Cape Wind Under Fire As Elections Heat Up

Joanna Schroeder

There are less than eight weeks until the next elections and experts are predicting that Republications will be swept into office. Should this be the case, clean energy could have even more barriers to overcome, especially since many candidates are running on the platform that clean energy will cost more money.

Once such fight is underway in Massachusetts where candidates continue to fight the first federally approved off-shore wind project in Cape Cod. Their complaints: the cost of the power produced by the 130 turbines will be too high. Every candidate but one engaged in the governor race opposes the project. In addition, all the candidates running for the open seat in the 10th Congressional District are opposed. This is the district where Cape Wind would actually be built and seen, 5 miles offshore.

For those following this debate, you may remember that the late Bobby Kennedy, who claimed to be a supporter of clean energy and the environment, was vehemently opposed to the project because it was in his ‘backyard.’ The “not in my backyard, or NIMBY” mentally has grown in more force in recent months, and wind projects all over the country are struggling to get approvals. Several reasons cited are aesthetics, noise pollution and danger to birds. Kennedy has one major overriding opposition to the project – he didn’t want the turbines to mar his view.

“All people want to talk about is Cape Wind,” said state Sen. Robert O’Leary, a Democrat seeking the House seat in a ClimateWire article. “It’s a very, very high-priced project. We need to do the most … cost-effective, the best ones first. Cape Wind got in early, and it’s now turning out to be much more costly.”Read More

Electricity, Energy, Wind

Fiberight Receives $2.9M Grant for Cellulosic Plant

Joanna Schroeder

Fiberight-Blairstown Operating LLC has received a $2.9 million grant to help build a cellulosic ethanol plant in Blairstown, Iowa. The award was given by the Iowa Power Board Fund yesterday. Fiberight is developing technology to convert municipal solid waste into cellulosic ethanol, bio-chemical and other processed fiber products.

The company has plans to bring the plant to commercial scale levels by 2011 and expects the total project cost to be more than $7 million. It began the project by purchasing bankrupted corn ethanol plant Xethanol, LLC for $1.65 million and from there has begun the conversion project. The first phase of the project was completed in May of this year. Ultimately, the Virgina-based company has committed to investing $20 million of its own funds on the project. Prior to beginning the plant in Blairstown, Fiberight had successfully produced cellulosic ethanol in it’s Virgina pilot plant.

Once the plant moves to full-scale production using its proprietary conversion process, it expects to produce early 6 million gallons a year of cellulosic ethanol from waste materials collected in nearby Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Herky the Hawk Hams It Up for Ethanol

Joanna Schroeder

One day until the big game – the Iowa State versus Iowa football game that is. I will be at the game with the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board helping to educate fans about the benefits of ethanol as well as the role Iowa corn farmers are playing in biofuels development. Iowa is the number one producing state of both ethanol and corn. This has been highlighted all week during several promotions as part of the Iowa Corn Fed Game Day sponsorship and on Tuesday, Herky the Hawk was hamming it up for ethanol.

Speaking of corn, corn is an ingredient in more than 4,000 products and is an important part of our daily lives. Who knew, right? Fans will learn more about these products when they stop by the Iowa Corn Fed Game Day tent at the Krause Family Plaza tomorrow between 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. Those who stop by can register to win $5,000 in free food and $2,500 in free fuel. You can also register online at www.iacornfed.com.

I will be posting updates tomorrow during the game. In the meantime, to get you pumped up for ethanol, watch Jerry Lalor with Fox 100.7 interview the non-talking but ethanol loving Iowa mascot, Herky the Hawk.

corn, E85, Ethanol, Promotion, Video

Ethanol Co-Product Exports Climbing

Cindy Zimmerman

Distillers grains exports are hitting new highs.

Exports of the ethanol co-product distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) hit a new record in July of 886,300 metric tons – which is more than was exported in the entire year in 2004. Total exports this year so far are 4.95 million metric tons, getting close to the total last year of 5.65 million.

Geoff Cooper, VP of Research with the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), says 2005 was really the first year that DDGS exports started to take off. “2005 was the first year that we exported more than one million metric tons and the growth has been very rapid since then,” Cooper said. This year, the U.S. ethanol industry is on pace to export 8.5 million metric tons of DDGS, or about 28% of expected total DDGS production.

