Ethanol Industry Stresses Safe Transportation

Cindy Zimmerman

In the wake of a California tanker truck accident over the weekend, ethanol industry representatives are stressing the importance of transportation safety.

EERCThe driver of a tanker truck hauling 8,000 gallons of ethanol on a highway in Long Beach was killed Saturday when the truck hit a guard rail and exploded into flames. Officials with the Renewable Fuels Association say the tragedy “refocuses attention on safety procedures and protocols with respect to various transportation fuels, including fuel ethanol.”

“While tragedies such as the one in California do happen, transportation of ethanol and other flammable materials is extraordinarily safe,” said RFA Communications Director Matt Hartwig. “Safety is the top priority of this industry and it is a responsibility we take very seriously.”

Hartwig says the Ethanol Emergency Response Coalition (EERC) has developed a wide array of safety information specifically related to ethanol production and ethanol-blended fuels that detail safety procedures and protocols to be followed to prevent accidents and to respond in the event of a spill or fire. EERC was formed by RFA in cooperation with the federal government, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, pipeline and transportation companies, and firefighting technology providers.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

Flex-Fuel Photo Challenge

Cindy Zimmerman

Photos from your summer vacation could mean cash in your pocket if you enter the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) “Flex Fuel Challenge” Summer Photo Contest. All you have to do is submit a photo of photo of yourself on vacation and submit it.

RFA e85A panel of judges will choose one lucky first place winner, based on equal parts creativity and quality, to receive a $1,000 fuel gift card. The submission with the most on-line votes will receive a $100 fuel gift card and four weekly drawings will be held for $100 gift cards. In addition, the first 500 submissions automatically receive a $10 fuel gift card.

The contest deadline is July 31st and is open to all U.S. residents over the age of 18. Once all submissions are accepted, then the entries are open to receive votes from August 3rd through the 28th. Anyone and everyone can vote for their favorite photos.

Contest rules, deadlines and entry form can be found at e85challenge.com.

E85, Ethanol News, Promotion, RFA

‘Poo Power’ Activate

Joanna Schroeder

Okay, I just couldn’t resist this story. The citizens of Manchester are engaging in the green energy revolution by flushing the loo. Yes, you heard correctly. Simply flush your poo down the loo and generate renewable energy through biomethane.

In a UK first, United Utilities has teamed up with National Grid to convert a by-product of the wastewater treatment process into gas for injection into the local gas pipeline network and fuel for a fleet of sludge tankers. The ground-breaking initiative is centered on one of the country’s largest wastewater treatment plants at Davyhulme in Manchester. The program received funding from Defra’s Waste & Resources Action Programme.

ENVIRONMENT Biogas Go Ahead 1

Caroline Ashton, United Utilities biofuels manager, said, “The team is thrilled to have won this funding which will give the project a huge boost. It has been in development for some time, but now we can put our plans into action and the people of Manchester will soon be using ‘poo power’ to heat their homes.”

The biomethane that is produced from the ‘poo power’ program will either be injected into the gas grid as a substitute for natural gas or compressed for use in vehicles, also similar to compressed natural gas in cars. This “renewable resource” will help lower consumers’ energy bills as well as reduce the area’s carbon footprint. The pilot program will supply gas to about 500 homes with a goal of supplying gas to 5,000 homes.

To my knowledge there are no similar programs underway in the States. But if anyone knows of any, please leave a comment.

biomethane, Company Announcement

Answering Media Questions About Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol Report PodcastThis edition of the Ethanol Report features some questions and answers from the Renewable Fuels Association telephone conference call on June 8 regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rulemaking for the Renewable Fuels Standard. RFA president Bob Dinneen and vice president for research Geoff Cooper answer questions from Martin Ross of Illinois Farm Week, Chuck Abbott of Reuters, Steven Cook with the Daily Environment Report, Ed Felker of the Washington Times and Dan Looker with Successful Farming magazine.

You can subscribe to this podcast by following this link.

