Terminator Says Hasta La Vista to Biodiesel Fees

John Davis

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is reducing the fees his state slaps on people who collect some of the raw materials to make biodiesel for their own personal use.

This story on the Best Syndication web site says The Gubernator signed a bill by Assemblyman Anthony Adams (R-Hesperia) to cut those fees:

“By reducing fees to use biodiesel fuels, more Californians will be encouraged to explore green technologies as a means of clean, safe, alternative energy,” said Adams. “The use of biodiesel fuel can help improve air quality for all Californians and decrease our dependency on foreign oil.”

Current law requires a $100 registration fee and a $300 enforcement fee per vehicle to transport inedible kitchen oil, which is used to make biodiesel fuel. These fees reduce the incentive for individuals to obtain a license to collect the inedible oil.

The measure reduces the fee for individuals to $75. The law goes into affect on January 1, 2009.

Biodiesel

During Gas Shortage, Some Discover Biodiesel

John Davis

A gas crisis is striking the area of Georgia around Atlanta. With the recent spate of hurricanes and storms knocking out the Gulf Coast’s and Southeast U.S.’s refining of non-renewable petroleum, drivers are finding a shortage of fuel in the region.

But this story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says some enterprising Atlantans and other people from across the country are discovering the beauty of alternatives, in particular, biodiesel:

Driven to help the environment, or their own pocketbooks, many Atlantans are seeking alternatives to the gasoline habit. The most adventurous, like [East Cobb resident John] Knop, retrofit their diesel engines to run on waste oil from restaurants, picking up free fuel while their friends wait hours in line and pay through the nose…

Most manufacturers will void a vehicle’s warranty if the owner uses vegetable oil as a fuel, despite the fact that in 1893 Rudolf Diesel ran his newly invented engine on peanut oil.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also frowns on grease-cars. Though the exhaust has a sweet, french-fry smell, it can contain toxic fumes. Waste oil is considered an unregistered fuel, subject to fines, which Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger discovered when he turned his Hummer into a canola cruiser.

These and other concerns prompted former veggie-oil driver Rob Del Bueno to begin brewing his own biodiesel, a product created by using methanol to chemically alter vegetable oil. Del Bueno soon learned that home-brewing fuel also was illegal, for a variety of reasons, and he went through the complex, and expensive, process of going legit.

The article goes on to say that Del Bueno joined the National Biodiesel Board and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and had his fuel certified. Now, he sells a quarter million gallons of biodiesel a year with plans to expand into Tennessee and Illinois.

Biodiesel

Damage at Houston Biodiesel Refinery Revealed

John Davis

Twelve feet of water can do a lot of damage… just ask the folks at GreenHunter Energy. Their biodiesel refinery in Houston had just opened this summer has been knocked out of commission when the eye of Hurricane Ike passed nearly directly over the facility.

GreenHunter officials are providing an update (along with pictures of the damage) that caused a number of storage tanks to float and ruined some of their feedstocks and chemicals, as well as tearing up electrical equipment, pumps and motors. The good news is: they have insurance:

Fortunately, the Company anticipates that most of the damage sustained by its wholly-owned subsidiary, GreenHunter BioFuels, Inc., will be covered by existing property and casualty insurance along with business interruption insurance. Insurance adjustors for the Company and underwriters have been at the refinery and are daily assisting management in preparing our claims. While our personnel continue to find damage caused by the storm, it is currently estimated that total damages are approximately $22.4 million.

Through the immediate and tireless efforts of our staff and management team, the refinery has been substantially cleaned of layers of mud, spilled materials, and debris from the flood. Repairs were commenced within one week of Hurricane Ike’s landfall strike. Major mechanical and operational components of the refinery remain intact. The receipt and installation of necessary electrical components from third parties is the primary reason for delay in restarting operations. It is anticipated that the U.S. Coast Guard will approve our barge docking facilities for resumption of operations, enabling the Company to begin moving products and feedstock early this week. The Company continues on target to meet the estimate of resumption of operations on or before October 31, 2008.

In an effort to keep their customers and shareholders updated, GreenHunter has posted video and pictures of the damage on its web site: http://greenhunterenergy.com/HurricaneIkeDamage.html.

Biodiesel

St. Louis Clean Cities Holds Successful Odyssey Day Event

Although the National Alternative Fuel Vehicle Odyssey Day is officially October 3, 2008, the St. Louis Clean Cities Coalition held an event on September 27, which brought awareness to E85, flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), and other alternative fuels.

St. Louis Clean Cities held its Odyssey Day during the Green Homes & Renewable Energy Festival on September 27th, well over 100 booths showed off there “Green” products and services to several thousand visitors. Clean Cities had 12 different truck and vehicles on display,” noted St. Louis Clean Cities Coordinator, Kevin Herdler. An FFV Jeep was displayed during the event.

The AFV Day Odyssey was formed through the U.S. Department of Energy to promote energy independence.

Many additional Odyssey Day events will be occurring this week nationwide. For more information on these events, go to www.NationalAFVDayOdyssey.org.

E85, Flex Fuel Vehicles, News

Seed Summit Held to Meet Needs of Industries

Cindy Zimmerman

A summit was held last week in Chicago to address the role of seed technology in meeting the growing demand for food, feed, fiber and fuel.

American SeedThe goal of the American Seed Research Summit was to bring together research leaders from industry, academia and government to identify major seed research challenges and to develop a national strategy and action plan to solve those challenges.

