An ethanol industry group says the loan guarantee program at the U.S. Department of Energy needs to function more efficiently and effectively to make capitol available to advance next generation biofuels like cellulosic ethanol. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is asking US Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu to make needed changes in the loan guarantee program for biorefineries. …

ND Offers $2 Mil for New Ethanol Blender Pumps
The State of North Dakota has launched a program that will make $2 million in grants available for fuel station owners who install new, multifuel pumps that will mix ethanol right at the point-of-sale. This post on InForum, the forum of Fargo-Moorhead, says buyers will be able to choose from pure gasoline up to E85 ethanol: “We’re excited about this …
CFDC Awarded DOE Funds
The second award included the Clean Fuels Foundation and the FlexFuel Vehicle Club teaming with the Tennessee Clean Cities program. The University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK) was awarded up to $818,091 to increase the availability of E85 and B20 along I-75. This project will provide E85 and B20 every 200 miles or less, enabling drivers to travel from Sault …
Promoting BYO Ethanol to Retailers
Representatives from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) teamed up at the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show in Las Vegas last week to promote the BYO Ethanol blender pump program. Robert White (left) with RFA says blender pumps that can offer a variety of ethanol blends, from E10 to E85 and several …
Ethanol, Biodiesel to be Part of Navy’s Green Fleet
The U.S. Navy has launched a new program to green its fleet… and biodiesel and ethanol are important elements of that campaign. This article in the Pacific Coast Business Times says that during a seech this week in Santa Barbara, California, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus launched the idea of a “Green Fleet,” an ambitious goal to use …
Companies Working on Cellulosic Technology
Two companies have formed an alliance to commercialize a patented process to economically and efficiently produce ethanol from cellulose feedstocks. The ChemPro Group of New Jersey has joined with Mo-Fuel (Rural Bio-waste) of Sikeston, Missouri on the project. According to Steve Lavorerio, President of ChemPro, the process can handle a full spectrum of cellulosic feedstock, from wood chips and pulp-and-paper-plant …
Ethanol Report From NACS
The largest gathering of retailers who sell fuel to the public has been going on this week in Las Vegas. The NACS show, which is the annual meeting of the Association for Convenience and Petroleum Retailing, draws some 10,000 visitors from all over the country and even internationally. It was the first opportunity for the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and …
Verenium to Test Technology for Cellulosic Ethanol
Verenium Corporation has entered into an agreement to test the effectiveness of technology for the creation of cellulosic ethanol from pulp and paper processing. The is agreement with Value Prior to Pulping (VPP), an organization created by the Agenda 2020 Technology Alliance, a special project of the American Forest and Paper Association, and CleanTech Partners, Inc. VPP is funded by …
Electric, E85 and Biodiesel Lead Auto X Prize Finalists
A mix of electrically powered and biodiesel and E85 ethanol fueled vehicles lead the list for the Automotive X Prize. This story from Consumer Reports says the $10 million prize will go to the team that makes a production-ready car that gets 100 mpg or the energy equivilant AND is sold at a profit for a reasonable price: “The teams …