ACE Conference 2026

K-State Students Take Flex-Fuel Challenge

Cindy Zimmerman

RFA Flex Fuel ChallengeManhattan, KS looked more like Manhattan, NY yesterday as cars were lined up to get E85 for just 85 cents a gallon and E10 for only a dollar, plus a free lunch at the Manhattan Farmers Cooperative Association.

Hundreds of hot dogs and thousands of gallons of ethanol-blended fuel were given away to Kansas State college students at the “Wildcat Free-For-All,” sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association and the Kansas Corn Commission to launch the Flex-Fuel Challenge, an online national contest to promote E85.

RFA Flex Fuel Challenge“We were very happy with the event. Many students learned of the opportunity via Facebook and email, and this is exactly what this contest is about, educating students where they spend there time – online,” reported Robert White, Director of Market Development for the RFA.

The challenge encourages them to produce a short video, take a photo, or even write a song about creative ideas on renewable energy that will impact future generations. The overall winner will receive a MacBook Air laptop and each week there will be drawings for portable Passport™ hard drives.

Find out more at e85challenge.com.

E85, Ethanol, RFA

Biden: Green Jobs Could Pay $50/Hour

John Davis

biden3Vice President Joe Biden might be known a bit for saying some crazy things, but his latest pronouncement… that some green jobs could pay as much as $50 an hour (see this CNN story)… is some good news to the ears of a nation that is trying to shake the unemployment blues while moving to a renewable energy economy.

CBS News reports that Biden recently held a “Middle Class Task Force” meeting in Philadelphia:

Biden’s let’s-help-out-the-middle-class suggestion is to create more green jobs. A 33-page report his task force released on Friday says “green jobs have the potential to be quality, family-sustaining jobs that also help to improve our environment” that pay more, are more likely to be unionized, and can’t be easily off-shored.

Suggested occupations include: electricians who install solar panels; plumbers who install solar water heaters; farmers engaged in organic agriculture and some bio-fuel production; and construction workers who build energy-efficient green buildings, wind power farms, solar farms and wave energy farms.

If what Biden said does come true, it would certainly be a boost for the economy and the green sector.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Government, News, Solar, Wind

Farm Foundation Hosts Bioeconomy Conference

John Davis

ff-transitiontobioAs you might remember from our multiple posts back in October and December , Farm Foundation has been hosting a series of meetings that add some important talk about the issues surrounding biofuels (just search “Farm Foundation” on this Web site to get an idea of some of the discussion). At the end of this month, the organization will be hosting another conference in that same vein.

The latest “Transition to a Bioeconomy” conference will be March 30-31 at the Westin Washington D.C. City Center Hotel:

“The continued development of the biofuels and renewable energy industries is creating energy, investment and trade policy challenges for nations worldwide,” says Farm Foundation President Neil Conklin. “Most bioenergy-related policies have a domestic, rather than a global orientation. Yet the impacts of those policies are often global.

“This conference, as with the others in the series, is structured to provide public and private leaders with objective information and analysis they can use to make more informed decisions as they address these issues,” Conklin adds.

Organized by Farm Foundation, USDA Office of Energy Policy and New Uses and USDA Economic Research Service, this conference will examine:
Global Energy Markets
Global Impacts of Biofuels Policies
Industry Perspectives on the Future of Energy and Public Policy
Trade in Energy Technologies

I’ve been able to attend a couple of these Farm Foundation events, and I can tell you that it is well worth the price of admission for the thought-provoking conversation that brings all sides to the table. You can even save some money if you sign-up by March 10th. If you can, I strongly suggest you make the trip to DC to take in this one. Click here for registration information.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Farm Foundation, News

Former Biodiesel Board Chair Honored at Commodity Classic

John Davis

As Cindy mentioned in the previous post, biofuels were a big part of the conversation at the recent Commodity Classic in Grapevine, Texas. And during that important meeting of the nation’s grain producers, it only makes sense that one of the country’s biggest commodities recognized the contribution biodiesel has made to the agricultural industry in the U.S.

