A new feedstock for the growing biodiesel industry could be a cash cow for the western states where it will be growing.
Camelina is an oilseed that is growing in popularity in the more arid regions of the western United States. In fact, the profit potential is believed to be so great that the State of Colorado’s Agricultural Value-Added Development Board has just issued a $41,059 Advancing Colorado’s Renewable Energy (ACRE) Program grant, which provides funding to promote energy-related projects beneficial to Colorado’s agriculture industry.
This story from the Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch says the state money will be joined by nearly $13,000 from Blue Sun Biodiesel to aid in the research efforts:
Blue Sun is using the grant to develop camelina production practices by conducting water use efficiency trials, fertility experiments, date of planting studies and observing on-farm production. The culmination of the grant will result in a spring camelina production guide.
Blue Sun is actively breeding spring and winter camelina, through traditional breeding practices, to develop superior regionally adapted camelina cultivars for the region. Blue Sun has a spring camelina variety Cheyenne commercialized and available for sale.
“Camelina is part of the next step for biodiesel,” said Sean Lafferty, VP of Technology at Blue Sun Biodiesel. “It is a non-food crop, and it can be grown on land unsuitable for most other crops. Camelina is a good rotation crop as well and it can survive low and variable rainfall conditions, reducing risk for the farmer.”
Camelina is a non-food oilseed that is estimated could bring $80 million to Colorado’s economy.
While the EPA delay of issuing a decision on Texas’ request for a waiver from the Renewable Fuel Standard (see 
“In considering the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) waiver request by Gov. Perry, it is important to note that all renewable fuels qualify for the current RFS. In fact, if the RFS is waived or cut in half in 2008, then the growth of all biofuels, including ‘advanced biofuels’ such as biodiesel, will be severely hindered.
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Construction on the Hankinson facility began in August of 2006 and was completed in June. The opening of the plant was delayed due to market volatility. 
US biofuels development company 
The cellulosic plant in Thailand is co-located with a facility that will produce ethanol from sugar-cane derived sucrose, which is widely abundant in the region. Sugar cane bagasse, the biomass residue from the sugar cane plant, will be the primary source of feedstock for the cellulosic facility, which will be converted into ethanol using Verenium’s process technology.
The tax code currently states that Publicly Traded Partnerships are supposed to earn 90-percent of income from the exploration, transportation, storage or marketing of depletable natural resources like oil, gas and coal. The Harkin-Lugar bill would change the tax code so that these Publicly Traded Partnerships can earn qualified income from the transport, storage or marketing of any renewable liquid fuel approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Cincinnati has received a federal grant to help the city’s mass transit system buy some biodiesel buses.