Battling the myths and misinformation that swirl around both ethanol and biodiesel seems to be a fulltime job these days. While some groups, such as the American Soybean Association and the Renewable Fuels Association, fight these battles daily, they could use a little help from the novices and those interested in the success of biofuels. That’s why the ASA is …
USDA: Food and Fuel Crops Not Hurting As Much As Feared
Last month’s floods in the Midwest might not have put the corn and soybean crops, which are vital to ethanol and biodiesel production, in as much peril as originally feared. In a news conference in Washington, DC today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief said that the Midwest corn and soybean crops have not been hurt as badly as first …
New Alliance for Food and Fuel
A group of major players in the agribusiness sector have joined together to highlight the ability of American agriculture to meet both food and energy needs. The Alliance for Abundant Food and Energy includes Archer Daniels Midland, DuPont, John Deere, Monsanto, and the Renewable Fuels Association. The alliance asserts that “By growing more crops and developing more efficient ways of …
Who is OPEC Kidding?
Ethanol makers all over the world are asking the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), “Who do you think you’re kidding?” In a full page ad in the Financial Times, the biofuel industries of Brazil, Canada, Europe and the United States are challenging the oil cartel’s “outrageous, misleading, and unsubstantiated claims about the role of ethanol in world oil markets.” …
Organizations Support Ethanol Tariff
Seven commodity and ethanol organizations have written a letter to President Bush in support of the secondary tariff on imported ethanol. The groups called attention to the importance of the tariff for the nation’s growing ethanol industry, as well as to the nation’s energy, economic, and environmental security. The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Ethanol Producers and Consumers (EPAC), National …
World Ethanol Leaders Address G8
Officials from Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, the European Bioethanol Fuel Association, Brazil’s Sugar Cane Industry Association (UNICA), and the US Renewable Fuels Association have written a letter to the leaders of the G8 nations underscoring the critical importance biofuels play in reducing the growing demand for oil and the corresponding escalation in prices around the world. The letter reads in …
Biomass Pellets Making Electricity
An energy cooperative has successfully completed a test burn of 150 tons of biomass pellets to produce electricity at a power facility near Kansas City, Missouri… a first for biomass pellets in the U.S. This story on redOrbit.com says the Show Me Energy Cooperative (SMEC) has produced the power at the Aquila power company’s generating facility at Sibley, Missouri from …
Two New Members on Biodiesel Governing Board
The National Biodiesel Board has two new members on its Governing Board. This NBB release says Greg Hopkins of US Biofuels and Scott Johnson of GEN-X Energy Group replace Graham Noyes, outgoing secretary, of Imperium Renewables, Grays Harbor, Washington; and Jake Stewart of Organic Fuels in Houston: Hopkins, CEO of US Biofuels, has 35 years of combined experience in the …
Biodiesel On Its Way to Standard Approval
Biodiesel has cleared an important hurdle as it passed a vote that will establish standards for the green fuel. The Subcommittee E of ASTM International, a group that establishes standards for a variety of things including fuels, has voted to recommend the passage of finished specifications for biodiesel blends. This press release from the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) says this …
Midwest Flooding Causing Hit to Ethanol & Biodiesel
Flooding in the Midwest is dealing a hard blow to ethanol and biodiesel production on two fronts: 1. direct production of the green fuels, and 2. feedstock production. This story from the Truth About Trade & Technology web site says the high waters have shut down several plants in flood-ravaged Iowa: At least five small to midsize ethanol plants have …