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First day of the new Congress and already biofuels legislation has been introduced.

According to the American Coalition for Ethanol, U.S. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) have introduced the Biofuels Security Act of 2007.

Including many of the legislative priorities called for by the American Coalition for Ethanol, the bill places homegrown biofuels at the center of America’s quest for energy security. Introduced today by Senator Harkin and co-sponsored by Senator Lugar, the legislation includes these provisions:

Requiring the major oil companies to carry E85 at half of their gas stations by 2017.

On the House side, the National Biodiesel Board was pleased to see Representatives Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) and Kenny Hulshof (R-MO), introduce the Renewable Fuels and Energy Independence Promotion Act.

It was their first legislation in the 110th Congress, which convened at noon. The legislation would make the federal excise tax credit for biodiesel permanent. If adopted, the move would likely lead to dramatic and sustained growth of biodiesel use.

The bill mirrors legislation that Pomeroy and Hulshof introduced in June 2003. It removes sunset provisions for ethanol and biodiesel incentives that accompanied the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC), which took effect Jan. 1, 2005. It also makes permanent a small agri-biodiesel producer credit.

John Deere is now featuring biofuels information for agricultural producers on its web site.

The information includes a detailed biofuels reference report and 6.5-minute video that overviews John Deere’s position on the use of biodiesel.

“John Deere has been an early advocate for biodiesel and continues to actively support its use,” says Don Borgman, director of agricultural industry relations for John Deere. “We believe that supporting the use of 2 percent biodiesel (B2) is a logical first step for the industry until challenges with production, quality and distribution are addressed.

John Deere was the first to approve B5 blends for general use in 2001 and initiated its factory fill program for self-propelled equipment in 2005.

The website address is www.johndeere.com/ag.

As part of a series on “Making it in Michgan” the Associated Press did a report on the state’s campaign to become the nation’s leader in alternative fuels.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Gov. Jennifer Granholm laid it on the line for the members of the Michigan Renewable Fuels Commission.

The commission is to present its recommendations to Granholm and the Legislature by early July.

Read more.

Politicians, celebrities, race car drivers and investors all helped to make 2006 a year to remember for biofuels. Here’s just a few of the top stories on DomesticFuel this year.

January 31 – During his State of the Union address, President Bush uttered the catch phrase that marked a tipping point in the history of biofuels in America. “America is addicted to oil.” The president also brought fame to a mostly unknown plant called switchgrass. “We will also fund additional research in cutting edge methods of producing ethanol, not just from corn, but from wood chips and stalks or switch grass.”

February 5 – The star-studded National Biodiesel Conference kicked off in San Diego with a Super Bowl party. Luke Perry, Darryl Hannah and, of course, Willie Nelson all put in appearances at the event, which was covered from start to finish by DomesticFuel parent company ZimmComm on the Biodiesel Conference Blog.

March 26 – The first day of the Indy Racing League’s official switch to 10 percent ethanol fuel turned tragic when #17 Ethanol car driver Paul Dana was killed in a pre-race crash. Dana was instrumental in getting the IRL to switch to ethanol and his loss was a significant blow to people in both the racing and ethanol industries.

April 4 – Rahal Letterman Racing, the Indy Racing League and the ethanol industry announced the new #17 Ethanol car driver would be Jeff Simmons, an IRL Indy Pro Series driver from Connecticut.

April 25 – President Bush addressed the Renewable Fuels Summit 2006 in Washington, DC. Bush heavily promoted domestic fuels, both ethanol which he says has “the largest potential for immediate growth,” and biodiesel, which is why he “signed into law the first ever federal tax credit for biodiesel producers.”

May 26 – Approximately 1,200 people attended the grand opening celebration for the new $80 million Frontier Ethanol – the 100th ethanol plant to begin operations in the United States.

May 28 – The Indianapolis 500 runs for the first time on a 10 percent ethanol blend and begins to prepare for the switch to 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol in 2007.

August 9-11 – The 19th annual American Coalition for Ethanol conference is held in Kansas City, featuring a record number of attendees.

October 10-12 – The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy jointly sponsor the Advancing Renewable Energy Conference in St. Louis. President Bush told the group of about 1500 attending the event, “I like the idea of promoting a fuel that relies upon our farmers.”

2006 was also a year of record production and demand for biofuels, new legislation in dozens of states to encourage both, and lots of new alternative fuel vehicle introductions.

Look for lots more in 2007.

The dramatic growth in biofuels made from crops is the runaway favorite for the year’s top stories in agriculture.

“Emergence of biofuels as a factor in the farm economy really came out in 2006,” says USDA chief economist Keith Collins in a USDA Radio News report. “As that became realised in the second half of 2006 we saw commodity markets just explode.”

Listen to USDA Report by Gary Crawford. USDA Report (1 min MP3)

Brownfield Network ranked “growing demand during 2006 for crops that are increasingly used as sources of energy and that show promise for other uses” in the “2006 Ag Year in Review.”

According to ag columnist Jack Dillard of the Shreveport Times writes, “For 2006, the two biggest stories and happenings in agriculture were the surge toward ethanol and the drought. Both could continue into next year.”

Agricultural journalist Jim Suber’s column in the Topeka Capitol-Journal puts biofuels in the number one and two spots for top ag stories of the year.

1. The dawning of awareness by the urban public that ethanol exists as a fuel and not just for a bathtub purple passion drink to make you sick on New Year’s Eve. Add other biofuels to the list, and then research sugar and sugar cane and try to sort out that with ethanol and trade tariffs and corn production and corn subsidies and alcohol subsidies. It will take an hour, I promise.

2. The entire biofuels/ethanol complex of thinking along with the skyrocketing dollar influence of commodities funds by investors who wouldn’t know a bushel of peas from a tub of cottonseeds has perhaps built in a new price base for corn and oily crops like soybeans. Maybe.

And from the Twin Cities’ Pioneer Press we read “For American agriculture, 2006 was unquestionably the year of ethanol.”

Indeed it has been.