Listen to or download here:

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, RFA

Iowa Corn Indy 250 Celebrates Homegrown Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Even though the Indy Car Series races this year are sponsored by the Brazilian ethanol industry, the Iowa Corn Indy 250 will still feature homegrown fuel. The race will be held June 21 at the Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa and sponsored once again by Pioneer Hi-Bred and the Iowa Corn Growers Association.

According to Craig Floss, CEO of the Iowa Corn Growers, the race is an excellent opportunity to inform the general public about the benefits of corn and ethanol. “Our reach has moved well beyond the state of Iowa to a national and even a global audience,” said Floss. “We are able to have the sponsorship opportunities on television this year which is a great way for us to talk about corn, all the places corn goes, and all the products that include corn.”

Pioneer Director of End Use Markets Russ Saunders says sponsorship of the Iowa Corn 250 is a great opportunity to show that support for ethanol and corn growers. “When we look at how fuel prices seem to be headed back up and we have economic challenges all around us, it’s more important than ever that we tell the story of ethanol,” said Saunders.

Saunders says Pioneer has been working to provide new technologies for growers to produce more and better corn to provide the food, feed and fuel needs of the nation and the world, including higher yielding varieties and grain that yields more ethanol per bushel. In addition, they are working on corn varieties that use less nitrogen fertilizer and less water and Pioneer’s parent company Dupont is actively involved in the development of second generation cellulosic ethanol.

The Iowa Corn 250 will be broadcast live on ABC starting at noon central time on June 21 with race time at 12:30 pm.

corn, Ethanol, Indy Racing

Biodiesel on Satellite Radio

Cindy Zimmerman

Truckers and others heard about biodiesel on the XM-Sirius Radio Dave Nemo Show this week featuring National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe and singer/songwriter Michael Peterson for the live show on Friday in Nashville.

Joe Jobe on Dave NemoJobe is at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville this week for the New Holland/Michael Peterson Celebrity Tractor Race and he gives New Holland a lot of credit for promoting biodiesel. “New Holland is actually the most supportive OEM of biodiesel in the world,” said Jobe.

He discussed a number of biodiesel related topics during the show, including the concept of planting oilseed crops in highway medians to be harvested for biodiesel. “The state of Utah is planting camelina in the right-of-ways,” Jobe said. “It takes less fuel because when you plant grass you have to mow it once a month, but when you plant camelina it’s one pass to plant, one pass to harvest for the entire growing season.” Then they harvest the camelina, process the seed and turn it into biodiesel to run their tractors.

Jobe also exercised his musical talent on the radio show, playing the harmonica and guitar along with Michael Peterson.

Video of Jobe’s appearance can be seen here on Agwired.com. The Celebrity Tractor Race will be webcast live on Agwired starting at 10:30 am central time on Sunday, June 14.

Listen to or download an edited version of the Dave Nemo Show featuring Joe Jobe and Michael Peterson:

Audio, Biodiesel, New Holland

Book Review – Coming Clean

Joanna Schroeder

coming-cleanCome Clean America! This week I read “Coming Clean: Breaking America’s Addiction to Oil and Coal by Micheal Brune. I’m going to come clean for a moment and let you know that Brune is the Executive Director of the Rainforest Action Network and the book was published by Sierra Club Books. Ironically, last week I read Green Inc., and many organizations mentioned in this book, including Brune’s own, were called out by MacDonald for ethical and moral issues.

As controversy is a great prerequisite for fodder, I’ll point out that Brune is a huge advocate of global warming. He writes, “Let me be blunt: if we only take individual action and do nothing else to save our climate, we’re probably cooked. We need to aim higher by changing corporate America and challenging our political leaders.”

