Federal incentives for the U.S. ethanol industry are good public policy by every measure of “economic growth, energy security and environmental responsibility,” according to Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, in an opinion column penned for The Hill. Dinneen makes the case that biofuels offer hope for three major challenges facing the nation – the economy, …
Obama Visits Iowa Wind Turbine Plant, Off to Missouri Ethanol Plant
President Barack Obama visited a wind turbine plant in Iowa today, part of his Midwest tour that will also take him to a northern Missouri ethanol plant (watch for Chuck’s coverage on this Web site and follow him on his Twitter account @AgriBlogger). The Environment News Service reports Obama got to see up close some of Siemens Energy’s expanded wind …
Ethanol Leaders Take to the Hill
America’s ethanol industry is taking its message to Capitol Hill this week with a variety of key issues to discuss. Extending key tax incentives for all forms of ethanol, expanding the market through higher ethanol blends, and increasing the production of flexible fuel vehicles are all topics of discussion during the visit. Members of the Renewable Fuels Association are scheduled …
New E85 Stations Open in North Florida
Thanks to the efforts of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Protec Fuel there are now two new E85 fueling stations near I-10 just west of Jacksonville, Florida. R H Davis Oil Exxon in Macclenny and Citgo in Glen St. Mary will provide more fueling options to drivers of flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) on the interstate as well as commuters traveling …
CME Launches Ethanol Co-Product Contract
The trading of futures contracts for the ethanol co-product that is used as livestock feed officially began today on the CME Group electronic trading platform, Globex. Distillers’ Dried Grain (DDG) futures are a physically delivered contract designed to bring price discovery and transparency to the corn crush market allowing customers to better manage their price risk in the feed, livestock, …
Obama to Visit Ethanol Plant
The White House has confirmed that President Obama will be visiting a Missouri ethanol plant this week. It will mark the first time Obama has visited a working ethanol biorefinery, although he was the guest speaker at the ribbon cutting of the now-bankrupt VeraSun plant in Charles City, Iowa when he was a presidential candidate. According to the White House, …
More Funds for Verenium Demo Cellulosic Plant
Verenium Corporation has been awarded an additional $4.9 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to fund ongoing activities at its demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol facility in Jennings, Louisiana. “We are very pleased to receive this additional funding from the DOE, particularly given the critical work currently being performed at Jennings to optimize our cellulosic process,” said Carlos A. Riva, …
ZeaChem Moves Closer to Cellulosic Ethanol
Just in time for Earth Day last week, Colorado-based ZeaChem announced it had successfully produced commercial-grade ethyl acetate, a commercial grade “green chemical,” from woody biomass instead of oil. The ethyl acetate can either be sold to chemical manufacturers or converted into ethanol through hydrogenation. “These results demonstrate ZeaChem’s ability to produce another valuable bio-based intermediate chemical on the road …
DF Cast: Using America’s Airwaves for America’s Fuel
America’s ethanol producers have launched a new effort to educate the public about America’s fuel: ethanol. CEO of Growth Energy Tom Buis recently was joined by Gen. Wesley Clark, co-chair of Growth, and former Iowa Congressman Jim Nussle, an advisor for Growth, in an announcement launching a $2.5 million TV advertising campaign on major cable television networks, including Fox News, …