The decision by the Environmental Protection Agency earlier this month to deny a request that would have cut the Renewable Fuels Standard in half was obviously good news for corn growers and ethanol producers. But it was also good news for consumers, according to the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council. In this edition of “Fill Up, Feel Good,” EPIC executive …
Galva Holstein Opens Iowa’s First Blender Pump
“With the assistance of IDED (Iowa Department of Economic Development) grants,” said Anne M. Johnson of Galva Holstein Ag., “which we are truly grateful for, we were able to add blender pumps this summer to this location and are now dispensing E10, E30, and clean-burning E85. All of us at Galva Holstein Ag are delighted to be a part of …
Ethanol Branding at the Pump
A new fuel station in Colwich, Kansas could be the poster child for ethanol branding. TJ Convenience store, which is supported by local ethanol plant designer ICM, offers four different ethanol blends – E10, E20, E30 and E85. The higher blends can only be used in flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs). Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) helped ICM president Dave Vander Griend cut …
Ethanol Hearing in Nebraska
Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) brought the Senate Agriculture Committee to the heartland Monday to get to the heart of the food vs. fuel debate. The hearing was the culmination of a statewide energy tour Nelson kicked off last week that also included stops at an E85 fuel station in Omaha and an ethanol plant in Hastings. During the hearing held …
Kansas Launches Ethanol Blender Pump Program
Kansas is now the second state to lead the nation in raising public awareness for higher blends of ethanol as the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC), ICM and the Kansas Corn Commission Monday launched a blender pump incentive program for the Sunflower State. EPIC Deputy Director Robert White says the blender pumps will allow gas stations to sell more …
Kansas Ethanol Initiative to be Announced
A new program and pump promotion will help raise awareness for higher blends of ethanol in Kansas. The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC), ICM and the Kansas Corn Commission are holding the event, which will include discount prices on ethanol blends for flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) at TJ’s Convenience Store in Colwich from 6:30 to 8:30 am on Monday. FFV …
Iowa Ethanol Production Expands
VeraSun Energy has announced the startup of its 110 million gallon per year ethanol biorefinery located near Hartley, Iowa. The Hartley production facility marks the 13th VeraSun biorefinery in operation, increasing the company’s annual production capacity to more than 1.3 billion gallons. VeraSun Hartley is the fourth VeraSun facility to come on-line this year, joining sister production facilities in Marion, …
Ethanol Industry Continues to Move Forward
It’s been a rough year for ethanol but the industry continues to move forward. The hundreds of ethanol industry representatives at the 21st Ethanol Conference and Trade Show this week were “cautiously positive” about the future, according to American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) executive vice president Brian Jennings. “They recognize some of the volatility we are facing, they recognize that …
Scientist Animates Ethanol Enzyme
An animated version of an enzyme that could accelerate the process of making cellulosic ethanol from woody plants and farm waste looks kind of like “a Technicolor dinosaur fossil chomping on dinner.” National Renewable Energy Laboratory senior scientist Michael Crowley was awarded second place in the Department of Energy’s Electronic Visualization competition for his animated version of cellobiohydrolase Cel7A, “a …