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The State of Minnesota is offering $300,000 in grants to help its biodiesel industry.

This story from the Alexandria (MN) Echo Press says the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is accepting proposals for grants for owners of facilities that supply petroleum products to customers who sell, use, or transport fuel in the state of Minnesota:

The facilities should be located on or near a petroleum terminal and have an infrastructure that can be designed to blend cold weather biodiesel with conventional diesel fuels.

Grant funds may be used to offset the cost of necessary infrastructure equipment including but not limited to tank, pipe, valves, meters, pumps and heating equipment plus the cost of engineering, fabrication and installation.

The article goes on to say that the proposals need to have a description and cost of the proposed blending facilities and assurances that they will provide biodiesel-blended fuels to the Minnesota diesel fuel market, even in cold weather.

Check out the MDA Web site, www.mda.state.mn.us, for more information. Applications are due by November 28th at 4 p.m. CST.

The National Biodiesel Board, the foremost advocate for the biodiesel industry in the U.S., has brought together some of the nation’s leaders to work on sustainable solutions for this country’s energy challenges.

A symposium in St. Louis this week featured the NBB’s Sustainability Task Force, a group put together last February at the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida. This NBB press release says the meeting featured discussions of critical issues related to the promise of biofuels, including greenhouse gas emission models, biodiesel’s positive energy balance, and the development of next generation feedstocks:

“As America searches for solutions to our energy challenges, U.S. biodiesel is delivering with a cleaner and sustainable renewable fuel source,” said Emily Landsburg, Chair of the NBB’s Sustainability Task Force. “Biodiesel is already helping the nation make important strides toward energy independence and we will continue to explore new and promising practices.”

This week at the NBB’s fall board meeting, the board adopted several resolutions addressing sustainability. The resolutions pledge to continue to develop internal policies and support practices which promote the use of sustainable feedstocks and biodiesel production methods, and to actively engage in forums addressing global sustainability standards.

The NBB is also trying to counter what it calls “unsound and incomplete science which distorts the effects of biofuels” by providing accurate information about biodiesel to educate the public, elected leaders and the media. To that end, the board has launched a new web site, www.biodieselsustainability.com. Check it out!

As if I didn’t need another reason to stay glued to my couch watching the Discovery Channel (Dirty Jobs, Survivorman, Mythbusters… what more could a guy want?), now Pennsylvania’s first large-scale biodiesel producer will be featured on the popular cable channel.

This story from eMediaWire.com says Lake Erie Biofuels, LLC will have its national primetime debut sometime next year:

“Shades of Green,” a new television documentary on The Discovery Channel, will showcase the cutting edge technology and on-site laboratories that Lake Erie Biofuels, LLC utilizes in its state-of-the-art facility. While emphasizing the importance of biodiesel in today’s global economy, “Shades of Green” will provide an inside look into the production of biodiesel and the incredible impact it could have on our planet’s future.

The show’s main focus is to highlight the very latest topics and trends impacting the world by providing its viewers with information on alternative energy and sustainable living. Each feature segment of “Shades of Green” will focus on a specific renewable energy source, such as wind, fuel and solar power. Lake Erie Biofuels, LLC was chosen by The Discovery Channel to represent the biofuel industry because of its unique facilities that produce 45 million gallons of biodiesel annually.

They’re shooting “Shades of Green” this week at the Pennsylvania biodiesel refiner with plans of airing the show next February.

Now, if they can just coordinate this with a history of biodiesel I once saw on the History Channel, I may never make it off my couch.

Officials with Houston, Texas-based Nova Biosource Fuels, Inc., say that testing of their variety of biodiesel shows they will be ready when the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) for biodiesel usage is increased to 500 million gallons in 2009.

This company press release says Nova’s biodiesel has passed the Cold Soak Filtration Test for more than a year. Biodiesel under ASTM D6751-08 must pass the test as a qualitative evaluation meant to replicate performance of the biodiesel in cold climates:

“Nova’s patented process has always focused on producing high quality biodiesel,” said Kenneth Hern, Chairman and CEO of Nova. “The new ASTM Cold Soak Filtration Test is a hurdle for some companies, but Nova’s biodiesel meets this requirement regardless of feedstock input used in our proprietary process.”

The Company continues to operate efficiently and conserve working capital while maintaining sustained rates of approximately 50 percent to 60 percent nameplate capacity at the Seneca refinery. During the month of October, three million gallons of biodiesel were produced at Seneca, bringing the cumulative total to over 14 million gallons produced to date.

Nova says it will be well-positioned to help supply the biodiesel needed for the increased standard.