Segments of the Opening Session

Chuck Zimmerman February 5, 2007

At this morning’s general session a panel discussion was held that featured U. S. Representatives, Collin Peterson (D-MN), Kenny Hulshof (R-MO), Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) and Dave Wheldon (R-FL). These are also the members of The Second Amendments, the band that played at half time during the Super Bowl party yesterday here at the National Biodiesel Conference.

They talked about their vision of our nation’s energy future. The moderator for the session was Gene Gebolys, World Energy Alternatives and NBB Regulatory Chair.

I recorded the session for you in its entirety: Representatives Rock The House (34 min MP3)

During the morning general session the NBB CEO, Joe Jobe gave a speech in which he outlines several key focus areas for the organization. I recorded his speech and you can listen to it here: Joe Jobe Speech (12 min MP3)

Just in case you’d like to read a transcript of his remarks you can find it with this link: Joe Jobe Speech (Word Document)

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Audio, Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference, Government

Meet Our Sponsor – John Deere

Chuck Zimmerman February 5, 2007

As you know by now, the sponsor of my coverage of the National Biodiesel Conference is John Deere. I met with Don Borgman, John Deere representative attending the conference this morning and recorded the interview you can watch on this YouTube.

I also recorded it as an audio interview series as well. Don talks about the John Deere renewable fuel initiative and says that the company has actually been supporting biodiesel for some time.

Listen to my interview with Don here: Don Borgman Interview (7 min MP3)

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Audio, Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference, Video

Letters to the Editors Show Support for Biodiesel

John Davis February 5, 2007

Just a quick check of a few letters to the editors in some Sunday papers across the country reveals a possible increase in the understanding and acceptance of biodiesel.

This letter from Chip Keen, a certified mechanic from Puget Sound in Washington state, wound up in the Fort Wayne (IN) Journal Gazette:
Petrodiesel is highly toxic; biodiesel is less toxic than table salt. If the world ran on biodiesel rather than petroleum, oil spills would no longer be the matters of great concern that they are today, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would no longer be a bone of contention, and repressive regimes and global terrorism would no longer be supported by petro dollars.

And in the Billings (MT) Gazette, Mary E. Fitzpatrick, chair of the Clean Energy Task Force, Northern Plains Resource Council in Billings wrote:
Cleaner exhaust and homegrown prosperity helps everyone. Montana farmers can grow oilseed for a local market that is not controlled by agribusiness or multinational energy companies. The infrastructure supporting a biodiesel industry would bring jobs and income to rural Montana. The product could power many farm and ranch operations.

Just a couple of letters? Sure, but when you couple this anectdotal evidence with a recent survey from the Renewable Fuels Association that says 85% of Americans think that the government should be involved in the development of alternative fuels (see Cindy’s January 25th post), it at least seems to indicate more acceptance.

Biodiesel

Companies Join to Build Slovenia’s Largest Biodiesel Refinery

John Davis February 5, 2007

A Slovenian oil refining company has partnered with an Austrian financier to build Slovenia’s largest biodiesel plant. The plant in Lendava, Slovenia (pictured below) will produce about 18 million gallons of biodiesel a year… making it one of the biggest in Europe.

According to a press release on the company’s website, Nafta Lendava, Eko Nafta, Nafta Biodizel and the Austrian firm CMB Maschinenbau with their representative Hypo Alpe Adria Bank joined together in the 15.4 million Euro deal (nearly US $20 million).

Groundbreaking is planned for this spring with the plant expected to be on-line in early 2008. When fully operational, it will represent nearly 90 percent of Slovenia’s biodiesel production.

Biodiesel, International

Saudi Alabama?

John Davis February 5, 2007

This story in the e-zine Tuscaloosanews.com (a weekly on-line publication produced by the students and faculty of the University of Alabama’s College of Communications) says that the raw products in Alabama have the state poised to be the next Saudi Arabia… at least in the alternative fuels world. Using a combination of fuels produced from chicken poop, cellulose from the massive amount of wood products in the state, switchgrass, and a growing biodiesel industry in Alabama (made from locally grown soybeans), experts believe the state could be on the verge of something big:

“I often say we are the Saudi Arabia of biomass,” said David Bransby, professor of energy and fiber crops forage-livestock management at Auburn University. “I think those two resources: wood and broiler litter. If we had the technologies to produce the energy from them — to make the liquid fuels from them commercially competitive — we could start tomorrow because they’re all sitting there waiting. That material is all there.

