Alternative fuels, such as biodiesel and natural gas, and hybrid electric vehicles could be the keys to cleaning up the world’s ports, polluted by the running of petroleum diesel enginesto onload and offload the goods coming and going through these points of commerce.
This story from NGVGlobal.com quotes a study, “Container Ports and Air Pollution,” published by Energy Futures, Inc.:
Reliance on diesel fuel for goods movement has contributed to a reputation for container ports being among the world’s biggest sources of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Now, progress is being made toward reducing harmful emissions. The study found that natural gas is currently the leading alternative fuel for goods movement at U.S. container ports, while hybrid electric vehicles are gaining popularity in Asia.
James S. Cannon, President, Energy Futures. Inc., said, “A key premise of our studies of air pollution in the container shipping industry is that alternative fuels offer viable options for use in goods movement operations to replace polluting fuels that are derived from oil.” Mr. Cannon unveiled the new report to an international audience in a speech today at the GreenPorts 2009 Conference in Naples, Italy.
The new Energy Futures study updates and expands on a report titled “U.S. Container Ports and Air Pollution: A Perfect Storm,” which was published in February, 2008. That study identified environmental protection alternative fuel programs at each of the Top 10 U.S. container ports, including their use of natural gas, biodiesel or hybrid electric vehicles.
The 77-page report is a call for leaders to push for more alternative fuel use to help, not only those port communities, but the world community as a whole.
The Chicago Farmers, a group that provides educational forums between its members and those allied to agribusiness, will talk energy matters during its next meeting on Monday, March 16th at the University of Northern Illinois-Naperville campus.
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The annual SAE Challenge began in 2000 and tests the engineering and design capabilities of students from schools across the country. The “challenge” of each competition has been for students to modify a stock snowmobile to meet a series of requirements, including air pollution levels. 
“Today’s meeting is just one step in the ongoing legal process that will ultimately conclude later this year. As we have since these investigations were initiated in June of last year, the NBB will continue to use all legal options at its disposal to defend the interests of the U.S. biodiesel industry.
According to year-end figures released by the Energy Information Administration, American ethanol facilities produced more than 9.2 billion gallons of ethanol in 2008, up from some 6.5 billion gallons in 2007. On average, the U.S. ethanol industry produced 601,000 barrels per day (b/d), compared to 423,000 in 2007. 
There are several new alternative energy grants available for wind energy and biomass energy. The first grant, “20% Wind by 2030: Overcoming the Challenges” was posted on February 27, 2009 and closes on March 5, 2009. The government is posed to award up to 99 grants for a total of $8 million. You can get more information and apply online at 
The study was commissioned by 
As I told you 