Officials with biotech company iDiverse say they have discovered a yeast gene that can increase ethanol production yield by up to 34 percent: “The gene functions by protecting the yeast against some of the lethal stresses encountered in the bioproduction process,” said John Serbin, Chief Business Officer at iDiverse. “In its current embodiment, it allows yeast to produce significantly more …
Vilsack to Keynote American Coalition for Ethanol Conference
News just in to Domestic Fuel this morning: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will be the keynote speaker for the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) conference, August 8-10, 2012 in Omaha, Nebraska. “The Secretary has been the most effective spokesperson for ethanol in the administration,” Brian Jennings, Executive Vice President for ACE, told me in an interview, previewing the …
EM Biofuels Rolls Out RINPlus
EM Biofuels LLC is rolling out RINPlus, a web-based platform that tracks the origin of Renewable Identification Numbers (RIN). The company says the platform will enable obligated parties to verify the genealogy of all RINs from feedstock to RIN generation and separation. RINPlus will document many areas including: Facility’s engineering review Corporate formation documents and operating permits Validity checks including co-product …
Elliott Sadler Wins STP 300
Ethanol had another victory on the NASCAR track today when Elliott Sadler won the Nationwide Series STP 300. The race came out of caution with two laps to go so it made for an exciting finish. Placing 4th today was master agvocate Kenny Wallace, spokesperson for the Illinois Corn Growers Family Farmers. After the race I asked Elliott what he …
Green Flag for STP 300
E15 is on display again today at the NASCAR Nationwide STP 300 race in Joliet, IL. We had a few raindrops just before the green flag but it dissipated and the race is on. Prior to the race I spent time with the Illinois Corn Growers Family Farmers High Performance Team. Spokesperson, Kenny Wallace, driver of the 09 car today …
Winner of American Ethanol 225
The winner of the American Ethanol 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race is James Buescher. He’s pictured here in Victory Lane at Chicagoland Speedway. Presenting the trophy is Chairman of the Illinois Corn Marketing Board Bill Christ and Tricia Braid, Communications Director. During the post race press conference I asked James what he thought of racing on a blend …
Farmer Waves Green Flag For American Ethanol 225
Illinois corn farmer Donna Jeschke got to wave the green flag for the American Ethanol 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race tonight. Donna is ending her term on the board of the Illinois Corn Marketing Board. She found the experience to be exciting and just a little scary. She says this type of promotion puts what she does as …
U.S. Court of Appeals Rules in Favor of RFS
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has rejected a petition by the Chicken Council challenging the rule making of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2). Upon filing of the petition, the ethanol industry took action. Today, Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis along with Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO …
Consumers in Kansas Embrace E15
Consumers in Kansas have embraced E15. The Zarco 66 “Oasis” station in Lawrence became the first retail gas station in the country to offer E15 under the waiver granted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and consumers are buying the renewable fuel blend. On July 18, 2012, Zarco 66 Station owner Scott Zaremba held a pump promotion for two …
Ethanol Detractors Call for End of RFS
A coalition of livestock and poultry groups continue to attack the veracity of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) that mandates the amount of renewable fuels that must be used each year in the transportation fuel supply. The new campaign has been launched in tandem with a new economic study conducted by Farm Econ LLC focusing on the impact of corn …