Pres. Obama’s economic stimulus bill passed the U.S. House, but its provisions that will help renewable energy, especially solar and wind power, are still in jeopardy unless lawmakers in the Senate and House can get together on their differences in their two versions of the bill. This story from Greentech Media says the biggest difference in the two bills deals …
Study: Biodiesel, Ethanol Key to Economic Recovery
A new study put out by a leading advocate of biofuels finds that green energy sources have been key to keeping the economy on a somewhat even keel and more production would help further economic recovery in at least one state… and you have to believe that it would apply to many more. At the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association meeting …
Ag Secretary Answers Ethanol Questions
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack got questions about ethanol during his first official press conference Monday. Vilsack says he favors improving efficiency in ethanol plants in order to ensure that the industry survives the economic downturn. “We need to make sure that the biofuels industry has the necessary support to survive the recent downturn,” Vilsack told reporters. “The USDA should research, …
Ethanol Part of Clean Energy Economy
Ethanol industry leaders are looking forward to working with the Obama administration on the creation of a “clean energy economy,” as outlined in the president’s “American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.” This edition of “The Ethanol Report” features comments from Renewable Fuels Association chairman of the board Chris Standlee of Abengoa Bioenergy and RFA president and CEO Bob Dinneen on priorities …
Biodiesel Board, Others Welcome New EPA Chief
There’s a new person in charge of the federal agency in charge of keeping the environment clean, and thus, a friend to the clean, renewable energy field. The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved Pres. Barack Obama’s choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency, Lisa Jackson. Jackson’s home-state newspaper, New Jersey’s Star-Ledger, reported praise for Jackson from Assembly Enivronment Committee chair …
Michigan State Patents Cellulosic Ethanol Process
Michigan State University (MSU) has patented a process to pretreat agricultural waste products that would dramatically reduce the cost of making biofuels from cellulose. According to a university release, The AFEX (ammonia fiber expansion) pretreatment process, developed by MSU chemical engineering professor Bruce Dale, uses ammonia to make the breakdown of cellulose and hemicellulose in plants 75 percent more efficient …
Report Shows Efficiency of Ethanol Production
A new report concludes that America’s ethanol industry is energy efficient and doing its part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research has just released its report entitled “Improvements in Life Cycle Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Corn Ethanol” which was published in Yale’s Journal of Industrial Ecology (JIE). According …
New Nebraska Ethanol Board Officers
The Nebraska Ethanol Board elected new officers for the new year at the organization’s recent board meeting. Mike Thede of Palmer was elected Chairman of the board. Thede represents general farming interests on the board and also serves as president of the Howard County Farm Bureau and sits on the United Soybean Board. Thede said that he is optimistic about …