Brune highlights several issues in the book including Big Oil; King Coal; how banks are funding global climate change; how to jump-start Detroit; wind and solar; and as always one of my favorites, biofuels, which Brune calls agrofuels. I rarely read an energy book where the author is truly up to speed on biofuels and Brune is no exception. Like most everyone, he hates corn ethanol and writes that biofuels may have an important role to play if they meet five criteria. They must:

  1. 1. reduce greenhouse gases
  2. 2. not displace food crops and threaten food security for the world’s poor
  3. 3. uphold the integrity of critical ecosystems, particularly in tropical forests
  4. 4. strengthen the human rights of community farmers and indigenous people
  5. 5. should be developed only as part of a broader strategy to reduce fuel consumption and redesign mobility

Read More

book reviews

Celebrate Iowa Corn Indy 250 with Discounted Ethanol

Joanna Schroeder

bilde1The Iowa Corn Indy 250 is racing into Newton for the third year, and in celebration the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) is offering drivers discounted ethanol through two pump promotions. The events will offer consumers the opportunity to register for $250 worth of free ethanol and the chance to win prizes including tickets to the race and the chance to win a ride in an Indy car. The events include radio remotes and an Indy show car will be on hand.

“We want consumers to celebrate with ethanol promotions prior to the Iowa Corn Indy 250. The race will be at the Iowa Speedway on Sunday, June 21,” says Shannon Textor, Iowa Corn marketing director. “We’re proud that 100 percent of locally produced Iowa ethanol is used in the race. We want all consumers to recognize the advantages of using corn ethanol.”

Ethanol promotions will take place at the following locations:

Friday, June 12, 2009
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Casey’s General Store
6630 Mills Civic Parkway
West Des Moines, Iowa

Friday, June 19, 2009
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Prairie Gas
4300 S. 22nd Avenue E
Newton, Iowa

For more information visit www.iowacorn.org. The race is Sunday, June 21 at 12:30 PM Central Time. It will be broadcast live on ABC.

Ethanol, Racing

DF Cast: Making the Case for Biofuels to the EPA

John Davis

df-logo1Members of the biofuels industries, including those growing the feedstocks to make the green fuels of ethanol and biodiesel, made their way to Washington, D.C. this week to try to stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from implementing rules that the biofuels folks will hurt their industry.

The biggest point of contention is the EPA’s Indirect Land Use proposal that could end up making American biodiesel ineligible to be part of the Renewable Fuels Standard… endangering the biodiesel industry and the very standard designed to lower the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. And while ethanol is getting a pass for now, those from that industry are worried how the Indirect Land Use provisions, which estimates the deforestation of rain forests in places such as South America based on how much in row crops U.S farmers grow, could eventually affect them.

Those testifying at the EPA hearing included Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen; Steve Ruh, chair of the National Corn Growers Association’s Ethanol Committee; the National Biodiesel Board’s Manning Feraci; the American Soybean Association’s Vice President Ray Gaesser, a soybean producer from Corning, Iowa; POET Vice President for science and technology Dr. Mark Stowers; and Brent Erickson, executive vice president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s Industrial and Environmental Section. About 60 people testified at this hearing.

You can hear more about it here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/domesticfuel/DFCast-6-12-09.mp3]

You can also subscribe to the DomesticFuel Cast here.

Audio, BIO, Biodiesel, Domestic Fuel Cast, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, Indirect Land Use, NBB, NCGA, News, POET, RFA

California Approves B20 for Underground Storage

John Davis

california_state_flagThe state of California has given the OK to store higher blends of biodiesel in underground storage tanks.

Previously, 5 percent biodiesel… or B5… was the limit that a 25-year-old California law imposed. But Biodiesel Magazine reports that California’s Water Resources Control Board has expanded underground storage of biodiesel blends up to B20:

The three-year variance allows underground storage of blends up to B20 in double-walled tanks and piping that currently meet requirements for petroleum-based fuels. It is hoped that the Underwriters Laboratory will have approved testing protocols and the required tests completed before the end of the three year period.

“I was not happy to see it wasn’t B100,” said Joe Gershen, vice president of sales and marketing for Tellurian Biodiesel Inc. “But B anything is better than nothing.” Gershen added that B20 is probably the most commonly used blend in California, and “going from nothing to B5 to B20 is going in the right direction.” He added that the California Biodiesel Alliance, which Tellurian CEO Eric Bowen chairs, has been meeting with the water board which has increased the member’s comfort level with biodiesel. “We’re forging a new relationship with regulators in California,” Gershen said.

Biodiesel, Government