Must be pretty big for Alabama students promoting the thoughts of someone from Auburn! The story goes on to say the state already has one biodiesel plant, another one coming on-line in March, and seven more in the works.

The state legislature has been a little slow to act, but now there is at least one tax incentive proposed, and Gov. Bob Riley has put together an alternative energies advisory panel.

Biodiesel, Cellulosic, Ethanol

Photo Album From the Biodiesel Conference

Chuck Zimmerman February 4, 2007

I’m uploading all my photos each day to a Flickr Photo Album. I got started this evening and there’s already over 100 photos available.

To see the photos now and throughout the conference just visit this link: Biodiesel Conference Photo Album

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Biodiesel Conference

Daryl Hannah Promotes Biodiesel

Chuck Zimmerman February 4, 2007

I started out wandering around and getting my bearings here at the Biodiesel Conference and just like last year, one of the first persons I ran into was Daryl Hannah. Daryl has been to every National Biodiesel Conference and can’t believe how much it has grown. She’s pictured here with Jenna Higgins, Communications Director for the National Biodiesel Board during rehearsals for tomorrow’s opening general session.

I spoke with Daryl about the conference and what she thinks about the work the National Biodiesel Board is doing. Daryl says that we need to make sure that what we’re using as a renewable fuel is sustainable and that we need to get off our dependence on fossil fuels.

You can listen to my interview with Daryl here: Daryl Hannah Interview (4 min MP3)

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Audio, Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference, Miscellaneous

Arriving at Biodiesel Conference

Chuck Zimmerman February 4, 2007

Hello from San Antonio, location of this year’s National Biodiesel Conference. I just got in and am using the Internet Cafe here in the convention center. It’s sponsored by BioEnergy of America, Inc., giving everyone a convenient place to check email or as in my case, post onto their blog.

Right now a lot of people are getting checked in or attending one of the opening sessions like the one on membership in the National Biodiesel Board. Later we’ll all go off site to a Super Bowl party and I’m looking forward to that.

I’m going to be collecting pictures and hopefully some interviews this afternoon before the party and will try to get some of them posted later this evening. I’ll be cross posting onto the Biodiesel Conference Blog so be sure to check out both sites for all the latest from this annual event.

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Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference

Global Warming at 28 Below

Cindy Zimmerman February 2, 2007

A quick Google news search for “global warming” today turns up nearly 2,000 articles in the first heading, thanks to a new study that says global warming is “underway right now, humans caused it, and it will continue for centuries, no matter what we do.”

The study was released in Paris by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

At a press conference in Washington, U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said, “Human activity is contributing to changes in the Earth’s climate. That issue is no longer up for debate.”

Bodman said the Bush administration’s energy policies “go hand in hand with our efforts to address climate change,” with an emphasis on more research for hydrogen, solar power and ethanol production technologies.

That echoes the views expressed just last month by arctic explorer Will Steger in a press release announcing that the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council will be sponsoring his Global Warming 101 expedition this year. “There’s never been a more critical time to act. The debate is over,” said Steger. “Ethanol is available now to consumers. A renewable fuel, it’s a critical part of the solution.”

Steger’s expedition is scheduled to head off to the Great White North on Valentine’s Day, but this weekend he will be celebrating with a send-off party in his home town of Ely, Minnesota. The event will be held at the Mukluk Ball, part of the Ely Winter Festival.

This Domestic Fuel reporter will be there, decked out in faux mukluks and a brand-new down coat, hoping to survive the frigid festivities. The AccuWeather forecast calls for a low of 28 degrees below zero Saturday night.

Ethanol, global warming, Government, International, News

Yet Another Record

Cindy Zimmerman February 2, 2007

The latest monthly figures from the Energy Information Administration show that U.S. ethanol production and demand reached record levels in November 2006. Production of ethanol in November averaged 343,000 barrels per day (b/d) while demand averaged 414,000 b/d.

The Renewable Fuels Association released the new statistics, as they do every time the EIA report is issued.

Ethanol, News

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