Sponsored by the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), the American Seed Research Foundation and the National Council of Commercial Plant Breeders, over 40 representatives were in attendance at the two-day summit. Keynote speakers included representatives of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, the University of Wisconsin, Pioneer Hi-bred International and Monsanto.

Agribusiness, food and fuel

POET to Open Two More Ethanol Plants

Cindy Zimmerman

The largest ethanol producer in the world just keeps getting bigger.

POETPOET is scheduled to open two more ethanol plants in the next four weeks – both in Ohio. That will bring the total number of POET plants to 26 as of October 24, with a total capacity of 1.54 billion gallons per year.

The grand opening for POET Biorefining – Fostoria will be held September 30 featuring Buckeye Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Mike Wagner, Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Robert Boggs, Ohio Congressman Bob Latta, and Team Ethanol Indy car driver Ryan Hunter-Reay.

POET Biorefining – Marion will open on October 24 with special guests U.S. Senators George Voinovich (R-OH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH). This will be POET’s third plant in Ohio.

Ethanol, News

National Alternative Fuel Odyssey Day in Bismarck, ND

The Cenex E85 fueling location at 1160 W. Divide Avenue in Bismarck, North Dakota will be celebrating National Alternative Fuel Odyssey Day on October 2. The station will offer E85 for 85 cents a gallon from 4 – 7 p.m. The National Alternative Fuel Odyssey Day is an event that will be celebrated across the country recognizing cleaner-burning alternatives to traditional fuels.

“What I like about this national event is that it is not an attack on the petroleum industry, which is very important to our state and our nation, but rather a celebration of some of the new clean air choice options available to drivers today,” said Valerie Kummer, coordinator of the Red River Valley Clean Cities Coalition. “Even oil company executives are now saying America needs more fuel diversity, and North Dakota-made biofuels can help us offer more choices at the pump that help to reduce air pollution.”

This event is being sponsored by Cenex, Blue Flint Ethanol, General Motors Corporation, North Dakota Corn Growers Association, North Dakota Department of Commerce, North Dakota Ethanol Producers Association, National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, US Department of Energy-Clean Cities and the American Lung Association of North Dakota.

There are currently about 29,000 flexible fuel vehicles and 27 E85 stations in the state of North Dakota.

E85, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles

VeraSun Offers E85 in Germantown, Maryland

A grand opening was held at the Town Center Chevron in Germantown, Maryland celebrating their new E85 pump. The opening of the seventh E85 station by Mid-Atlantic Petroleum Properties now offers VE85®, VeraSun Energy’s branded E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. A ribbon cutting and fuel promotion of VE85® for $1.85 per gallon kicked off the celebration.

“We are pleased to be part of a partnership to expand VE85® in Maryland and the Washington, D.C. area,” said Rick Eggebrecht, VeraSun’s vice president, market development. “Expanding the availability of ethanol, in particular higher blends of ethanol, to American drivers throughout the country is critical as we work to reduce dependence on foreign oil while investing in our domestic economy.”

U.S. DOE supplied a grant to the Maryland Energy Administration, administered by the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board, which assisted in making this new E85 facility possible. Other support was provided by Mid-Atlantic Petroleum Properties, Maryland Department of Agriculture, Fitzgerald Auto Malls, Clean Fuels Development Coalition, Flexible Fuels Vehicle Club of America, General Motors, and VeraSun.

There are currently twelve E85 stations in the state of Maryland.

E85, News

Bill Would Promote Biofuels Cooperation With Brazil

Cindy Zimmerman

While most of Congress was working on a bailout for the financial crisis last week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed a bill that would strengthen energy cooperation between the United States and Brazil to promote the production and use of sustainable biofuels throughout Latin America.

Richard LugarThe legislation, authored by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Dick Lugar, would promote accelerated development of sustainable biofuels and other renewable energy production, help establish voluntary carbon trading markets, leverage private investment in new energy, promote research, and further integrate the Hemisphere’s energy infrastructure.

“The United States and Brazil are the region’s biofuels leaders, but more countries in the region can and should get into the business of producing domestic biofuels to increase employment, boost rural incomes, improve trade balances, as well as gain protection from the whims of the international oil market whose gyrations have wiped out many nations’ recent gains in poverty reduction,” Lugar said.

Sections of the bill would expand and codify a Memorandum of Understanding signed in March of 2007 by Presidents George W. Bush of the United States and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil.

Ethanol, Government, News

Debate Thin On Renewable Energy Talk

John Davis

The first presidential debate between Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama just wrapped up, and I have to say I was a little disappointed in how little renewable energy was part of the conversation. I know that it was a debate on foreign policy, but what could be bigger on our foreign policy than reducing our dependence on foreign oil?

Anyway, alternative energy did get a couple of mentions. Just a few minutes ago, Obama voiced his support for renewable energy sources in this country, mentioning solar, wind and biodiesel by name. He also went on the attack against McCain, pointing out that the Arizona senator has voted against alternative energy 23 times in his 26 years in Congress.

McCain countered that no one who is from Arizona is against solar power.

Earlier, McCain said, if elected president he would end ethanol subsidies… but then pledged his support for alternative energy. Obama said he voted in favor of the current energy proposal, which has lots of incentives for renewable energy… but tax breaks for big oil companies… while McCain proclaimed his opposition to those tax breaks to Big Oil… and thus, his opposition to the renewable energy incentives.

Hope you heard what you need to know to make your decision in November. We’ll keep listening and pass along what we hear as it pertains to Domestic Fuel.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Government, News, Solar, Wind