Live Audio of President Speech at Ethanol Plant

Cindy Zimmerman

We are going to try and bring you live audio of President Obama’s speech at the POET ethanol plant in Macon, Missouri via cell phone and Ustream since there is no good internet access at the site and aircards don’t work well for live broadcasts. Speech is scheduled to begin at 12:55 central time. Audio is not clear at all since Chuck has the phone sitting on a table and is unable to take photos and hold up the phone at the same time. We will have broadcast quality audio after the event.

Post Update: We hope you were able to listen in when President Obama made his remarks from the POET Biorefining plant today.

You can now listen to his remarks below.

Audio, Ethanol, POET

President Obama Visiting POET Plant Today

Chuck Zimmerman

Hello from POET Biorefining in Macon, MO. In just a few minutes President Obama will be here to speak. We have very limited access to the internet here.

I’ll create a photo album from the activities today and be posting audio of the President and video. That might have to wait until I get out and back to some good internet though.

Keep an eye on our Twitter feed too. I’ll be tweeting some more photos.

Ethanol, POET

RFA CEO Takes Case for Ethanol Incentives to The Hill

Cindy Zimmerman

Renewable Fuels Association LogoFederal incentives for the U.S. ethanol industry are good public policy by every measure of “economic growth, energy security and environmental responsibility,” according to Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, in an opinion column penned for The Hill.

Dinneen makes the case that biofuels offer hope for three major challenges facing the nation – the economy, dependency on foreign oil, and greenhouse gas emissions – and continuing tax incentives will help the industry continue in those efforts. “While American ingenuity and hard work built the biofuels industry, two public policies have helped it succeed,” Dinneen writes. “The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requires 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels, including at least 16 billion gallons from cellulosic feedstocks, be used in the nation’s fuel supply by 2022. The Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) provides blenders and marketers with a federal tax credit of 45 cents on each gallon of ethanol blended with gasoline.”

Read Dinneen’s entire column here.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

Sunny Day for Presidential Visit to Ethanol Plant

Cindy Zimmerman

poet plantChuck Zimmerman with Domestic Fuel is set up in Macon, Missouri at the POET ethanol plant in advance of President Obama’s visit this afternoon. The press has to set up way early for the visit, which will take place at about 1:00 pm central time.

Chuck reports that the weather is gorgeous and there are lots of media on site for the event, from the major media outlets to local radio stations. You can follow his updates on our Twitter feed, twitter.com/DomesticFuel.

Ethanol, POET

Ethanol Industry Welcomes President

Cindy Zimmerman

Growth Energy Growth Energy is so excited to welcome President Obama to member plant POET–Biorefining in Macon, Mo., as part of his “White House to Main Street” tour they took out a full-page ad in Wednesday’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch to greet him.

Text of the ad reads: “The farmers, families, plant workers, local business owners and community members who make up Growth Energy are pleased to welcome President Obama to our member ethanol plant in Macon. President Obama’s support of our nation’s ethanol industry helps create U.S. jobs in hundreds of towns like Macon, while strengthening our energy independence and national security. Mr. President, from the people of Growth Energy, welcome to America’s heartland.”

The President is visiting the POET plant this afternoon to talk to workers and share his ideas for rebuilding our nation’s long-term economy. “We appreciate President Obama’s long-time support for ethanol, and we’re anxious to show him how efficient production today is providing valuable fuel for our nation,” POET CEO Jeff Broin said.

POET Biorefining – Macon was the first ethanol plant in Missouri when it began operations as a 15 million gallon-per-year plant in May 2000. Its success prompted an expansion in 2003 to a capacity of 46 million gallons annually. The plant also produces the high-protein animal feed Dakota Gold® dried distillers’ grains and carbon dioxide for market as part of the ethanol production process. The Macon plant was POET’s fifth in a network that now totals 26 ethanol plants in seven states.

Domestic Fuel will be on-site covering the event and may have live coverage here depending on internet access. Stay tuned.

Ethanol, Growth Energy, POET

ASA: Farmers Need to Plant Biodiesel Seed with Reps

John Davis

While soybean farmers are getting their crops in the ground, their lobbying group is telling them to plant something else: the seed of renewing the federal biodiesel tax incentive with their U.S. Congressmen.

The American Soybean Association wants farmers to make the calls right from their offices: the cab of their tractors:

“Call your Senators and Representative and ask them to contact their respective Leadership to stress that the biodiesel tax incentive extension must be enacted before the Memorial Day recess,” said ASA President Rob Joslin, a soybean producer from Sidney, Ohio. “We realize that at this time of year many soybean farmers are spending long hours in their tractor cab planting crops, and this is a perfect opportunity to stop and take a few minutes at the end of a field to call your elected representatives in Washington about the urgent need to extend the biodiesel tax incentive.”

