In his remarks to the nation Tuesday night about the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, President Obama noted that “oil is a finite resource” and “the need to end America’s century-long addiction to fossil fuels.” However, while he talked about wind turbines, solar panels and energy efficiency, the president made no mention of domestic transportation fuel alternatives such as ethanol …
Iowa Ag Secretary Promotes Ethanol and Corn Indy
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey got a taste of life in the fast lane yesterday as he was driven through morning rush hour traffic in an Indy Car to promote the 4th annual Iowa Corn Indy 250, sponsored by Pioneer, coming up this weekend. Northey was given a ride to his office in the two-seater Indy Car after breakfast …
Ethanol Industry Takes Environmental Group to Task
The ethanol industry has come together to take the Environmental Working Group (EWG) to task over their claims that American ethanol is not a sound strategy. The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Growth Energy, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) have called EWG out on the table for what they claim is their misleading …
Ethanol Report From FEW
This edition of “The Ethanol Report” comes from the 26th annual Fuel Ethanol Workshop in St. Louis where Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen gave the keynote address on major issues facing the industry. In this interview, Dinneen discusses those issues, including increasing the blend rate and renewing ethanol tax incentives, with a message to the industry of …
Oil Spill Reality Check
Earlier today, the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) issued its top 10 list of offshore oils sites that they consider “at risk.” The list is an attempt to highlight the world’s choice between moving forward with the addition of more offshore oil rigs or building more sustainable biofuels plants. “The choice is clear,” said Global Renewable Fuels Alliance spokesperson, Bliss …
Novozymes & Lignol to Develop Ethanol From Wood
Novozymes announced this morning that they have signed a research and development agreement to make biofuel from wood chips and other forestry residues with Lignol Energy Corporation. The goal of the partnership is to develop a process for making biofuel from forestry waste at a production cost less than $2 per gallon making it economically competitive with current gasoline and …
RFA President Addresses Ethanol Gathering
As he has done for many years, Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen addressed the world’s largest gathering of ethanol producers at the opening of the general session for the 2010 Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo in St. Louis on Tuesday. “We meet here today as an environmental catastrophe continues to unfold in the Gulf of Mexico. The …
Team Ethanol is Back on the Track
There was some big news announced during the Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW) – Team Ethanol is back. Dave Vander Griend, the founder of ICM and one of the three original sponsors of the Team Ethanol IndyCar program, delivered the news that Team Ethanol will be back on the track for the first time in nearly two years at the upcoming …
26th Annual Fuel Ethanol Workshop Underway
The 26th Annual Fuel Ethanol Workshop and Expo is officially underway and the mood is much more upbeat than it was last year. “The industry has been through a couple of very difficult years,” said Mike Bryan, Chairman of BBI International, which sponsors the event. “So, we’re really glad to see the industry coming back, getting revitalized. We’re kind of …
Ethanol Issues at Corn Utilization Conference
Indirect land use change and DDGs quality were two of the ethanol-related topics that were featured at the 2010 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference (CUTC) sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association and held last week in Atlanta. Geoff Cooper with the Renewable Fuels Association took part in the event and chaired one of the technical sessions. “Five or six …