Obama at Iowa Wind Turbine Plant for Earth Day
President Barack Obama was in Iowa for this Earth Day, visiting a former appliance maker that has converted to make parts for the state’s burgeoning wind energy industry. The Des Moines (IA) Register reports that the president also used the stop at the Trinity Structural Towers in Newton, formerly a Maytag appliance factory, to unveil plans to allow off-shore wind-energy …
Senators Introduce Fuel Choice Bill
Both houses of Congress have now introduced a bill that would give consumers more choices at the pump. U.S. Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), and John Thune (R-SD) are all co-sponsoring the Open Fuel Standards Act, introduced this week in the Senate. A similar bill was introduced in the …
Final Day for Comments on CARB Plan
Earth Day 2009 is ironically the final day for filing written comments with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) on a proposed low-carbon fuel standard, or LCFS, that threatens to undermine the role of renewable fuels in helping the environment. An increasing number of university professors, scientists, researchers, and industry trade organizations have registered their opposition to the controversial proposal …
DF Cast: Advanced Biofuels Need More Funding
With Wall Street still not recovered from the economic downturn and banks keeping a tight hold of the credit purses’ drawstrings, the next generation of biofuels producers could have a rough time getting going and staying going. Recently, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)… a group that represents more than 1,200 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations …
Comments Open for Ethanol Blend Increase
On the eve of Earth Day 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency began accepting public comment on the waiver request to raise the amount of ethanol blended into gasoline from 10 percent to up to 15 percent. Citing the Earth Day connection, waiver petitioner Growth Energy urged Americans to support the increased use of clean, green ethanol by submitting comments supporting …
RFA Submits Comments to California
California’s efforts to reduce the carbon intensity of the state’s transportation fuels are admirable, but the state’s goals, as outlined in the proposed Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS), are unlikely to be achieved because of the policy’s inherent bias against low-carbon biofuels, says the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). In written comments to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in advance …
Oregon Legislature Join Anti-Ethanol Fight
The Oregon legislature now is considering five bills that would limit the use of ethanol in the state. The bills are in response to complaints about: the product raising food prices, ethanol mileage reduction vs. gasoline, and the wear of the ethanol on small engines.
EPA Opens 30 Day Comment Period on E15 Waiver
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it is seeking public comments on the “Green Jobs Waiver” that was submitted several weeks ago requesting the current ethanol blend be increased from 10 percent ethanol (E10) to 15 percent (E15). Since 1978, the limit has been set at E10 for conventional (non flex-fuel) vehicles. The comment period will be open …
National Science Board Calls for More Green Energy
A 25-member panel of researchers that advises the President and Congress on science and engineering issues is calling for more development of sustainable and clean energy sources to transition the country away from fossil fuels. The National Science Board has released a draft report entitled “Building a Sustainable Energy Future” for public review and comment: The NSB recommends that the …