One third of the nation’s ethanol production ends up as DDGS, a high quality animal feed which can be used for everything from cattle to fish, and livestock producers in other countries have been quick to see the advantages of feeding the protein rich product to their animals. Cooper says the U.S. Grains Council (USGC), along with other companies and organizations, have been promoting those advantages to help exports grow.

“Education is what’s going to sell your product,” said Cooper. “And we are seeing the fruits of that work in dramatically increased exports.”

usgcThe upcoming Export Exchange, co-sponsored by USGC and RFA, is an effort to continue that dramatic growth in DDGS exports. “That conference is meant to bring potential buyers of US distillers grains to the United States to have them learn as much as they can about the ethanol industry and the co-products that come out of the ethanol industry,” he said. “The goal is just to get them up to speed on distillers grains and open their eyes to the fact that it is a very economically option for them in terms of feeding their animals.”

The Export Exchange is being held October 6-8 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place Hotel in Chicago, Ill. More information and registration is available on-line here.

Listen to or download my interview with Geoff Cooper here: Geoff Cooper Interview

Audio, Distillers Grains, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Exports, RFA, USGC

More E85 in Georgia

Cindy Zimmerman

With the addition of E85 at Sharber Oil Company in Bainbridge, Georgia now has just shy of 40 locations where flex fuel vehicle owners can fill up with 85 percent ethanol fuel.

Sharber Oil Company became the 39th E85 station in Georgia this year thanks to assistance from Growth Energy’s 2010 E85 and Blender Pump Program.

Greg Waddell, General Manager of Sharber Oil Company said Growth Energy made it possible for them to “provide a product that we believe will be the future of automotive alternative fuel.”

E85, Ethanol, Growth Energy

Blue Dog Dem Unhappy with Obama’s Ethanol, Biodiesel Efforts

John Davis

The leader of the Blue-Dog Democrats, the bloc of House Democratic centrists, says President Obama’s efforts on ethanol and biodiesel are dragging his overall grade for his first year and a half in office down to just average.

The Hill reports that while Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin (D-S.D.), believes the President has done a good job on some economic issues, she’s not very happy with his policies regarding the green fuels and gives him an overall grade of a “C”:

“But on some of the other issues and some of the agency action, I haven’t been pleased with as it relates to some of the commitment I thought we would be having to ethanol and biodiesel and understanding and dealing with our forestry issues, I don’t think he did a good job,” she explained.

The Hill goes on to point out that Herseth-Sandlin is facing a tough reelection challenging and may be trying to distance herself from Obama and other Democrat leaders. She quickly backtracked after fellow Democrat Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota begged her constituents to vote for Herseth-Sandlin because she’d help Nancy Pelosi stay Speaker of the House. Herseth-Sandlin said the race was not about Pelosi or House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio).

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, News

Biodiesel Board Honors Bond with Lifetime Achievement

John Davis

He’s been a big advocate for biodiesel for quite some time, so it’s only fitting that the National Biodiesel Board has honored retiring U.S. Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) today with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

“America is striving for energy security and clean air, and Senator Bond deserves our thanks for helping to make biodiesel viable,” said NBB CEO Joe Jobe. “He’s our longest-standing champion in making our nation’s first commercially available advanced biofuel a reality.”

The National Biodiesel Board is headquartered in Missouri because that’s where commercial biodiesel development began, thanks in part to Bond’s early support of research at the University of Missouri, and collaboration with the Missouri Soybean Association.

“I want to thank you all here at the National Biodiesel Board for this award and for your support,” said U.S. Senator Kit Bond. “In 40 years of public service, I have seen many ideas come and go. Biofuels, or generating energy from crops we have in abundance is an idea that is here to stay. It makes sense environmentally, it makes sense from a business perspective, and it means we don’t have to import as much energy from foreign sources. Congratulations to all of you for seeing that and for advancing biodiesel and this young, promising industry.”

