The American Lung Association of Minnesota and the Minnesota Soybean Association are sponsoring some scholarships for students in Minnesota who write winning essays about biodiesel.
The Clean Air Choice Scholarships provide money for students with the intent to raise awareness of the emerging alternative fuel:
“The Clean Air Choice essay scholarship is open to all high school seniors in Minnesota who wish to continue their education after high school,” said contest coordinator Alison Deneen. “Two scholarships will be awarded. The first place essay writer will receive a $500 scholarship; the second place essay writer will receive a $250 scholarship.”
Students can write the 1,000-word essays about any aspect of biodiesel. They can also choose from one of three topics… 1. Biodiesel’s benefits to Minnesota… 2. Expanding biodiesel’s use: opportunities and challenges… or 3. How can you impact biodiesel use in your area?
Entries must be in to the American Lung Association of Minnesota offices in St. Paul by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, April 30, 2007. Organizers do prefer online entries at the web site www.cleanairchoice.org.
The president talked about his goal of reducing America’s gasoline consumption by 20 percent over the next 10 years and how hybrid cars and flex-fuel vehicles can help achieve that goal.
Denver-based 
The City of Rome, Italy could convert all of its 2800 buses to biodiesel by the end of 2008. 
And it burns cleaner… good for the environment. Plus, NC State is using the glycerol produced from the biodiesel production to power the process. Since it has to work at high altitudes at temperatures as low as -70 degrees, the fuel works at extremely low temperatures.
The CEO of Wisconsin’s 
The US Department of Agriculture has awarded $6.2 million in grants to more than two dozen small businesses and community groups to develop innovative uses for woody biomass, including renewable energy and new products, from national forests.
Ethanol-enriched fuel was a clear winner at the 55th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring, the first time the renewable fuel was used in an endurance race format. The LMP2 class was won by Andretti Green Racing featuring the Acura ARX, while Corvette Racing took a first in the GT1 class. For the first time ever, both cars used a 10 percent ethanol-enriched blend.
A newly created renewable energy center at IUPUI has been named after Indiana Senator Richard Lugar.
A new study by the 
Feed prices have indeed increased significantly. As feed costs generally account for more than half of operating costs for industrial operations, higher prices can have an important impact on the bottom line for these companies. So too can low prices. Any discussion of today’s high prices should take into account the extent to which these same firms have benefited from many years of feed that was priced well below what it cost to produce. In the nine years that followed the passage of the 1996 Farm Bill, 1997-2005, corn was priced 23% below average production costs, while soybean prices were 15% below farmers’ costs. As a result, feed prices were an estimated 21% below production costs for poultry and 26% below costs for the hog industry. We estimate cumulative savings to the broiler chicken industry from below-cost feed in those years to be $11.25 billion, while industrial hog operations saved an estimated $8.5 billion. The leading firms gained a great deal during those years from U.S. agricultural policies that helped lower the prices for many agricultural commodities.