Obama’s Ag and Interior Choices are Pro-Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Tom VilsackAccording to media reports, President-elect Obama will announce former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack as his choice for secretary of agriculture at a press conference scheduled for Wednesday. Obama also plans to announce his nomination of Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar as interior secretary at the same news conference.

Vilsack served two terms as governor of Iowa from from 1998 until 2006 and was a short-lived opponent of Obama’s in the presidential race. As governor, Vilsack was a strong supporter of ethanol and other biofuels as a way to help rural economies. The last Secretary of Agriculture from Iowa was Henry Wallace who served under Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1941. Wallace was a plant geneticist who founded what is now Pioneer Hi-Bred.

Ken SalazarAs interior secretary, Salazar will head a department that oversees oil and gas drilling on public lands and manages the nation’s parks and wildlife refuges and will play a key role setting the new administration’s environmental, energy and land-use policies.

Salazar has also has been a strong supporter of biofuels, this year co-sponsoring the Open Fuel Standard Act, legislation would require that half of all new automobiles starting in 2012 be flex-fuel vehicles warranted to operate on gasoline, ethanol, and methanol, or be warranted to operate on biodiesel. Colorado Governor Bill Ritter will have to appoint a replacement to complete Salazar’s term in the Senate through 2010. Among the contenders is Salazar’s brother, John, who serves in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Government, News, politics

Arkansas Looks to be Windmill Builder

John Davis

Its mountains and trees might keep Arkansas from being a major wind generator, such as some of the Plains States to the west are doing. But the governor hints his state could become a major builder of the wind generation components.

This article in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette says Gov. Mike Beebe alluded to a a fourth windmill manufacturing operation in the state… but gave no specifics:

The governor made the reference to more than 300 people attending an announcement that Arkansas has become the second state to partner with the Clinton Climate Initiative. Pennsylvania was the first…

Although Arkansas doesn’t have as much wind as Plains states do, “it can provide all the jobs and produce all the materials necessary for those other states, and we’ll sell it to them,” Beebe said.

There is sufficient wind power in a 100-mile-wide swath from Texas to North Dakota “to electrify America,” said Clinton, quoting an Energy Department study.

In the past year and a half, four wind-power-related businesses – three manufacturers and a supplier – have announced operations in Arkansas, representing about $270 million in investments and 2,600 jobs.

LM Glasfiber of Denmark is making windmill blades in its factory at the Port of Little Rock. Glasfiber eventually will hire more than 1,000 people and invest about $150 million.

In October, Nordex USA Inc. said it would invest $100 million on a wind-turbine plant that should open late next year in Jonesboro and hire about 700 people.

Also in October, Polymarin Composites, a Dutch windmillblade manufacturer, said it and one of its suppliers, Wind Water Technology, plan to spend $16 million to renovate and set up shop in an empty distribution center in south Little Rock, creating about 830 jobs over the next four years.

Beebe says it’s a national security issue, as it would help make the country less dependent on foreign energy.

Wind

Auto Show Highlights Alt Fuel Vehicles

John Davis

Gas prices might be down… for now… but people are still thinking economy and green fuels when looking for a new vehicle.

This article in the Boston Globe took a look around the recent New England International Auto Show, where the author found lots of options for those looking to run on something other than non-renewable petroleum:

Honda

The 2009 Civic hybrid is Honda’s green car for the masses, with an estimated mileage of 40 mpg city and 45 highway. The four-door base model costs about $24,000. Honda will also be selling a hybrid Insight, a 5-passenger hatchback, in April. Both are “parallel” hybrids, meaning they have a primary gas engine that receives electric boosts to hike acceleration and performance.

