“I thought it would take one-and-a-half years to get things done but now its been 22 years for me,” said Merle Anderson during our conversation at the 22nd Ethanol Conference & Trade Show. Merle is often known as ‘the father of ethanol,’ and with good reason. He helped to start the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) in 1977. As a …
Down But Never Out
I spent the last few days with old friends and making new acquaintances here in Milwaukee during the 22nd Ethanol Conference & Trade Show hosted by the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE). While it was slightly disheartening to see the trend of low attendance at ethanol conferences, such as the Fuel Ethanol Workshop, during the past year, it was heartening …
Biodesel Powers Radio at Iowa State Fair
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association has teamed up with legendary radio station WHO in Des Moines to power its Crystal Studio at the Iowa State Fair from August 13-23 using B20 biodiesel. This IRFA press release says the diesel generators for the studio have been running on bodiesel during the fair since 2006: “IRFA is proud to help continue the …
ACE & RFA Launch National Mid-Level Blend Campaign
The 22nd Ethanol Conference & Trade Show in Milwaukee kicked off with an announcement of the largest ever consolidated effort to install 5,000 mid-level blend, or blender pumps, throughout the country: BYOethanol. I know many of you are envisioning bringing your own ethanol to the upcoming college football tailgate party, but it really means, Blend Your Own Ethanol. The partnership …
Former VeraSun Ethanol Plant Now Farmer-Owned
A group of nine farmer-owned ethanol plants in the upper Midwest got together to purchase the former VeraSun plant in Janesville, Minnesota to make it an even ten. Guardian Energy LLC, headquartered in Shakopee, Minnesota recently entered into an agreement to purchase the 100-million gallon plant acquired by AgStar Financial Services’ lending group through VeraSun Energy’s bankruptcy in March of …
Ethanol Industry Concerns About EPA Peer Review
The Environmental Protection Agency’s peer review of the renewable fuel standards lifecycle analysis released today is being characterized by corn and ethanol industry groups as biased, bizarre and puzzling. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) says the EPA “stacked the deck against biofuels in its process to “peer review” the agency’s indirect land use change analysis (ILUC) conducted for the Renewable …
Phibro Responds to Use of Antibiotics in Ethanol Industry
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) recently published a report that called for the ethanol industry to stop using antibiotics in the production process. Many believe that this report is just one of many initiatives the IATP has to fight the modernization of the agriculture and livestock industry and that they are attempting to manufacture controversy. Antibiotics are …
FFV Campain Announced at Farm-to-Fuel Summit
The Clean Fuels Foundation and the FlexFuel Vehicle Club of America are the project organizers in cooperation with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The lead sponsor for the pilot project is the Renewable Fuels Association. Other project supporters include General Motors, Verenium, Protec Fuel Management, Urbieta Oil, Florida Biofuels Association, and the USDA Office of Energy Policy …