The third annual Canadian Renewable Fuels Summit is coming up December 10 – 12 in Banff Springs, Alberta, Canada. The summit is hosted by the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association and features a number of important speakers including: The Hon. Lorne Calvert, Premier of Saskatchewan Lorne Hepworth, President, CropLife Canada Barb Isman, President, Canola Council of Canada Lionel LaBelle, Saskatchewan Ethanol …
CBOT to Launch OTC Ethanol Contracts
The Chicago Board of Trade has announced plans for two new over-the-counter (OTC) Ethanol Calendar Swap contracts. The new products, which will include contracts for both forward and previous month calendar swaps, will be based on the price of CBOT Ethanol futures contracts. Scheduled to be introduced on December 4, 2006, CBOT Ethanol Swap contracts are the first exchange-cleared OTC …
“Buy the Bus” to Promote E85
Two Boulder, Colorado residents are on a mission to promote E-85 by bus. Self-described dedicated environmentalists Jason and Tracey Keeley have “organized Buy the Bus to fund an eight-month tour of key locations in the United States, during which they will spread the word about E85.” Tracey and Jason’s combined passion for the great outdoors has culminated in Buy the …
GA Farm Bureau Supports Biofuels Tax Cut
A Georgia Farm Bureau committee adopted a proposal to cut the sales tax on the sale and production of ethanol and biodiesel (see previous post) to present to the membership in its December meeting. Seventeen states have reduction or elimination of sales and use motor fuel taxes for ethanol and/or biodiesel, according to information from the U.S. Department of Energy’s …
Current MN Lt. Gov. Knows E85
The job of lieutenant governor is rarely noticed, but when the running mate of the challenger in the Minnesota governor’s race appeared to show ignorance of ethanol this week, the current holder of the position did get some attention. And no one can say that Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau is ignorant when it comes to ethanol. As a corn farmer …
Ethanol Boosts Corn Prices
The Wall Street Journal reports on the rising price of corn due to ethanol production. The price for corn — the nation’s No. 1 crop and one of the most ubiquitous ingredients in the American food supply — has jumped nearly 55% since mid-September, when U.S. corn farmers began harvesting their third-biggest crop ever. Grain prices usually slump to their …
Ethanol Employment
Biofuels are helping to create more jobs in rural areas, according to a Des Moines Register report. The story features some of the people working for Lincolnway Energy near Nevada, Iowa and notes that “the industry promises job growth in a wide array of fields, including crop genetics, engineering, life sciences and construction.” A shorter version of the article was …
No E for Effort
The candidate for Lieutenant Governor in Minnesota got a quick lesson in ethanol politics this week when she failed what she called a “college quiz bowl” question about E85. When a reporter asked Democratic candidate Judi Dutcher a question about the fuel blend, she answered, “It’s like you’ve asked me the college quiz bowl question. What is E-85?” Minnesota is …
White Energy Acquires New Plant
Texas-based White Energy Holding Company, LLC has acquired a 100-million-gallon-per-year ethanol plant, located in Plainview, Texas. According to a company release, the plant will be a “near twin” of White Energy’s other ethanol facility under construction in Hereford, Texas. The Plainview facility is fully permitted and construction is underway, with completion targeted for early 2008. White Energy also owns an …
Two Fuels From One Feedstock
VeraSun Energy Corporation, the nation’s second-largest ethanol producer, plans to produce biodiesel from an oil by-product of the corn ethanol production process. The company plans to make biodiesel, normally produced from soybeans, with oil extracted from distillers grains, a co-product of the ethanol production process. VeraSun would be the first company to develop a large-scale, commercial facility for biodiesel production …