President Barack Obama has proposed that vehicle fuel economy standards be substantially increased to 35.5 miles per gallon by the year 2016… and biodiesel could be a big benefactor of that change.
This article from Biodiesel Magazine says auto industry folks, such as Dave Barthmuss, group manager for General Motors Environment and Energy Communications North America, believe the new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements would make diesel engines more attractive… and thus, make the green fuel to put in those vehicles more attractive:
“Because diesel engines have greater fuel efficiency and can operate with biodiesel—which is a low-carbon fuel—expanding this area will be considered, but our plan is to achieve the reductions with our current portfolio.”
Along with compression engines and biodiesel utilization, corporate fleets will use flex-fuel, hybrid, plug-in and other alternative fuel vehicles to cut back on their petroleum usage and comply with the more stringent CAFE program.
Because diesel engines can offer fleet operators savings on CAFE requirements, it has been speculated in the short time since the new CAFE overview was published that the sector could see more business. This could be a boon for biodiesel. “There definitely has been more of a push from the current administration to implement programs that help the biofuels industries,” said Robert Dascal of New Energy Fuels in Waller, Texas. “Increased diesel fuel utilization obviously opens up more of a market for us.”
GM officials believe having one consistent fuel economy standard… instead of the hodge-podge of individual states’ regulations… will provide a more consistent platform for manufacturers to shoot for.
Get your reservation in for the next free Farm Foundation Forum, as the topic of discussion will turn to the subject of greenhouse gases and the options for agriculture.
Canadian waste-to-biofuels technology company Enerkem has received North America’s first unconditional commercial permit to produce advanced biofuels, in particular, ethanol, from sorted municipal solid waste.
Look out corn and sugar, an untapped source for ethanol could be on its way — watermelon. According to the USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Oklahoma has been testing ways to make the simple sugars found in watermelons into ethanol, and the USDA is now reporting some success on that front. 
The National Watermelon Association began working with the USDA in 2006 to see if the 700-800 million pounds of blemished melons (and late-season melons that are not worth it for big farms to harvest) could find another life as ethanol instead of being plowed back into the ground. 
Algae is being seen as the next great feedstock for biodiesel… if the industry can grow the algae and extract the oil in a commercially-viable way. To that end, our friends from the 
Henk Joos with London-based 
Temporary tariffs on American biodiesel imposed by the European Union could become more permanent.
What a rollercoaster couple of years it has been for Seattle-based Imperium Renewables. Back in 
The company has been a family owned and operated business since 1970. It is a leader in promoting the use of alternative fuels in the California and Nevada markets. They offer terminal infrastructure and the ability to handle rail traffic.
Northeast Biofuels, LP who filed bankrupcy in January of this year, could have a new owner. Sunoco Inc. offered to buy the 100 million-gallon-per-year ethanol plant in Fulton, New York for $8.5 million. Northeast Biofuels officials say Sunoco is interested in fixing up the plant and returning it to operation. 
Philadelphia-based Sunoco outbid companies that offered $1 million for the plant. Northeast Biofuels creditors claim they owe about $172 million. Many of the creditors have filed objections to the proposed sale. Now a bankruptcy judge must approve the sale.