Minority Agriculture Producers, an organization of Hispanic farmers and ranchers in Texas, is holding workshops this month to consider the possibility of getting together to start an ethanol production facility or two, or three. According to this story from Texas A&M Ag News, cotton farmer Donnie Valdez envisions three large factories in the Rio Grande Valley turning crops into bio-fuels …
OK Ethanol Plant Gets Ok
An ethanol plant for Enid, Okla. (see previous post) will become a reality soon now that officials with Oklahoma Sustainable Energy have received initial investments in excess of $5 million. According to this article in the Enid News, OSE officials will continue their equity drive through Sept. 26 unless the cap of 499 investors or $14 million is reached before …
New Ethanol Plant Planned For WI
Third Coast Biofuels, LLC is proposing a 40 to 60 million gallon ethanol plant for Wisconsin Rapids and Mayor Mary Jo Carson is “thrilled,” according to this article from the Wisconsin Technology Network. Ron Kuehn, a Third Coast representative, explained at an informational city meeting this week that in the best-case scenario, the plant could be built by the spring …
Third Former ADM Exec Joins Alternative Energy
Kansas City-based Alternative Energy Sources Inc. has announced the appointment of John A. Ward as executive vice president and director of operations. According to a press release, Ward will be responsible for site selection, permitting, design and engineering of ethanol plants to be built in Iowa, Illinois and other locations. He will oversee the construction process for each plant and …
Honda Develops “Practical” Biomass Ethanol Process
Honda Motors and a Japanese-based research company says they have developed the world’s first practical process for producing ethanol from cellulosic biomass. According to a news release, Honda and partner Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth, or RITE, the new method allows large volumes of ethanol to be produced from widely available waste wood, leaves and other so-called …
Growing OK Biofuels
Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry is holding a conference on biofuels next month in Norman, Okla. The Oklahoma Governor’s Conference on Biofuels features an impressive array of experts in the area of domestic fuels including state and federal government officials, oil and renewable industry representatives, university researchers and stakeholders from areas such as the military, transportation, agriculture and marketing. The event …
Flex Wars
Geez, guys, can’t we all just get along? Flex-Tek and Full Flex, competing E85 conversion kits, are having a little war on Domestic Fuel. (see previous post comments) For the sake of transparency, readers should be aware that Full Flex asked their satisfied customers to comment on the post about the interview I did with them. Here’s the way I …
Florida Living Green, Going Yellow
E85 has arrived in the Sunshine State. Florida’s first E85 pump opened in Tallahassee Wednesday, with Governor Jeb Bush doing the honors of filling the first tank full.
Locally-Owned Plants Better For Local Economies
A study released today by the National Corn Growers Association says that ethanol plants owned by local farmers provide more economic benefits for communities than those owned by absentee investors. The study, “Economic Impacts on the Farm Community of Cooperative Ownership of Ethanol Production,” concludes that, “Since a farmer-owned cooperative ethanol plant is literally a member of the community, the …