A bill was introduced in the Senate this week that would keep the Environmental Protection Agency from using non-scientific data when determining greenhouse gas emissions. The bill introduced by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is a companion to legislation introduced last week by Collin Peterson (D-MN), the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. Like the House bill, Grassley’s bill improves several …
Advanced Biofuels Workshop Agenda Announced
Don’t miss out on the Advanced Biofuels Workshop during this year’s Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW). This dynamic one-day event will focus on technology, feedstock management, market challenges, R&D activities, and near-term policy developments supporting advanced biofuels. In addition, the workshop will emphasize the provisions of the RFS and current efforts to commercialize, low-carbon, advanced biofuels technologies. The workshop takes place …
Ethanol Lobbyists Top on the Hill
There are literally thousands of registered lobbyists who regularly walk the halls of the nation’s capitol buttonholing lawmakers to talk up the benefits or detriments of some piece of legislation to their particular organization members. Political insider publication “The Hill” made a list the week of who they consider to be the nation’s most influential association lobbyists – and two …
Sunoco Wins Bid for NY Ethanol Plant
Sunoco spokesman Thomas Golembeski said that this aquisition would supply 25 percent of the ethanol Sunoco needs to blend into gasoline to meet renewable-fuels standards. He noted that Sunoco was attracted to the Northeast Biofuels plant in Volney, NY because it was close to Sunoco’s main operations in the Northeast. Golembeski also said the company hoped to save some money …
Making Ethanol from Solid Waste
Canadian waste-to-biofuels technology company Enerkem has received North America’s first unconditional commercial permit to produce advanced biofuels, in particular, ethanol, from sorted municipal solid waste. This company press release says Enerkem GreenField Alberta Biofuels (EGAB) received the pemit to make the ethanol at a facility in Edmonton, Alberta: “This unprecedented project is set to change the dynamics of the waste …
Watermelons Could Source Ethanol
The National Watermelon Association began working with the USDA in 2006 to see if the 700-800 million pounds of blemished melons (and late-season melons that are not worth it for big farms to harvest) could find another life as ethanol instead of being plowed back into the ground. ARS researcher Wayne Fish has found a way to get about 7/10ths …
World Ag Congress Discusses Biofuels
Biofuels from the perspective of India and East Africa, as well as Europe and the United States, were part of the discussion at the World Ag Congress in St. Louis on Tuesday. Henk Joos with London-based D1 Oils moderated the panel focusing on an integrated approach to biofuels. He stressed that the purpose of the panel was to find solutions. …
Sunoco Offers $8.5 Million for Ethanol Plant
Philadelphia-based Sunoco outbid companies that offered $1 million for the plant. Northeast Biofuels creditors claim they owe about $172 million. Many of the creditors have filed objections to the proposed sale. Now a bankruptcy judge must approve the sale. The plant achieved “Mechanical Completion” on July 30, 2008 and “Interim Completion” on August 24, 2008. The plant was supposed to …
New Fuel Economy Rules Applauded by Industry
A new National Fuel Efficiency Policy was passed today adding to recent efforts to curb America’s dependence on foreign oil while spurring development in new clean transportation technologies that will help curb greenhouse gas emissions. This new policy, which sets the toughest fuel economy requirements in the country’s history, speeds up, by four years, the fuel economy standards that were …
Alltech Ethanol Project On Hold
A cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in Kentucky has been put on hold due to funding concerns. A little more than a year ago, Alltech of Lexington, KY announced plans for a $70 million plant to be partially funded with state and federal grants. “We’ve basically looked at where ethanol is today and decided to put that project on hold,” says project …