Florida’s Farm to Fuel initiative is helping to fund the first commercial scale cellulosic ethanol facility in the state. Verenium Corporation has been awarded a $7 million grant as part of the initiative and will work with Florida agribusiness company Lykes Brothers to build the plant in Highlands county. Lykes will provide the necessary feedstock from approximately 20,000 acres adjacent …
Ag Secretary Hearing Touches on Ethanol
President-elect Obama’s choice for Secretary of Agriculture sailed through his Senate confirmation hearings this week and may be confirmed in time to take office on Inauguration Day. As expected, former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack faced no opposition in the Senate and no controversial questioning. With regard to biofuels in general and ethanol in particular, Vilsack stressed the importance of moving …
Virginia Gov Proposes Incentives for Renewable Energy
Virginia’s governor is proposing a series of grants and tax credits to help renewable energy sources, such as biodiesel, ethanol, solar and wind energy, grow in his state… and grow the green jobs that come with those sources. This story from Virginia Business says Gov. Timothy M. Kaine sees the green jobs and renewable energy as a way out of …
UF Student Wins Ethanol Contest
The University of Florida Gators are National Champions again this year and now a UF student has won free ethanol-enriched fuel for a year. University of Florida student Joshua Nicdao won the Ethanol Challenge grand prize, valued at $1300, as part of the 2008 Fox Tailgate Tour. The contest was sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) to …
Donors Build Alt Energy Institute at Stanford
One hundred million dollars has been donated to Stanford University for a new energy institute to find environmentally friendly energy sources. This article from Reuters says half of the money is coming from an oil executive… interesting, since the intent of the institute is to make renewable energy cheaper than petroleum: The new Precourt Institute for Energy is named after …
Economic Stimulus Sought for Agriculture and Renewables
A diverse coalition of 34 business, agriculture and environmental groups is asking Congressional leaders to support an economic recovery package that provides strong funding for agriculture-based, clean energy development programs. The National 25x’25 Steering Committee and other renewable energy advocacy groups outlined a three part recommendation in a letter to Congressional leaders this week. The letter recommends including at least …
Ethanol Industry Leader Outlines Priorities
The chairman of the Renewable Fuels Association outlined the industry’s top priorities for 2009 during a telephone press conference Tuesday morning. Chris Standlee with Abengoa Bioenergy says there are three main priorities for the industry – stimulating economic growth, increasing blend limits, and modeling life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions. Standlee called on Congress and the Obama administration to recognize and continue …