VeraSun Rising

Cindy Zimmerman

Illinois Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama made a stop in Charles City on his five day tour of Iowa last week to help cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the third ethanol plant for VeraSun Energy. Obama says ethanol “ultimately helps our national security because right now we’re sending billions of dollars to some of the …

Ethanol, Facilities, News, RFA

Blue Flint Grand Opening

Cindy Zimmerman

Blue Flint Ethanol, a joint venture between Great River Energy and Headwaters Incorporated, celebrated its grand opening Tuesday for a 50 million gallon per year ethanol biorefinery near Underwood, North Dakota. Unique to the U.S. ethanol industry, Blue Flint Ethanol is located adjacent to Coal Creek Station, a coal-fired electric facility, and is using the excess steam from Coal Creek …

Energy, Ethanol, Facilities, News, RFA

Presentations and Photos From Farm to Fuel

Cindy Zimmerman

Presentations from the 2007 Farm to Fuel Summit in Florida are now available on-line at floridafarmtofuel.com. All of the power point presentations from panels on Renewable Fuels Status Reports, Advancing the Science of Bioenergy, Business of Bioenergy, Biomass Resources/Feedstocks in Florida, and Renewable Energy Technology Grants Program are available, as well as the presentation on “25x’25 – America’s Energy Future” …

Biodiesel, Cellulosic, EPIC, Ethanol, News, RFA

May Ethanol Numbers

Cindy Zimmerman

According to the Renewable Fuels Association, both ethanol production and demand moved higher in May, reflecting the growth in the ethanol industry and the increased gasoline demand at the beginning of the summer driving season. As oil refiners struggled to keep their facilities operating, ethanol production grew to an average of 406,000 barrels per day (b/d), according to information released …

Ethanol, News, RFA

Energy Title of House Farm Bill

Cindy Zimmerman

The US House passed its version of the 2007 Farm Bill Friday by a vote of 231 to 191 – a vote largely along party lines on a bill that came out of the House agriculture committee as a bipartisan piece of legislation. Republican members of the committee withdrew their support for the bill when a tax increase on foreign …

Agribusiness, Biodiesel, Cellulosic, Energy, Ethanol, Government, News, RFA

RFA Supports House Ag Farm Bill

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association is pleased with support for biofuels in the 2007 Farm Bill passed by the House Agriculture Committee last week. RFA President Bob Dinneen says the programs included in the Energy Title of H.R. 2419 will greatly contribute to ensuring America’s future energy security. “The programs included in the Energy Title will promote Federal procurement of biobased …

Energy, Ethanol, Government, News, RFA

Florida Getting Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) both had a presence at the Florida Farm to Fuel Summit this week in St. Petersburg. Matt Hartwig with RFA (pictured at the podium) drove home the growth of the ethanol industry, the economic importance and what RFA has been doing in Washington to help the industry …

Audio, EPIC, Ethanol, News, RFA

Florida Farm to Fuel

Cindy Zimmerman

Government and industry leaders addressed a sold-out crowd at the second annual Farm to Fuel Summit in St. Petersburg on Thursday. Florida governor Charlie Crist told the group that fuels made from agricultural commodities have reached the tipping point in terms of public acceptance. “It’s finally registered with everybody that this is something that is not only good for the …

Cellulosic, conferences, EPIC, Ethanol, News, RFA

EPIC and RFA at Green Grand Prix

Cindy Zimmerman

Hybrid and alternative fueled vehicles were in the spotlight July 6 at the Green Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, NY. The event is organized annually by the Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association, according to Executive Director Carol Fitzgerald. “This was our third annual Green Grand Prix and it was tremendously successful,” said Fitzgerald. “The goal of the event was to …

E85, EPIC, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles, News, Racing, RFA

FEW Bloggers

Cindy Zimmerman

Great thing about going to meetings is getting to meet people you only know by email. I got to meet a couple of fellow bloggers at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop in St. Louis. Pictured here with me is C. Scott Miller, editor of the BIOconversion Blog. We started our blogs at about the same time and started communicating way back …

Ethanol, FEW, Miscellaneous, RFA