Your other option, at $25,000, is Honda’s clean-burning Civic GX, a compressed natural gas vehicle that gets about 250 miles per tank at a cost of about $2.50 a gallon…

Hummer

How serious is the auto industry about using alternative fuels? Even Hummer – yes, Hummer – has a green model for 2009, the Hummer H2, which is a “flexible fuel” vehicle. Flex-fuel vehicles run on either gasoline or a mixture called E85, short for Ethanol 85, a mix of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

Toyota

The current hybrid leader has the Prius, (about $23,000) as well as hybrid Camry sedans (about $26,000) and hybrid Highlander SUVs (about $48,000)…
Toyota is also offering its first flex-fuel vehicles, a full-size 2009 Tundra pickup and a 2009 Sequoia SUV, primarily in states in the Midwest. The company is also testing a hybrid electric-compressed natural gas (CNG) Camry, a solar-assisted hybrid, and hydrogen fuel-cell hybrid, with no release dates as of yet.

Mini

The company that makes the cute Mini Cooper has only gasoline cars for 2009, but it’s testing 500 pure electric cars in California, New York, and New Jersey, show reps said.

Car Makers

Obama Picks Please Biodiesel Board

John Davis

President-elect Barack Obama continues to fill his incoming administration with picks that seem to please the biodiesel world.

The National Biodiesel Board has sent out congratulations to Dr. Steven Chu, who has been tapped to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Energy; Carol Browner, who was named to the new position of White House Coordinator of Energy and Climate Policy(commonly called the Energy Czar); Lisa Jackson, who will head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and Nancy Sutley to serve the President-elect as the lead White House Council on Environmental Quality:

Joe Jobe, the CEO of the National Biodiesel Board said, “The National Biodiesel Board congratulates Dr. Chu on this prestigious appointment. We are pleased that President-elect Obama, as a consistent supporter of biodiesel, has chosen such a competent, qualified individual to serve in this important capacity. We look forward to working with Secretary-designate Chu to constructively address the nation’s energy needs and optimize biodiesel’s potential as a way to reduce our reliance on foreign oil by utilizing environmentally friendly, domestically produced fuel…”

“I would like to congratulate Carol Browner on her selection by the President-elect. She has a long and distinguished resume in the field of energy and environmental policy, and her experience and commitment will help us effectively address the energy and climate challenges we face as a nation…”

“I have no doubt that that Lisa Jackson will provide skilled, capable leadership at the EPA,” stated [Jobe]. “Our industry is proud of the fact that we displace petroleum with a clean-burning, environmentally-friendly fuel, and I look forward to working with Administrator-designate Jackson to achieve our shared goals of protecting the environment and promoting clean, renewable fuels as an alternative to fossil fuels…”

“While Congress and the President-Elect Obama’s administration works to develop a comprehensive energy policy, I, look forward to working with Nancy Sutley to promote the environmental benefits of biodiesel, a clean burning fuel that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and has the highest energy balance of any domestically produced renewable fuel,”

I’m sure we’ll be seeing and hearing more from this group in the future. Congrats to all!

Biodiesel, Government

Comments Sought on Ethanol Specific Corn

Cindy Zimmerman

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking comments on a petition to deregulate corn that has been genetically engineered to produce a microbial enzyme that facilitates ethanol production.

SyngentaUSDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has regulated the corn, developed by Syngenta, since 2002.

If approved, the petition would allow the corn, which goes by the name Event 3272, to be freely grown and sold in the United States. According to APHIS, “If granted non-regulated status, Event 3272 corn could be the only GE variety available (specifically) for ethanol production.”

The petition has been submitted in accordance with APHIS regulations concerning the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms and products. In accordance with those regulations, they are soliciting comments on whether this genetically engineered corn is likely to pose a plant pest risk. USDA is also making available for public comment an environmental assessment for the proposed determination of nonregulated status.

Comments need to be submitted by January 20, 2009. More information can be found here on the Federal Regulations website.

corn, Ethanol, Government, News

Sweet New Crop for Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

A Seattle-based biotechnology company is working on developing a crop that is somewhat of a cross between corn and sugar cane.

Targeted GrowthAccording to a story in the Kansas City Star, Targeted Growth has been testing “sugarcorn” in test plots in Illinois and Indiana.

Sugarcorn is a takeoff on a type of maize grown in the tropics, which grows traditional ears of corn.

Researchers found that when the tropical corn has a longer growing day, such as those in the Midwest, it delays its flowering and sends more energy into making sugar in the stalk instead of producing starch in the corn.

