Bently Biofuels Opens Green Station

John Davis

Not only is the fuel they sell green, but a new biodiesel and ethanol station near Lake Tahoe, Nevada will be good for the environment as well.

The new Bently Biofuels retail pump in Minden, Nevada is now selling B99, B20 and B5 biodiesel, as well as E10 and E85 ethanol. In addition, the building that houses the store and the fuel pumps are up for a special environmentally-friendly building designation… and is being recognized for that effort by some folks who just moved into a green building of their own, the National Biodiesel Board:

The fueling station is unique in that it has applied for LEED silver certification, a prestigious green building designation. Features include outdoor lighting that uses LED bulb technology, which reduces energy consumption up to 70 percent and reduces light pollution in the night sky. Solar tubes were installed in the restrooms to eliminate the need for daytime lighting along with flush toilets that reduce the amount of water consumed per use. Furnishings include cabinets made of fast-growing bamboo plywood and recycled countertops.

“We believe that this is the model for biofuels stations as we move into a greener, more sustainable future,” said Don Bently, owner of Bently Biofuels. “As the makers of an eco-conscious fuel, we’re big proponents of being sustainable from planting the first seed to filling the tank, and our station is a part of that process.”

If Bently gets the LEED certification… developed and administered by the U.S. Green Building Council and designed to promote design and construction practices that increase profitability while reducing environmental impacts… it would be the first retail convenience store to do so.

Bently Biofuels also has the capability to make about a million gallons of biodiesel each year from inedible plant oils or second-use oils, such as recycled restaurant grease.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News

McCain Blames Subsidies for High Food Prices

Cindy Zimmerman

In a speech on Wednesday not far from the corn fields of proud Missouri farmers, Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain blamed subsidies for higher food prices.

McCain in Independence Missouri“My administration will reduce the price of food by eliminating the subsidies for ethanol and agricultural goods,” McCain told an invitation-only group at the Harry Truman Library in Independence, Missouri. “These subsidies inflate the price of food, not only for Americans but for people in poverty across the world, and I propose to abolish them.”

The senator has previously said that he was opposed to the 2008 Farm Bill calling it “a bloated piece of legislation that will do more harm than good for most farmers and consumers.”

McCain has been in the Senate for almost 20 years. Surely he knows that of the $307 billion in spending authorized by the bill through 2012, $209 billion is for nutrition programs and $25 billion is for conservation. Only about $35 billion goes to agricultural commodity programs, including research and market promotion, with just a portion going in direct payments to farmers.

“Agricultural goods” for the most part are food. America has the safest, most affordable and most abundant food supply in the world – and that is due largely to our farm programs. Like any government program, they can certainly stand improvement. But to make a blanket statement that subsidies for agricultural goods are inflating food prices is just unfair. Congress is on the brink of providing $700 billion in “subsidies” for financial institutions that have made bad investments in order to keep them solvent. A few billion to support our nation’s food supply and the development of alternative energy sources to wean us off foreign oil pales in comparison.

Commentary, Ethanol, Farming, Opinion, politics

Hydrogen Hybrid Hot Rod to be Ethanol Ready

John Davis

A hot rod built to run on hydrogen is expanding its horizons to run on another green fuel… ethanol.

Austin, Texas-based Ronn Motor Company has announced its eco-exotic hybrid, the Scorpion™, the first production automobile to produce Hydrogen on Demand (HOD) through its proprietary H2GO™ system, will be ethanol compliant and built to run on a 70% gasoline or ethanol and approximately 30% hydrogen mix. Officials say it will reduce fuel costs and greatly reduce emissions:

While hydrogen and ethanol have traditionally been used separately, the combination of these two alternative fuels gives consumers more choices and reduces dependence on foreign oil.

COO Damon Kuhn added, “Ronn Motor Company is dedicated to alternative fuel strategies to help lower our dependence on foreign oil and we want to give our customers access to these solutions. To the best of our knowledge, no other automobile manufacturer is working on the possible combination of these processes.”

Ethanol, Hydrogen, News

First Wind Public Offering Has Successful Close

John Davis

The nation’s first intrastate public offering for the development of a wind project has had a successful completion… just four months after it was made available to the public.

National Wind’s High Country Energy, LLC, has announced that it has raised an undisclosed amount of capital from Minnesota investors that will be used to develop a series of utility-scale community-owned wind farms in Dodge, Olmsted and Mower Counties, Minnesota:

“Through the offering we now have approximately 60 additional Minnesota investors in High Country Energy, helping solidify our goals for community participation,” says Mark Lucas, Vice President of National Wind, and Project Lead for High Country Energy. “The wind energy business represents an exciting growth and investment opportunity and this offering has allowed interested investors to purchase a position within it. Wind energy is more mature than other renewable energy sectors–it has good track record and is growing rapidly. The U.S. wind industry is expected to grow from 16,800 megawatts of installed capacity in 2007 to over 49,000 in 2015.”

Proceeds from the offering will be used to develop High Country Energy’s multiple phases.

Company officials expect the High Country Energy wind projects to cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build. They add the money raised will help cover initial development, and more will be needed for construction of the wind farms.

Wind

Registration Open for National Ethanol Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

NEC 09“Growing Innovation – America’s Energy Future Starts at Home” is the theme for the 14th annual National Ethanol Conference to be held February 23-25, 2009 in San Antonio, Texas.

NEC 09Registration is now underway for the event which promises to be bigger and better than ever in the big state of Texas with over 2500 attendees expected.

All the registration information is available on-line. Hotels are expected to fill up fast, so make sure to book early.

conferences, Ethanol, RFA

Illinois Corn to Hold E85 Challenge

The Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA), Gateway International Raceway and Mustang 5.0 Magazine will sponsor an E85 Challenge at Gateway International Raceway, in Madison, Illinois on October 15. According to ICGA, this is the first national event of its kind will showcase street legal, production line built and custom made performance cars running on America’s fuel.

