The chairman of the Renewable Fuels Association is excited about the developments in cellulose technology for the future of the ethanol industry. “And we fully believe that many of these technologies will in fact be proven to be economically viable on a commercial scale,” said Chris Standlee, who is executive vice president of Abengoa Bioenergy in St. Louis. He says …
Biofuels Put on Defensive Again
Biofuels were put on the defensive once again as the journal Science published new studies that claim biofuels are worse for global warming than fossil fuels. Renewable Fuels Association President Bob Dinneen issued a statement which said the studies took a simplistic view of land use. “Understanding the land use changes occurring around the globe is important to developing strategies …
RFA to Testify on Energy Act
The president of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) will present testimony Thursday to the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee at a hearing on the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Dinneen’s intends to tell the committee that the American ethanol industry stands ready to do its part to make the law successful. Putting the importance of developing a …
Ethanol Outlook for 2008
2008 could be an even better year than 2007 for the ethanol industry. That’s the outlook of Renewable Fuels Association president Bob Dinneen. In the first “Ethanol Report” podcast for 2008, Dinneen gazes into his crystal ball and sees blue skies and big challenges for the ethanol industry this year. “I think we will continue to see dramatic growth in …
Happy ReNEWable Fuels Year
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 will get the new year underway with a burst of renewable fuels. The bill, signed by President Bush on December 19, includes an expanded Renewable Fuels Standard that requires significant development of other feedstocks to produce ethanol. This edition of “Fill up, Feel Good” features comments by President George W. Bush, EPIC …
Biofuels Conferences in the Sunshine State
As the Midwest (where I’m at) thaws out of a major ice storm that shut down the power (my home for a little while last night) and prepares for ANOTHER round this weekend, some time in Florida this winter sounds mighty inviting. Well if the escape from the Midwest ice and snow is not enough for you (or if you’re …
Podcast on Informa Report
The latest “Ethanol Report” podcast from the Renewable Fuels Association features comments from Informa Economics CEO Bruce Scherr and Renewable Fuels Foundation chairman Bill Lee on the report that “puts to bed” the food versus fuel debate. Here’s a link to the post on the RFA blog. The study was commissioned by the Renewable Fuels Foundation, the education and research …
New Report Puts Food vs Fuel “to Bed”
The price of corn has less to do with the price of food than many other factors, according to an extensive new study by Informa Economics based on 20 years of price data. The Informa report identifies the so-called “marketing bill”—the portion of final food costs that excludes grains or other raw materials—as a key driver of the consumer price …
FTC Reports on Ethanol Market Concentration
A new report from the Federal Trade Commission says U.S. ethanol industry become more competitive in 2007. According to the report, “The ethanol production industry is not concentrated, and has become even more unconcentrated over the last year.” The FTC utilizes the Herfindahl-Hirschman Indices (HHIs) to determine concentration. As outlined by the FTC and the Justice Department, HHIs with values …
Renewable Fuels Now Fights for Alternative Energies
The first “official” action of the Renewable Fuels Now coalition was to determine where Americans stand on developing and using alternative energies. The coalition is a new umbrella organization of different associations that are working to provide accurate information about renewable fuels. Greg Krissek with ICM says opponents of alternative energies have swamped the public with misinformation about renewable fuels, …