The United States isn’t alone in taking government steps such as mandates, tariffs and tax incentives to get the renewable fuels business off the ground. Debate on such incentives is raging in Australia, according to ABC Online, which says New South Wales’ peak motoring body has blasted a Federal Government decision to increase the tax on home-grown ethanol and lower …
Congress Endorses 25x’25
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and House Ag Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia today introduced a concurrent resolution in both houses of Congress calling for 25-percent of the nation’s total energy to come from renewable sources by the year 2025. The 25X’25 plan has also gained the endorsement of numerous state legislators and Governors – as …
To Tariff or Not To Tariff
As legislation to extend the tariff on ethanol imports was being introduced in Congress, Florida Governor Jeb Bush was advocating an increase in ethanol imports by dropping tariffs on ethanol from Brazil. According to the South Florida Business Journal, Bush laid out a plan Monday that saw the nation’s usage of ethanol increase to 15 billion gallons by 2015 annually …
USDA Provides Financial Assistance
The keynote speaker today at the Ethanol Summit here at the Indianapolis Speedway was USDA Under Secretary Tom Dorr.
Manage Your Energy Risk
Small and limited resource farmers as well as any producers might be interested in USDA’s “Energy In Agriculture, Managing The Risk” conference in Kansas City, MO on June 27-28. You can register online for $90 before June 5. Here’s a draft agenda (pdf file). Some travel scholarships are available if applied for prior to May 30.
Auto Makers Back 25x’25
According to Paddock Talk, the CEOs of General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler are supporting efforts that seek to provide 25 percent of America’s energy needs from renewable sources by 2025, known as 25X’25. In meetings with Congressional leaders today, Chrysler Group President and CEO Tom LaSorda, Ford Motor Company Chairman and CEO Bill Ford and General Motors Chairman and CEO …
Calls For New Farm Policy
Some sectors of agriculture are calling for a new direction to farm policy. At a press conference last week, the American Farmland Trust unveiled its vision of a new farm policy called Agenda 2007. AFT President Ralph Grossi says this vision includes renewable energy. “Much more can be done to unleash producer innovation and entrepreneurial spirit,” said Grossi, including expanding …
News Briefs
I have been letting Chuck do the talking this week covering Clean Cities and Ethanol Day. Now it’s time to catch up on some Domestic Fuel news: Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) announced a new biofuels policy in the Senate, while House Ag Democrats unveiled a comprenesive biodiesel energy package. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest price forecast for corn predicts …
Energy Secretary Press Conference
Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman held a press conference here at Ethanol Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Ethanol Lesson For Energy Secretary
Secretary of Energy Bodman (l), got to learn more about ethanol and the Rahal-Letterman Ethanol Car with driver Jeff Simmons prior to getting his turn in a car on the track.