Berkeley’s Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and assistant researcher Gal Hochman, along with Deepak Rajagopal, argue that indirect land use effects (ILUEs) should not be considered in current California and federal biofuels polices. The authors write, “…we will …
Ethanol Pump Opening Celebrations
The grand openings of new ethanol pumps are being celebrated Friday in two different states – one big on corn ethanol, the other not so much. Illinois legislative officials and corn ethanol representatives will be opening the first blender pump in southern Illinois. The pump in Sullivan is the first of 20 such pumps planned in the state in a …
Novozymes and Ceres Partner on Biofuel Crops
Mixing enzyme cocktails and customized biofuel crops to make cellulosic ethanol a reality is the goal of a new industry partnership. Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. and enzyme provider Novozymes have announced a research collaboration to co-develop customized plant varieties and enzyme cocktails to improve the efficiency of converting biomass to fuel. “According to the Billion Ton Study by the …
Ethanol Testimony at Farm Bill Hearing
A House Agriculture Committee field hearing in South Dakota on the 2012 Farm Bill featured a lot of testimony about ethanol. POET Vice President for Commercial Development Scott Weishaar testified that the ethanol industry has become a legitimate threat to Big Oil and Washington deserves credit for envisioning that future when it created positive policies such as the Renewable Fuels …
Study: How Biofuel Chemicals React When Burned
A new research paper involving researchers from North Carolina State University (NC State) offers insights into how biofuel chemicals react when burned. The study, “Biofuel combustion chemistry: from ethanol to biodiesel,” was conducted as an effort to help pave the way for the development of new biofuels and technologies to maximize energy efficiency while minimizing environmental and human health risks. …
Ethanol Report on Exports
As Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president Bob Dinneen was in Seville, Spain talking about American ethanol in the world market, the organization released a new report on rising U.S. ethanol exports. “The Paradox of Rising U.S. Ethanol Exports: Increased Market Opportunities at the Expense of Enhanced National Energy Security?” highlights how the nation quickly evolving from a net importer of …
RFA President Tweets Global Ethanol Meeting
Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen has been keeping his Twitter followers up to speed on the activities at the World Biofuels conference in Seville, Spain this week. Industry leaders from all over the world are meeting at the event, where Dinneen did a presentation on American ethanol in the world market. Here are a few of …
RFA’s Bob Dinneen to Address World Leaders
The World Biofuels 2010 conference will kick off in Seville, Spain, tomorrow and Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, will address world leaders. In anticipated remarks, Dinneen will challenge the claims that American ethanol production can’t cost compete with other producers such as Brazil. In addition, Dinneen will address misperceptions about indirect land use. “Despite claims …