President Barack Obama and President Lula da Silva of Brazil talked about the touchy topic of ethanol tariffs when they met for the first time on Saturday. Asked about their discussions during a joint press conference, President Obama praised Brazil for its leadership in biofuels but acknowledged that “the issue of Brazilian ethanol coming into the United States has been …
Navy Exchange Pumped Up on E85
The opening of an E-85 pump on Friday at Oceania Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach, Virginia received enthusiastic response from the public and the media. The Virginia-Pilot reported that, “A crowd of Navy officers, energy executives, a congressman and camera-toting media circled the first customer who pulled up to the shiny new pump, Petty Officer 1st Class Lacresha Fears.” …
Navy Exchange Service Command Opens E85 Station
The Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM), headquarters for the Navy’s worldwide Navy Exchange stores, held a ribbon cutting ceremony today for Hampton Roads’ first E85 pump. The station is located at the Navy Exchange Gas Station, NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach. Rear Adm. Robert Bianchi, Commander, NEXCOM, and Captain Markham Rich, Commanding Officer, NAS Oceana hosted the ceremony with principal guests …
Obama Wants to Maintain Ethanol Progress
Ethanol came up in a meeting this week between President Barack Obama and regional newspaper reporters in Washington D.C. According to the Des Moines Register, the president did not say whether the administration would increase the amount of ethanol that could be added to regular gasoline, as requested by the ethanol industry, but did indicate he would ultimately make that …
Corn Ethanol Remains Industry Building Block
As the ethanol industry seeks a waiver to allow the use of up to 15 percent ethanol in gasoline, corn-based ethanol remains the basic building block for increased use of the product nationwide. “We have to build the cellulosic industry on the foundation of corn-based ethanol,” Growth Energy co-chairman Wesley Clark told reporters during an appearance at the National Press …
Honda Hits the Road with Flex-Fuel Bike
Honda has introduced the world’s first flex-fuel motorcycle. No surprise, the CG150 Titan Mix, is being sold by a subsidiary of Honda in Brazil, a country that really leads the world in biofuels production. This article from Gizmag.com has details: The 150cc motorcycle is equipped with a Mix Fuel Injection System, a newly developed fuel supply and fuel injection control …
California Ethanol Lawsuit Dropped
An oil refiner has dropped a lawsuit against the California Air Resources Board (CARB) challenging a regulation that would boost ethanol consumption in the state by 2010. According to a story in the Sacramento Business Journal, Tesoro Corporation dropped the lawsuit after a judge denied the company’s request for a temporary injunction to delay a new gasoline standard set to …
Accelerating Drive Toward Higher Blends
The drive toward higher blends of ethanol in gasoline is accelerating and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is working to ensure that the blend wall is just another bump in the road for ethanol to ride over. This edition of “The Ethanol Report” podcast features comments from RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, EPA Acting Biomass …
USDA Increases Corn for Ethanol Use
The newest supply demand report out from the US Department of Agriculture today increases estimates of corn for ethanol usage. According to the report, “U.S. corn ending stocks for 2008/09 are projected 50 million bushels lower this month as higher ethanol use more than offsets a reduction in exports. Corn use for ethanol is projected 100 million bushels higher on …
Colleges Smarten Up to Alternative Fuels
Harvesting willow trees for biomass in Vermont… turning corn stover into biofuels in Minnesota… these are just a couple examples of projects sponsored by the growing number of colleges and universities in the country that are finding greener alternatives to non-renewable petroleum sources of fuel. There’s a fascinating story in the Christian Science Monitor about how some of these institutions …