Lower Oil Prices Make Biodiesel Producers Struggle
Rising oil prices were a boon to biodiesel producers this summer, as near-$150/barrel prices for crude oil made it more and more profitable to produce biodiesel from a variety of feedstocks. However, with that same barrel of oil now costing less than $50, margins have tightened up for makers of the green fuel. This story in the Tampa (FL) Tribune …
Indy Defends Ethanol Choice
The Brazilian ethanol industry will remain the fuel sponsor of the Indy Racing League in 2009, but the ethanol will come from the United States – at least for the first year. That is a compromise of sorts announced by IRL after meeting with corn ethanol industry representatives. The multi-year partnership between the IndyCar Series and APEX-Brasil — a trade …
LA Looks to Become Solar City
Los Angeles wants to become a hub of the solar energy industry. This article from the LA Times says Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has unveiled a long-range to have solar power meet one-tenth of the city’s energy needs by 2020, an initiative that is expected to help the city’s Department of Water and Power kick the fossil fuel habit: The plan …
Sustainability Forum for Biodiesel
The National Biodiesel Board, the foremost advocate for the biodiesel industry in the U.S., has brought together some of the nation’s leaders to work on sustainable solutions for this country’s energy challenges. A symposium in St. Louis this week featured the NBB’s Sustainability Task Force, a group put together last February at the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo in Orlando, …
Ethanol Industry Fights Back
The ethanol industry wasted no time fighting back today against another attack by the food industry to blame higher prices on ethanol production. The newly-formed Growth Energy called on the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) to “discontinue its deceptive attacks on the government’s investment in ethanol and other renewable fuels.” Growth Energy held a press conference shortly after the group “Food …
Meeting the Environmental Challenges of Biofuels
A fascinating discussion this morning at the opening session of the Transition to a Bioeconomy: Environmental and Rural Development Impacts conference here in St. Louis. Speakers have included government and university experts who are presenting what challenges face the bioeconomy, especially on the environmental side of the issue. Kitty Smith with the USDA’s Economic Research Service and chair of the …
Animal Fat Biodiesel Plant Breaks Ground
A biodiesel plant that will make biodiesel from animal fats has broken ground in Louisiana. This story from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette says that Tyson Foods, Inc. of Springdale, Arkansas and Syntroleum Corp. of Tulsa, Ok. have formed a joint venture called Dynamic Fuels with the biodiesel plant expected to open late next year in Geismar, La., just outside Baton …
Corvette Powered by Cellulosic Ethanol Wins Green Challenge
The Corvette Racing team of Johnny O’Connell, Jan Magnussen and Ron Fellows went down in history as the inaugural winners of the Green Racing Challenge. The 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans win also cinched the American Le Man Series GT1 championship for O’Connell and Magnussen. The No. 3 Corvette C6.R also had the best score in the Green Challenge, securing the …
Food and Fuel Campaign Launch
The American Ag and Energy Council (AAEC) has launched a national radio campaign featuring a “Food and Fuel Update.” The ads will be running on nationally syndicated shows including Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, in addition to local radio stations throughout the United States. The “Food and Fuel Update” features Mark Pearson, a nationally respected agriculture and economic expert and …