ICGA“The Challenge will show how flexible E85 is in today’s cars and shine a spotlight on how ethanol, known primarily for its environmental and economic contributions, is also a high octane product,” said Art Bunting, Illinois Corn Growers Association president.

“We are proud to host this event right here in Madison, IL and we are equally proud of all the American farmers for their significant contribution to renewable fuels for this event and for our country’s future.” said Lenny Batycki, of Gateway International Raceway.

The quarter mile track E85 Challenge will begin at 2:00 p.m. and plans to conclude by 4 p.m.

corn, E85, Ethanol, News

Missouri to Offer New Ethanol Blends at the Pump

According to a press release from the Missouri Corn Growers Association, Missouri will soon be offering additional blends of ethanol at fueling pumps. A pilot program was announced allowing the sale of 10 – 85 percent ethanol fuel.

MCGA“This is an important step towards providing Missouri consumers with new energy options that can offer both economic savings and improved fuel mileage,” said Gary Clark, Missouri Corn Growers Association (MCGA) senior director of marketing. “Our goal is to work with MDA and fuel retailers across the state to make sure proper and workable measurement standards are established while helping install locations where consumers can benefit from these mid-range ethanol blends.”

A partnership between MCGA, Missouri Renewable Partners, Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) and the Missouri Department of Agriculture Weights and Measures Division are working together to implement this new program. LifeLine Foods-Ethanol Division in St. Joseph, Mo., has served as a representative from Missouri’s farmer-owned ethanol industry in this pilot. The program has been awarded a one-year permit and will then be reviewed by MDA for statewide implementation. All pilot locations must be approved through the MDA Weights and Measures Division and MCGA.

Currently, ethanol blends higher than 10 percent are only approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for FFVs.

corn, E85, EPIC, Ethanol, News

Pacific Ethanol to Open New California Plant

Cindy Zimmerman

Pacific Ethanol has announced the start-up of its Stockton, California facility. The Company will hold a grand opening ceremony for its second California ethanol plant on October 10.

Pacific Ethanol“The start-up of our Stockton plant marks the achievement of our goal of 220 million gallons of annual production capacity and dramatically increases the availability of renewable fuels produced in the state of California. As the largest fuel market in the United States, California will benefit from locally produced ethanol and its feed co-products,” said Neil Koehler, Pacific Ethanol’s President and CEO.

The 60 million gallon per year Stockton facility is located at the Port of Stockton, with access to water, rail and road transportation. This San Joaquin Valley area is also home to over one million dairy cows, providing a ready local market for wet distiller’s grains and other ethanol co-products produced by the plant.

Pacific Ethanol is the largest West Coast-based marketer and producer of ethanol with plants in Madera and Stockton, Calif.; Boardman, Ore.; and Burley, Idaho.

Ethanol, Facilities, News

USDA: Corn, Soybean Stockpiles Up

John Davis

Rains and flooding kept farmers in the Midwest corn and soybean belts out of their fields for a long time this spring. But according to a new report from the USDA, the actual stockpiles of the main feedstocks for ethanol and biodiesel are higher than expected.

This story in Forbes says the U.S. has a 30-day stockpile of soybeans… a relief for biodiesel producers who have been worried what a tight supply could do to their industry:

A survey of farmers and warehouses pegged the stockpile at 205 million bushels on Sept. 1, compared with the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Sept. 12 forecast of 140 million bushels or a three-week supply.

Soybeans are widely used by food makers and livestock feeders, besides being exported. Some 3.1 billion lbs, or 13 percent, of soybean oil will be used to make biodiesel in the coming 12 months, USDA said.

USDA revised its estimate of the 2007 soybean crop to 2.676 billion bushels, up 3.5 percent, based on the stockpile figure, reports on exports and processing, and farm program data.

In a pair of reports, USDA said the corn and wheat stockpiles were larger than a year ago. This year’s wheat crop totaled 2.5 billion bushels, up 2 percent from its previous report and the largest wheat crop in a decade.

Corn and soybean prices on the Chicago Board of Trade fell on the news… once again, good news for the ethanol and biodiesel industries… with November beans down 25 cents at $10.69 a bushel and Decemmber corn off six-and-a-half cents at $5.06-3/4.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Government, News

Wind, Biodiesel Tax Credits Could Be in Trouble

John Davis

As lawmakers wrestle over a bailout for Wall Street, some renewable energy producers on Main Street are wondering if they’ll at least get an extension of some valuable tax credits.

This story from Agriculture Online quotes Senator Chuck Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, as saying that if Congress adjourns without passing a tax relief bill, it would be a catastrophe because of how reliant wind and biodiesl are on their tax breaks:

The tax bill, which also would prevent more Americans from being caught by the Alternative Minimum Tax when they file next April, contained several alternative energy tax breaks championed by Grassley. It extended a tax credit for wind energy through 2009, as well as a $1-per-gallon tax credit for biodiesel.

The House on Monday refused to take up the legislation, partly because conservative Blue Dog Democrats refused to support it unless more of the tax breaks were offset by spending cuts.

Grassley said he wasn’t certain what the effect of not extending alternative energy tax credits beyond the end of this year would be. In 2004, a similar delay in extending the tax credits for wind shut down that industry for six months, he said, adding that he believes the industry is stronger today.

Grassley says he doesn’t think Congressmen will want to go home and face constituents who would now have to pay the Alternative Minimum Tax. About 23 million people would have to pay the AMT… as much as an extra $2,000 in the tax bills for those who make less than $200,000.

Biodiesel, Legislation, Wind