The American Soybean Association honored immediate past chairman of the National Biodiesel Board Darryl Brinkmann for his lifelong work in furthering biodiesel in this country. This NBB press release says Brinkmann received the ASA Lifetime Achievement – Association Focus Award for his work with biodiesel through NBB, among his other service to ASA:

brinkmann“It is a real honor to have your colleagues pay tribute to you in that way,” said Brinkmann, who was surprised with the award at ASA’s banquet Friday night at the Commodity Classic in Grapevine, Texas. “Usually getting a new product to market takes longer than it has for biodiesel. During my time serving ASA on NBB’s board, there have been lots of challenges, lots of successes, and lots of fun.” The Commodity Classic is an annual agricultural trade show and convention.

“I credit a lot of what I helped accomplish to ASA, as well,” Brinkmann added. “It was at the table when NBB was first formed; its members first started using biodiesel; and it has helped us working in the biodiesel industry get the tax incentive again and again.”

Brinkmann, from Carlyle, Ill., serves on the NBB Executive Committee and Governing Board as the ASA representative. He was NBB chairman from 2004 – 2007. Brinkmann has also served on ASA’s executive committee as vice president.

The award thanks the person for working on behalf of ASA throughout the years. NBB officials point out that while Brinkmann was chair, the first federal biodiesel tax incentive was enacted, along with other critical federal developments.

Biodiesel, Commodity Classic

Biofuels Focus at Commodity Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

National commodity organizations representing growers of corn, soybeans, wheat and sorghum gathered together for the first time as one group last week in Grapevine, Texas at the annual Commodity Classic. Corn and soybean growers have been together as one for the past 14 years, wheat joined the group last year, and sorghum made four this year.

Commodity Group PresidentsRenewable fuels were a major topic of discussion throughout the week-long conference and were addressed during the general session on Friday. Emcee Mark Mayfield (left) talked with each of them – National Sorghum Producers chairman Toby Bostwick, National Association of Wheat Growers president David Cleavinger, National Corn Growers Association president Bob Dickey, and American Soybean Association president Johnny Dodson.

“One of the key issues ASA will be working on in the coming year is the extension of our biodiesel tax incentive,” said Dodson. “Biodiesel has been a win-win for the agriculture community and the average consumer.”

Bob Dickey with NCGA said making sure the Renewable Fuels Standard is implemented and maintained is one of their top legislative priorities for this year and said they will be working with the ethanol industry to increase the blend rate for ethanol. “We are supportive of higher blend rates based on sound science, provided the EPA goes along with it,” he said.

Biodiesel, Cellulosic, corn, Ethanol, Farming, Indy Racing, NCGA, sorghum

Scientists Question California Climate Plan

Cindy Zimmerman

Over 100 of the nation’s top scientists are questioning the approach taken by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) which singles out biofuels for “indirect effects,” claiming that petroleum products result in lower carbon emissions.

CA ARBScientists affiliated with research labs such as the National Academy of Sciences, UC-Berkeley, Sandia National Labs, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and MIT sent a letter to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger offering their “comments on the critical issue of how to address the issue of indirect, market-mediated effects.”

Under the CARB Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) proposal, all fuels are assigned a “carbon score” to reward the least carbon intensive fuels. But only biofuels are being singled out for so-called “indirect effects,” which thereby gives petroleum products a better carbon score and a competitive advantage.

The scientists make two major compelling points regarding the indirect land use issue:
1. The science is far too limited and uncertain for regulatory enforcement
2. Indirect effects are often misunderstood and should not be enforced selectively

The scientists warn Gov. Schwarzenegger that the state’s proposal “creates an asymmetry or bias in a regulation designed to create a level playing field. It violates the fundamental presumption that all fuels in a performance-based standard should be judged the same way … Enforcing different compliance metrics against different fuels is the equivalent of picking winners and losers, which is in direct conflict with the ambition of the LCFS.”

