Back in June, Canadian biotechnology company Iogen was waiting on loan guarantees from the U.S. Department of Energy to build a $500 million cellulosic ethanol plant in Idaho. The company is still waiting, according to a report from McLatchey Newspapers. According to the article, the loan guarentee is being held up because the U.S. Department of Energy office in charge …
New California Ethanol Plant Announced
A New York-based ethanol company plans to build a second plant in California – its fifth currently in the works. According to an AP report, economic development officials in California’s Kern County announced that U.S. Ethanol Holdings LLC plans to build a $200 million plant in Wasco with the capacity to produce 100 million gallons of ethanol per year. U.S. …
Vilsack Gives Energy Speech
Democratic presidential candidate Tom Vilsack, former governor of Iowa, unveiled his plan for energy security during a speech in San Francisco Tuesday. According to an Associated Press report, Vilsack set out a seven-part plan for achieving his goal to “dramatically reduce energy imports and dramatically reduce carbon emissions.” That plan would include a reduction in greenhouse gases produced by the …
Ethanol Conference Anticipates Record Crowd
The 12th Annual National Ethanol Conference next week is expecting a record 2,000 industry leaders and experts to discuss and shape the future of the U.S. ethanol industry. “Building New Horizons” is the theme for the conference being held Feburary 19-21 in Tucson, Arizona. Much is on the agenda for the policy and marketing conference, from “Understanding the RFS Program” …
Companies Merge for Cellulosic Technology
Diversa Corporation and Celunol Corp. have merged to “create a new leader in the emerging cellulosic ethanol industry.” According to a press release, the combined company will be the first within the cellulosic ethanol industry to possess integrated end-to-end capabilities in pre-treatment, novel enzyme development, fermentation, engineering, and project development. It will seek to build a global enterprise as a …
Marketing Ethanol By-Products
The Illinois Corn Growers Association and Illinois Corn Marketing Board have created a new “for profit” corporation to commercialize high value co-products related to ethanol production. According to a press release, the company known as Prairie Gold, Inc., “has licensed technology from the University of Illinois in order to develop and commercialize ethanol co-product processes and production. The research, funded …
Ethanol Places Third in Chili Bowl
From the Indy to the Chili Bowl, ethanol is making its mark. The number 86 Illinois Corn Marketing Board – Ethanol Performs, Auto Xpress, Hoosier Tire Midwest Spike Midget driven by 20-year-old Justin Allgaier placed third out of a record 267 entries in the 21st Annual O’Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals held in Tulsa, Okalahoma last month. Illinois corn growers …
President’s Radio Address Focuses on Energy
In his weekly radio address to the nation Saturday, President Bush expressed optimism that energy policy is one area where both Republicans and Democrats can work together and make some progress. “Republicans and Democrats both recognize these problems. We agree on the solution: We need to diversify our energy supply and make America less dependent on foreign oil,” said the …
Arkansas Legislature Moves Forward on $20 Mil Alt Fuels Bill
The Arkansas State Legislature’s House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development has unanimously approved a bill that would provide $20 million in tax dollars for the development of alternative fuels. The bill is sponsored by House Speaker Benny Petrus (D-Stuttgart). This from the Associated Press story in the Houston (TX) Chronicle: “This is the only platform I’ve had as …
Eleven BYG Winners in Garst Giveaway
Garst Seed Company has announced the grand prizewinners in its Blue + Yellow = Green (BYG) sweepstakes. Eleven growers won free one-year leases for new Chevy 1500 Flex Fuel pickup trucks and Garst awarded 110 first-place prizes of $100 ethanol certificates. David Witherspoon, head of Garst says, “This initiative is part of our continuous efforts to provide seed and traits …