President George W. Bush announced today his initiative to curb greenhouse growth in the United States. And according to this White House press release, ethanol and biodiesel are part of the plan: [T]he United States has launched — and the G8 has embraced — a new process that brings together the countries responsible for most of the world’s emissions. We’re …
Economists Discuss Food and Fuel Prices
Rising food prices continue to make headlines and all too often the blame is placed on the use of corn for ethanol. In this DomesticFuel Cast, we hear from two economists who have spent their entire careers studying farm and food prices – Jim Duffield with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and John Urbanchuk with the global economic analysis firm …
Imperim CEO Says “Don’t Blame Biofuels”
The food vs. fuel debate is still going strong with the chief executive officer of a major biofuel producer telling a technology summit not to blame his industry for the rise in food prices. This story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer says that at the Technology Summit in Bellevue, WA today, Imperium Renewables Chief Executive John Plaza told attendees that there’s …
Report: Government Key to Green Investment
Investing in green technology is still a good investment… with a little help from the government. U.S. News and World Report says a new report by Laurence Alexander, Paul Clegg, and Michael McNamara at Jefferies & Co. says what is being done to be green, such as biofuels, wind, and solar technologies, is very good with demand remaining strong. But …
Saudi Oil Minister Blasts Biofuels
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources last week denounced ethanol as an alternative to petroleum-based motor fuels. In a speech to the International Oil Summit in Paris, Minister Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Naimi said, “Let’s be realistic, ethanol and biofuels will not contribute to the protection of the global environment by reducing (carbon dioxide) emissions, they will not increase …
Deadline Approaching for Ethanol Video Contest
The deadline for the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council’s “Fuel the Change” sweepstakes is fast approaching and new entries have been rolling in. The final deadline for entries is April 21. The contest calls for a 30 second video about how ethanol is a part of your life and how you’re fueling American independence and a greener, cleaner future one …
Texas Report Studies Ethanol and Food Prices
A study done by Texas A&M’s Agricultural and Food Policy Center concludes that corn prices have had little to do with rising food costs. The report, “The Effects of Ethanol on Texas Food and Fuel,” also finds that relaxing the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) would not result in lower corn prices for livestock and poultry feeders. According to the study, …
Ethanol Racing History
St. Petersburg, Florida was the site of the greenest racing event in history April 5-6 when ethanol was featured in both the IndyCar Series Honda Grand Prix and the American Le Mans Series Acura Sports Car Challenge. The edition of “Fill up, Feel Good” features comments from Doug Robinson of the International Motor Sports Association; GM Racing program manager Doug …
Flying High on Ethanol
An ethanol-powered aerobatic plane caught the eye of the media over the weekend. Among the news reports was one from NBC News Channel, featuring video of the high-performance stunt place sponsored by ethanol plant builder Fagen, Inc. When aerobatic pilot Greg Poe thinks about going green he thinks about his red MX2 aircraft. It’s a high performance airplane fueled by …
E85 Goes Redneck
This just in from the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition: E85 has gone Redneck. According to NEVC, Thom Shepherd, co-writer of the hit country song, Redneck Yacht Club, is one of the newest supporters of the domestically grown fuel. “I support anything our country can do to reduce our dependency on the Middle East,” noted Shepherd. He stands by his word …