Presidential candidates Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-New York) and John McCain (R-Arizona) made separate stops at two Renewable Energy Group biodiesel facilities during their campaigns in Iowa today. Clinton toured the 30-million gallon REG network biodiesel production facility in Newton, while McCain attended the ribbon-cutting of the new REG headquarters in Ames. The fact that two national candidates are pushing biodiesel …
Legislation Would Increase RFS Without Energy Bill
Concerns about a languishing energy bill in Congress are motivating Senators to take action that would increase the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) even without it. U.S. Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) have introduced legislation called the Renewable Fuels Strategy Act of 2007 that contains several provisions including a larger Renewable Fuels Standard of 36 billion gallons of …
Senators Urge Consideration of Higher Ethanol Blends
Senator John Thune (R-SD) and Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) led a bi-partisan group of Senators in writing a letter to the President last week urging him to direct the Environmental Protection Agency to approve higher blends of ethanol in commercial gasoline. The current maximum blend for non-flex fuel vehicles is 10% ethanol. “The current 10% standard, or blend wall, will …
Arming the Military with E85
Ft. Leavenworth in Kansas has a vested interest in E85 and flex-fuel vehicles. The Combined Arms Center will soon have to be operating its fleet of more than 200 vehicles on E85. That’s in compliance with the executive order President Bush signed in January of this year. John Tirpak, Traffic Manager at Ft. Leavenworth, came to the Ethanol and Promotion …
Georgia Considers Ethanol Blend Changes
Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin is holding a couple of town hall meetings later this month to listen to comments regarding updating Georgia’s fuel standards for ethanol blends. A recent article in Florida Today noted that state officials in Georgia and other Southeastern states, including Florida, are moving to alter fuel-quality standards that have discouraged refiners from adding ethanol …
Ag Secretary Nominee Has Biofuels Credentials
In his nomination of former North Dakota governor Ed Schafer as Secretary of Agriculture on Wednesday, President Bush noted his support of domestic fuel. “Ed Schafer is the right choice to fill this post. He was a leader on agricultural issues during his eight years as the governor of North Dakota,” Bush said. “He oversaw the development of the state’s …
Wisconsin Budget Gains Biodiesel Group’s Praise
It took a lot longer than anticipated, but lawmakers in Wisconsin have finally reached agreement on that state’s budget… and the Wisconsin Biodiesel Association (WBA) says its $26 million renewable energy package will help make the state competitive in the biodiesel business. This story in Wisconsin Ag Connection says the WBA is applauding the approval of the biodiesel measures in …
U.S. Army Takes a Look at Hydrogen
The Tank and Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, a department of the U.S. Army, is working with executives from Chevron Technology Ventures and the Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center to see how the military could use hydrogen fuel technology and how the technology operates in a real-world setting. The joint-project will take place at the Selfridge Air National Guard (SANG) …
SD Democrat Calls Ethanol Critics “Misguided”
A South Dakota congressional representative supports increasing the Renewable Fuels Standard in the energy bill and fires back at critics of ethanol. According to an article in the Daily Republic, U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin says opponents of the biofuel industry are using “misguided and inaccurate” claims in an attempt to derail the growth of renewable fuels. While discussing her …
Soybean Growers Concerned About Biodiesel Support Funding
The American Soybean Association (ASA) is raising concerns about the level of government funding to alternative energy sources, particularly biodiesel, in the Senate’s version of the Farm Bill. This article from Grainnet.com says provisions in the energy portion of the bill are among the group’s concerns: In the Energy Title, ASA is very concerned with the level of funding provided …