VeraSun Energy Corporation, the nation’s second largest ethanol producer, has announced the early startup of its 110-million gallon facility located in Charles City, Iowa. According to a company release, construction on VeraSun’s third ethanol production plant began in March 2006 and was completed nearly three months ahead of schedule. The plant will annually process 39 million bushels of corn and …
Andersons Marathon Ethanol Grants
The Andersons Marathon Ethanol project in Greenville, Ohio is getting about $650,000 in state money to move the plant toward completion. According to state officials, the plant will receive a $100,000 grant to help cover the costs of buying machinery and equipment. Additionally, the state is providing Darke County with a $500,000 roadwork grant to facilitate the project. The Andersons …
Chavez Criticizes Ethanol
The president of oil-rich Venezuela is campaigning against President Bush’s plan to increase ethanol use in the United States, with the help of his close friend, Cuban President Fidel Castro. According to NewsMax, Hugo Chavez pledged to undermine a U.S.-Brazil ethanol agreement in a speech made on Tuesday. “We are working on an alternative proposal,” he said without elaborating. “Just …
EPA Chief on Ethanol Plant Emissions
The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency says a proposed rule change regarding ethanol plant emissions is a matter of consistency, not favoritism. When asked about the expected rule change during a press conference announcing the administration’s new Renewable Fuels Standard, administrator Stephen L. Johnson responded, “If you are using corn to produce alcohol for human consumption, you are under …
RFA Pleased With RFS
It comes as no surprise that the Renewable Fuels Association is very pleased with the Bush Administration’s Renewable Fuels Standard announced today. In a press release, RFA Chairman Ron Miller of Aventine Renewable Energy called the RFS “a watershed piece of legislation for the U.S. ethanol industry.” “It has provided our industry a solid foundation from which to grow and …
RFS Program Announced
In step with the Bush Administration’s call to increase the supply of alternative and renewable fuels nationwide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today established the nation’s first comprehensive Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program, according to an EPA news release. At a press conference today, EPA Administrator Johnson, joined by Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman and National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Nicole …
Interamerican Biofuels Seminar
The Interamerican Ethanol Commission (IEC) held a seminar on biofuels last week in Washington DC. At the event, IEC co-chairmen – former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Inter American Development Bank chief Luis Alberto Moreno and Roberto Rodrigues, Brazil’s former agriculture minister – introduced a comprehensive study of biofuels markets through 2020. According to the IEC, some key findings of the …
Ethanol on the Speaking Circuit
Racing Legend Bobby Rahal and Tony George, the CEO and Founder of the Indy Racing League, will be the featured guests at the National Press Club’s distinguished luncheon speaker series on May 5. The topic will be “The Greening of Racing: Ethanol Powers the Indianapolis 500.” Special guests also include Ethanol Promotion and Information Council’s Board President Tom Branhan and …
Ethanol on Tap
Officials in Monroe County, New York are working with High Falls Brewery on a plan to turn beer waste into ethanol and produce enough of it to power much of the county’s fleet of vehicles. If all goes well, the county hopes to have extra available to offer ethanol-based fuel to the public. According to a Gannett News Service story …
USDA Ethanol Enzyme Research
USDA Agricultural Research Service scientists at the Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor, Pa., are investigating ways to avoid overburdening the corn market as ethanol production expands. Researchers David Johnston and Kevin Hicks are investigating new processes using protease enzymes from microbial and fungal sources to make ethanol more efficiently. Working with Vijay Singh, an agricultural engineer at the University …