Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced a strategy to help farmers and ranchers deal with higher energy costs and increase production of domestic fuels.
AG SECRETARY TO DISCUSS ENERGY TODAY
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns will hold a tele-news conference on Wednesday to discuss a comprehensive energy strategy to help farmers and ranchers mitigate the impact of high energy costs, create long-term resiliency, and promote renewable fuels
Ethanol “Changing the way grain is being marketed”
USDA’s number two official says ethanol production is growing so fast now it is changing the dynamics of grain marketing in this country. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Conner says at this point, “we are going to have to go back and re-evaluate our own methods of calculating posted county prices and the determination of local prices because ethanol plants have changed that dynamic substantially.”
PA Governor Creates Renewable Agricultural Energy Council
I’ve seen a lot of activity out of the state of Pennsylvania when it comes to news from their government. They’ve certainly made a committment to renewable fuels with programs like their Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program that’s part of their PAGrows Initiative.
USDA Loan Guarantee For Electric Plant Using Waste Wood
This may be a little different but, hey, it’s an alternative to what we think of as traditional fuel. How about using “waste wood” as a biomass fuel source?
USDA And DOE Announce Biomass Project Grants
As a show of how much the current administration is putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to encouraging the development of renewable fuel sources, USDA just announced grants to 11 projects totalling over $12 million dollars.
Governors Trading Down To A Hybrid
There’s an interesting story that summarizes how many state governors are parking their sports utility vehicles in favor of new hybrid vehicles that run on alternative fuels. You can find it in the Belleville NewsDemocrat. I think it’s interesting to see public officials actually practicing what they preach for a change. Of course, it makes you wonder if they sneak out at night and drive around in their big SUV’s!
Renewable Energy Momentum In Hawaii
It looks like even Hawaii is joining in the momentum to look at renewable fuel alternatives. An article in the Pacific Business News says that “The commission also explored renewable energy as a way to combat high gas and electricity prices. Proposals include expanding Hawaii’s goal of using 20 percent renewable energy by 2020 to include transportation fuels and increasing support for solar energy.“
Biodiesel Law Signed By The Governator
The Governator is pushing for the development of alternative fuels in his state. Green Star Products has this release on their website. Visit the website for the full release.
States and Ethanol Policy
We’ve been pointing you to news about how different states are considering or expanding on legislation to mandate the use of ethanol in gasoline. The National Corn Growers Association put out a story today on their “News of the Day” that summarizes some of these efforts.