Now would be a good time for legislation that would provide federal tax credits for purchases of flex-fuel vehicles, according to the head of the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition (NEVC).
Sen. John Thune (R-SD) plans to introduce a bill this week that would let buyers of cars or trucks capable of running on up to 85 percent ethanol enriched fuel claim a $1,000 tax credit.
“As the ethanol industry approaches the pending ‘blend wall,’ Senator Thune’s legislation may be an idea whose time has come,” says NEVC executive director Phil Lampert.
According to Lampert, NEVC has discussed the idea in the past considering the federal income tax credits that are provided to vehicles that are capable of operating on propane, natural gas, electricity, and hybrid vehicles but had decided not to push the issue since “automakers producing FFVs don’t currently add additional costs to the retail price of these products.”
Thune, who was among a bipartisan group of Senators that sent a letter last week to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson supporting the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), says his legislation would encourage consumers to buy more flex-fuel vehicles, which would in turn increase demand for E-85 and blender pumps.
According to the 
Unlike sugarcane, sweet sorghum can be grown in many different areas. It is the world’s fifth largest grain crop—behind rice, corn, wheat and barley – grown on more than 107 million acres in 99 countries with United States, Nigeria, India, China, Mexico, Sudan and Argentina being the leading producers.
The City of Miami is moving forward with plans to run a thousand of its vehicles on biodiesel.
Green Star Products has released a report that shows the company’s progress in the new field of algae-based biodiesel.
Phase I now is complete and has been successful in controlling the most important variables in algae production, i.e. temperature of water in large systems, salinity (salt content), evaporation, pH (acidity-alkalinity) and most all initial costs of construction.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has signed into law a measure that will increase his state’s biodiesel mandate from 2 percent currently to a whopping 20 percent by 2015.
The news was welcomed, obviously, by the 
White joined EPIC in 2006 as Director of Operations. He has played a major role in the expansion of E85 across the country. White also spearheaded the effort for a uniform labeling effort at the pump, which now has the EPIC “e” logo approved for use at retail outlets in 30 states. His latest accomplishment is the start of a blender pump program for the industry.
Amid several bills signed by Iowa Governor Chet Culver on Monday was one that makes changes to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program created in 2006 to expand renewable fuel infrastructure and access to renewable fuels all across Iowa.
Ohio describes itself as a leader in the fuel cell industry and a prominent figure in clean energy innovations. And, to support its claim, the state will host the 
USDA is expecting total U.S. corn use in 2008-09 to be 2 percent lower than the current marketing year, which ends in August. The report calls for reductions in feed and residual use and exports to more than offset a continued expansion in ethanol production.