Read the letter here.

Audio, Energy, Ethanol, Government, Indirect Land Use, News

Take the Flex-Fuel Challenge

Cindy Zimmerman

Young people all over the country are encouraged to take the Flex-Fuel Challenge and help pave the way for our nation’s renewable energy future.

RFA e85The Renewable Fuels Association is kicking off the initiative today at Kansas State University and unveiling a new website, e85challenge.com to get college students engaged in the debate surrounding issues that impact their future: the economy, energy and the environment.

The challenge encourages them to produce a short video, take a photo, or even write a song about creative ideas on renewable energy that will impact future generations. Robert White, Director of Market Development for the Renewable Fuels Association, says the most creative of those entries can win some nice prizes. “Their own peers will decide who wins,” said White. “The overall winner will receive a MacBook Air laptop and each week we will be giving away a portable Passport™ hard drive in a drawing.”

White says they will be promoting the challenge during appearances at the top 15 college campuses nationwide, but anyone can enter on-line.

Listen to an interview with Robert here, conducted by Domestic Fuel reporter Joanna Schroeder at last week’s Commodity Classic: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/rfa/cc-09-joanna-rfa.mp3]

E85, Ethanol, Promotion, RFA

Bill Would Expand Use of Wood Waste for Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Greg WaldenLegislation that would allow producers to make cellulosic ethanol out of waste wood from federal forest land was re-introduced last week in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Herseth SandlinRep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) are co-sponsoring the Renewable Biofuels Facilitation Act, legislation that would
fix a provision in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 that prevents producers from making cellulosic ethanol out of nearly all federal forest waste. The legislation’s current definition of renewable biomass prevents almost all federal land biomass, such as trees, wood, brush, thinnings, chips, and slash, from counting toward the mandate if it is used to manufacture biofuels.

The bill would significantly broaden the definition of cellulosic ethanol within the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) to include biomass gathered from federal lands.

Cellulosic, Ethanol, Government

USDA Support for Renewable Energy

Cindy Zimmerman

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will be providing loan guarantees to help the ethanol industry, according to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

Tom VilsackAt last week’s USDA Outlook Conference, Vilsack said the USDA “has a responsibility for keeping an eye on that industry” to maintain an infrastructure to produce the next generation of biofuels.

Vilsack also says USDA is working with the Department of Energy to support research efforts to identify new feedstocks for biofuels to take some of the pressure off the food versus fuel discussion. “My view is that we have the capacity and the ability to do both and need to do both. If we’re to meet the President’s instruction that he wants more energy production out of our farm fields and ranches, and if we are going to turn this economy around and become less reliant on fossil fuels, we’ve got to create more biofuel.”

In addition to biofuels, Vilsack stressed USDA support for all forms of renewable energy, including wind and solar, “to continue the momentum of building and sustaining an energy industry within USDA and within farming and ranching.”

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Government, Solar, USDA, Wind

Emissions Modeling Researcher to Speak at Ethanol Board Meeting

ne-ethanol-brdDr. Ken Cassman of Univesity of Nebraska-Lincoln, is now scheduled to make a special presentation at the Nebraska Ethanol Board meeting on March 6. Dr. Cassman is the co-author of a study that found that corn ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 51 percent compared to gasoline.

The study, published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology, found that the emissions created during the production and use of ethanol—lifecycle emissions—are lower than the lifecycle emissions of gasoline. Cassman said that this was partly because ethanol production has recently become more efficient than ever before, while previous studies had relied on outdated data.

“Increased efficiency in ethanol production combined with better agricultural practices mean that ethanol production yields a higher net energy gain and lower emissions than we previously thought,” Cassman said.

Cassman will summarize his research and the process of developing an emissions modeling system during his presentation at the Nebraska Ethanol Board meeting on Friday, March 6 at 8:30 am. The meeting will be held at Hampton Inn South, 5922 Vandervoort Drive, in Lincoln.

Ethanol, Government, News