Bond was recognized for his part in passing the federal biodiesel tax incentive and the Renewable Fuels Standard, as well as securing funding for major biodiesel research initiatives, including:
– A four-year Department of Transportation research program to address biodiesel feedstock development, engine testing, fuel quality, and glycerin uses
– A DOT biodiesel infrastructure development and petroleum industry education project
– A Federal Transit Authority program for studying biodiesel usage in urban transit buses
– A Department of Energy program to research the future potential of algae for biodiesel production

After his time in public service, Bond will be retiring to his farm near Mexico, Missouri … not far from Mid America Biofuels, one of the state’s largest biodiesel plants. Let’s hope his replacement will be as big of an advocate for the green fuel.

Biodiesel, NBB

Ethanol Plant Receives Grant to Use Biomass for Power

John Davis

An ethanol plant in Iowa has received a nearly $2 million federal grant to use renewable biomass to replace the fossil fuels needed to run the biorefinery.

The USDA announced that the award comes from the Repowering Assistance Program, part of the 2008 Farm Bill:

Lincolnway Energy, LLC, based in Nevada, Iowa, has been selected to receive a $1.9 million payment award. The company produces 55 to 60 million gallons per year of fuel-grade ethanol. The USDA payment will reimburse the firm for costs to modify a boiler to burn wood and other biomass.

USDA’s Repowering Assistance Program was authorized under the 2008 Farm Bill and allows USDA to make payments to eligible biorefineries to encourage the use of renewable biomass as a replacement fuel source for fossil fuels used to provide process heat or power in the operation of these eligible biorefineries. Biorefineries that were in existence when the Bill was enacted, June 18, 2008, are eligible to apply.

More information is available through this USDA website.

biomass, Ethanol, Ethanol News, News, USDA

Ethanol Production Numbers Up, Exports Surge

Joanna Schroeder

U.S. exports substantially climbed during the month of July, this after three consecutive months of sliding numbers, according to government data released today. Denatured and undenatured (non-beverage) ethanol exports totaled 25.2 million gallons, up 57percent from June. Large volumes were imported by Brazil and the United Arab Emeriates (UAE) this month after several months of not importing any U.S. product.

Canada continued to serve as the top U.S. export destination for denatured ethanol, importing 9.5 million gallons of product. Finland imported its first shipment of U.S. denatured ethanol this year, totaling 4.5 million gallons. Brazil, the Netherlands, and UAE rounded out the top five denatured ethanol importers for July.

July exports of undenatured, non-beverage ethanol continued to slide. Only 2.7 million gallons of undenatured product was exported, down from 5 million gallons in June. However, nearly 90 percent of undenatured ethanol exports went to Mexico.

Exports continue at a record pace with total year-to-date ethanol exports for 2010 at 182.7 million gallons (121.7 million gallons of denatured ethanol and 61 million gallons of undenatured). Only once in the last 20 years has the U.S. exported more ethanol than it has through the first seven months of 2010. In 1995, the U.S. exported 197.5 million gallons of denatured and undenatured ethanol.

July also marked a new monthly record for exports of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) with China the top destination claiming nearly 40 percent.Read More

Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

Kum & Go Supports Ethanol Blended Fuels

Joanna Schroeder

Iowa based Kum & Go is a huge supporter of ethanol. In Iowa, 31 of their stations sell E85 and in total 62 of their stations sell E85. In addition, every Kum & Go station offers consumers the choice to use E10 each time they fill up. The company is so passionate about offering consumers ethanol blends at the pump, that they have partnered with the Iowa Corn Growers Association on their latest initiative, Iowa Corn Fed Game Day. I spoke with Matt Chase to learn more.

The promotion is designed to educate consumers about ethanol, but also to educate them about how important corn is in their daily lives. More than 4,000 everyday products use corn. But consumers don’t have to worry about having to make a choice between food, products or fuel. Iowa corn farmers, along with corn farmers around the country, are growing enough corn to meet all of our needs. In fact, this year is expected to be another record harvest using less land than in previous years.

You can learn more about food, fuel and products at www.iacornfed.com where you can register to win $5,000 in free food and $2,500 in free fuel. You can also learn more about the uses of corn by visiting the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board during Saturday’s Iowa State versus Iowa football game in Iowa City. They will have a booth with fun activities set up in Krause Family Plaza from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm on Saturday, September 11, 2010.

Check out the photos from the pump rally here.

corn, E85, Ethanol, food and fuel, Promotion, Video