Targeted Growth is hoping to make sugarcorn commercially available in two years.

Ethanol, News, Research

Alt Energy Bills Await MI Gov’s Signature

John Davis

Bills addressing biodiesel and biomass are on Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s desk, waiting for her signature to help make the state a national leader in alternative fuel production.

This story from The Bay City (MI) Times has details about some of the bills:

• Dedicating five new Alternative Energy Renaissance Zones for facilities that use cellulosic materials for fuel production, bringing the total number to 15;

• Requiring the Michigan Department of Agriculture to develop standards for a 20 percent biodiesel blend;

• Expanding the role of the Renewable Fuels Commission;

• Creating a property, sales and use tax exemption for machinery used to harvest biomass.

Not only will the bills help alternative fuels in Michigan, they will help create thousands of jobs in a state that right now is on some shaky employment ground.

Biodiesel, biomass, Government, Legislation

NH Getting Biodiesel Refinery with Another on the Way

John Davis

New Hampshire is getting a couple of biodiesel refineries… one in Nashua and one in Keene… that will make the green fuel from used grease.

This story from WCAX-TV says Batchelder Biodiesel Refineries in Nahua is hosting a grand opening of its first refinery on Wednesday, while Keene’s refinery will open its refinery early next year:

The facility will convert yellow and brown waste grease into biofuel, a process that eliminates the “food vs. fuel” controversy…

Keene State College and the city of Keene are collaborating with the company to create one, too. The refinery would convert waste grease from across New England into more than 250,000 gallons of biodiesel per year.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel, Ethanol Part of Alberta RFS

John Davis

Some of our friends north of the border seem to be taking a cue from us, as Alberta has enacted a renewable fuel standard of 5% ethanol and 2% biodiesel by 2010 as part of Premier Ed Stelmach’s Provincial Energy Strategy:

This new standard of five-per-cent ethanol in gasoline and two-per-cent renewable content in diesel by 2010 will help Alberta meet its climate change targets by reducing CO2 emissions by about one million tonnes annually, and will support Alberta’s renewable fuels sector and the technology development of next generation biofuels.

Implementation of the Provincial Energy Strategy will include ongoing reassessment of objectives and strategies. The Government will report annually to Albertans on progress implementing the strategy.

The move has gained the praise of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association:

“Today, Alberta is building on its energy leadership by encouraging the use of cleaner renewable fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel,” said Gordon Quaiattini, President of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association. “The Alberta Renewable Fuel Standard announced today will help reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, grow rural economies, and give consumers new choices at the pump.”

Renewable Fuel Standards are now in place at the federal level in Canada, as well as in Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. The United States has a renewable goal of 36 billion gallons by 2022 – 21 billion to come from advanced renewable fuels. This goal, as well as new incentives to encourage their development, is strongly supported by President-elect Obama.

“Alberta, with its agricultural and energy infrastructure and expertise, is uniquely positioned to build a vibrant homegrown ethanol and biodiesel industry,” added Quaiattini. “This is the start of a new renewable energy era in Alberta.”

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Government, News

E85 Promotions in MN

Shakopee Dakota Convenience Stores will be hosting E85 promotions at two of their facilities on Friday, December 19. These stations will sell the alternative fuel $0.60 off per gallon.

The first E85 promotion on December 19 will be from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Shakopee Dakota Convenience Store #1 at 15035 Mystic Lake Dr NW in Prior Lake, Minnesota. The second will be from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. at Shakopee Dakota Convenience Store #2 at 14160 Wilds Path NW in Prior Lake, Minnesota. With each E85 fill-up customers will receive a free “silver carwash”.

Event Supporters for the events include: Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, Scott County Corn Growers, Minnesota Corn Growers Association, General Motors Corp., National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, US Dept of Energy Clean Cities, American Lung Assoc. of MN & The MN Clean Air Choice Team.

Currently, there are more 356 E85 fueling locations throughout the state of Minnesota; more than any other state.

corn, E85, Ethanol, Facilities, News