All soybean farmers are urged to participate in ASA’s C.A.B. Campaign: Call About Biodiesel. Contact the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak with your Senators’ and Representative’s offices.

The ASA is offering some important pointers to those sending the messages:

Farmers should personalize and explain the impact the credit expiration is having on you, your business, and your state:
# Biodiesel production has stopped and Green Jobs are being lost.
# The resulting negative impact on State and Local Economic Development.
# The detrimental effect expiration of the credit is having on Your Bottom Line (estimated impact of $0.25 per bushel).
# From a Nationwide standpoint, Green Job creation, Energy Security and Environmental Benefits associated with domestic biodiesel production is being lost.
# Biodiesel reduces our Dependence on Foreign Oil.
# The Biodiesel Industry creates Green Jobs and Makes a Positive Contribution to the Economy.
# Biodiesel is Good for the Environment.

ASA officials say the few minutes farmers spend with their representatives might make or break the renewal of the $1-a-gallon credit.

Biodiesel, Soybeans

Obama Visits Iowa Wind Turbine Plant, Off to Missouri Ethanol Plant

John Davis

President Barack Obama visited a wind turbine plant in Iowa today, part of his Midwest tour that will also take him to a northern Missouri ethanol plant (watch for Chuck’s coverage on this Web site and follow him on his Twitter account @AgriBlogger).

The Environment News Service reports Obama got to see up close some of Siemens Energy’s expanded wind turbine blade factory at Fort Madison, Iowa, during his “Washington to Main Street” tour:

“So you’re manufacturing blades for some of the most advanced wind turbines in the world; each one as tall as Air Force One is long; each is capable of generating enough power for hundreds of homes, just by harnessing the wind,” Obama said. “So what’s going on here, what each of the employees of Siemens are involved with, is helping stake America’s claim on a clean-energy future.”

Siemens, a global company based in Germany, built the wind turbine factory three years ago on the site of a closed tractor-trailer manufacturing business.

Today, the turbine factory employs more than 600 workers, almost two-thirds of whom were previously unemployed, and supports more than 350 other jobs throughout Lee County.

The article goes on to say that the Siemens plant was able to use $3.5 million in Stimulus Bucks to expand the plant.

As I mentioned earlier, Chuck will be following the president tomorrow (Wednesday) as he visits the POET Biorefining ethanol plant in Macon, Missouri.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, News, Wind

Biodiesel Board Launches Industry Search Engine

John Davis

Looking to cut through the clutter of the Internet, the National Biodiesel Board has launched an online search engine that is designed to quickly and easily connect industry leaders with the tools they need.

Biodiesel Magazine reports that the Biodiesel Industry Guide returns search results with industry-specific suppliers and service providers, not the numerous irrelevant results that can bog down a search:

“The Biodiesel Industry Guide will ultimately hold the answers and connections to address any biodiesel-related opportunity or challenge imaginable,” said Doug Whitehead, NBB director of operations.

There are two ways to search for a product or service within the site, either by using a keyword search, or an alphabetized category directory search. Either way, the result is a list of company names and contact information for the needed product. This feature is ultimately designed to save users time.

Available resources can be the key to success within the industry, and NBB wants to make it easier for biodiesel organizations to do business with each other. Whether companies are looking for supplies and services, or simply the essential tools and accessories needed to satisfy customers, the Biodiesel Industry Guide is designed to help.

Check it out through the NBB’s homepage or directly at http://thebiodieselindustryguide.com.

Biodiesel, NBB

Ethanol Leaders Take to the Hill

Cindy Zimmerman

Renewable Fuels Association capitolAmerica’s ethanol industry is taking its message to Capitol Hill this week with a variety of key issues to discuss. Extending key tax incentives for all forms of ethanol, expanding the market through higher ethanol blends, and increasing the production of flexible fuel vehicles are all topics of discussion during the visit. Members of the Renewable Fuels Association are scheduled to meet with Congressional office members from a dozen states including Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas, Illinois, Nebraska, and Iowa.

“No one advocates better on behalf of American ethanol then the men and women directly responsible for its production,” said RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen. “These industry leaders are at the forefront of creating jobs and economic opportunity in rural America while simultaneously providing part of the solution to our nation’s energy and environmental challenges.”

The meetings come as President Barack Obama is making stops in the Midwest this week, including a visit to a Missouri ethanol plant on Wednesday.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, RFA

U.S. Gov’t Gives Tips to Making Biodiesel at Home

John Davis

The latest version of the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s “This Week in Petroleum” newsletter has a decided non-petroleum feel to it, as it leads off with an article on how to make biodiesel.

The article breaks down the process in six basic steps:

Read More

Biodiesel