Biofuels have been a major topic of discussion at the American Farm Bureau Federation 90th annual meeting in San Antonio this week.
A conference titled “The Growing Role of Biofuels for Today, Tomorrow and Beyond,” featured Brooke Coleman, executive director of the New Fuels Alliance and spokesperson for FoodPriceTruth.
“Agriculture is the key to the new energy economy,” Coleman said. “Biofuels are the key to agricultural revitalization.”
According to Coleman, the biofuels industry has survived a well-orchestrated smear campaign led by food makers and environmental groups and even though the economy has taken a serious downturn, renewable energy is poised for continued growth.
He said many ethanol and biodiesel companies have cash reserves to transition through the current tough times, the cost of breaking down their feedstocks is coming down and several new biofuel plants making advanced ethanol from non-grain feedstocks are coming online.
2008 was a year that for the most part everyone would like to forget – including those in the ethanol industry. Now that 2009 is underway, 
Jim Sullivan of Informa Economics in Washington, D.C. told a crop outlook seminar at the 
This week’s major economic speech from President-elect Barack Obama pointed out how ethanol and biodiesel, as well as other alternatives to conventional energy sources, will be key to the nation’s economic recovery.
In an effort to quell skepticism over the renewable energy industry’s chances to meet the 10.5-billion Renewable Fuels Standard in 2009, the National Biodiesel Board has reaffirmed its industry’s ability to hold up its end of the deal… and then some.
“The U.S. biodiesel industry’s contribution to the nation’s fuel supply will help ensure that the RFS targets for 2009 will be met,” said Manning Feraci, NBB’s Vice President of Federal Affairs. “In 2008 alone, the U.S. biodiesel industry produced nearly 700 million gallons of biodiesel, which equates to 1.05 billion ethanol equivalent gallons for purposes of the RFS.”
Speaking to reporters this week, Secretary Ed Schafer noted that growth in ethanol and biodiesel production have helped create “remarkable prosperity and growth in the agriculture economy” during the Bush administration. 
Less than two weeks after Air New Zealand took to the air in a flight powered by jatropha-based biodiesel, American carrier Continental Airlines has used a combination of the the weed and algae to fuel one of its 737s.
U.S. Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond, a longtime friend of renewable and clean energy efforts, has announced he will not seek re-election in 2010.
The National Biodiesel Board is welcoming a new face to its great communications team.
Robinson has been involved in the communications industry for more than a decade, most recently serving as Press Secretary for Missouri Governor Matt Blunt when the state adopted a ten percent ethanol standard, and for the first time began fully funding biodiesel incentives. Robinson has worked in radio and television news stations in New Mexico, Missouri and Florida. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism.