Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz is blasting those opposing a proposed mandate for biofuels in the country.
This story from the Lloydminster (Alberta, Canada) Meridian Booster has more details:
Ritz defended the plan in the House of Commons against criticism from the New Democratic Party, which once supported the use of biofuels but has switched its position. The bill would mandate a five per cent ethanol mixture in gasoline by 2010 and a two per cent mixture of biodiesel by 2012.
“It’s an excellent situation for the environment, it’s a great thing for farmers, and a great thing for rural communities,” said Ritz.
The NDP’s about-face comes after a number of studies have been released indicating that using wheat and corn-based ethanol could drive up food prices in light of what some experts are calling a global food shortage. The United Nations recently called biofuels a “crime against humanity” for diverting food away from hungry mouths.
Ritz says this situation doesn’t apply to Canada where the price of basic food commodities actually dropped slightly in February. The government estimates it would take five per cent of total production capacity to produce the three billion litres of ethanol which the plan would require. He says the weather has more impact on Canada’s agricultural output than five per cent.
The article goes on to say that Ritz points out that the United Nations has said there’s enough food. The issue is getting it to where it needs to be at the right time.
Missouri State Treasurer Sarah Steelman, who is also running for the Republican nomination in the state’s gubernatorial race, has labeled Missouri lawmakers “cowards” for changing a law that kept those same lawmakers and their family members from investing their own money in ethanol and biodiesel plants in the state.
DuPont and Genencor, a division of Danisco A/S, have formed 
DuPont CEO Chad Holliday says the venture is a critical step toward cellulosic technology commercialization. “There is a compelling opportunity here for truly sustainable alternative energy,” he said. “I am extremely pleased with the partnership between Danisco and DuPont, two leaders in the biofuels industry.” Both companies have been working on cellulosic technologies for over five years. 
Danisco CEO Tom Knutzen says the timing is perfect for the partnership to deliver a low-cost solution for advance biofuels production. “Danisco through its Genecor division is a pioneer in cellulosic ethanol,” he said. “In fact, we paved the way for commercializing enzymes which convert biomass into fermentable sugars for ethanol.”
This week was the 14th annual Alternative Fuels and Vehicles conference and expo, featuring alternative fuels and advanced transportation technologies.
In about a week, I’ll be heading to Indianapolis for the 
“The Indianapolis 500 is one of the great sports traditions in our country,” said Marc Morgenstern, executive director of Declare Yourself. “Millions of young people are fans of the IndyCar Series, and we couldn’t have a bigger platform than this exciting race to get our message out. The recent presidential primary in Indiana brought out an unprecedented number of young voters, and we believe our Indy PSAs will keep young fans engaged as we race toward the election.”
Biodiesel production is going from large-scale to small-scale. 
Back in March John posted info that the shipping giant 
FCCC is the first manufacturer in the industry to introduce hybrid commercial vehicles into fleet operations, with over 160 HEVs in service since 2004, in addition to over 1,000 CNG-fueled chassis in service since 2000.
In a move to expand its renewable wind energy development, while reducing carbon emissions, Minnesota Power has announced a plan to buy a North Dakota power line and use that infrastructure to move wind-generated electricity.
One of the fixtures of Boston Harbor are the World War II-era amphibious landing vehicles, affectionately known as “ducks.” Those tourist-carrying ducks are going to have more than water rolling off their backs… they’ll have carbon emissions rolling away as they switch to cleaner burning biodiesel.
The $300,000 vehicles initially will run on a B5 biodiesel fuel blend that’s 5 percent vegetable oil, according to director of vehicle maintenance Tony Cerulle. The vehicles’ manufacturer will only cover the one-year warranty for their diesel engines if that mix is used.