Third Coast Biofuels, LLC is proposing a 40 to 60 million gallon ethanol plant for Wisconsin Rapids and Mayor Mary Jo Carson is “thrilled,” according to this article from the Wisconsin Technology Network.
Ron Kuehn, a Third Coast representative, explained at an informational city meeting this week that in the best-case scenario, the plant could be built by the spring of 2008.
Kansas City-based Alternative Energy Sources Inc. has announced the appointment of John A. Ward as executive vice president and director of operations.
According to a press release, Ward will be responsible for site selection, permitting, design and engineering of ethanol plants to be built in Iowa, Illinois and other locations. He will oversee the construction process for each plant and develop a management team to supervise day-to-day plant operations and ensure peak performance. In addition, he will evaluate international investment opportunities for AENS in developing alternative and renewable energy supplies.
For the past five years Ward managed all manufacturing and engineering functions of the corn-processing and the bio-products divisions at ADM, the nation’s No. 1 corn-processing and ethanol producer.
Ward joins two other former ADM execs, Mark Beemer, CEO, and Lee Blank, COO who formed the company in June.
Honda Motors and a Japanese-based research company says they have developed the world’s first practical process for producing ethanol from cellulosic biomass.
According to a news release, Honda and partner Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth, or RITE, the new method allows large volumes of ethanol to be produced from widely available waste wood, leaves and other so-called soft biomass. 
Current technology allows fermentation inhibitors, collaterally formed primarily during the process of separating cellulose and hemicellulose from soft-biomass, to interfere with the function of microorganisms that convert sugar into alcohol, leading to extremely low ethanol yield.
The new process uses a microorganism developed by RITE that helps reduce such interference, enabling far more efficient ethanol production.
Three former Secretaries of Agricutlure testified before the House Agriculture Committee Thursday on what the most important priorities should be for the 2007 Farm Bill. All three mentioned energy and the role of agriculture in meeting the nation’s demand for it.
Former Secretary John Block, who served five years under the first President Bush, told the committee that “the increasing need for the use of our agricultural industry as a producer of energy is evident to everyone” and that “as much support as possible should be given to this aspect of the farm bill,” including support of renewable fuel research and development.
You can listen to Block’s renewable energy comments here: 
John Block (1 min MP3)
Clayton Yeutter, who also served under Bush, was passionate about the subject.
“The American public in my view is totally fed up with our dependence on crude oil imports from nations that are often unfriendly to the US, unstable, and sometimes downright hostile. And I believe the American public is prepared to pay the price to change that,” he said. He called on the committee to make a “major investment in the whole energy, renewable fuels area in American agricutlure and I believe all of America will thank you if you do that.”
You can listen to Yeutter’s renewable energy comments here: Clayton Yeutter (1 min MP3)
Finally, one of President Clinton’s agriculture secretaries, Dan Glickman of Kansas, noted that energy offers “great opportunities” for agriculture to participate in the development of energy for the transportation business. However, he did have a warning about the food versus fuel issue. “When gas tanks begin competing for corn as earnestly as the feed mills upon which our multi-billion dollar animal agriculture system depends, the equation takes on a vastly different perspective.” He said he believes the issue is “manageable, but it’s a complex issue that ought to be at the top of your agenda.”
You can listen to Glickman’s renewable energy comments here: Dan Glickman (1 min MP3)
Two more prodcers became BQ-9000 this week, according to the National Biodiesel Board.
Although new to biodiesel production in the United States, Cargill took measures while constructing its biodiesel facilities so that it could help ensure it meets the industry standard for quality. Cargill’s Iowa Falls, Iowa, location has produced biodiesel since May. The company reports 37.5 million gallons of capacity. 
Griffin Industries of Kentucky, an early producer of biodiesel beginning in the late 1990s, has also achieved BQ-9000 accreditation. “Our ability to further validate the consistent quality of Griffin’s BioG-3000® premium biodiesel is a critical step to maintaining and building consumer confidence,” said Tom Griffin, Senior Vice President for Griffin Industries.
BQ-9000 is a voluntary fuel quality assurance program that includes procedures for fuel storage, handling and management aimed at ensuring biodiesel fuel quality throughout the distribution system. To date, 11 companies are BQ-9000 accredited, with another seven undergoing the process.
Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry is holding a conference on biofuels next month in Norman, Okla. The Oklahoma Governor’s Conference on Biofuels features an impressive array of experts in the area of domestic fuels including state and federal government officials, oil and renewable industry representatives, university researchers and stakeholders from areas such as the military, transportation, agriculture and marketing. The event is scheduled for October 3 and 4 at the University of Oklahoma.
Registration for this comprehensive conference is only $20.
Geez, guys, can’t we all just get along?
Flex-Tek and Full Flex, competing E85 conversion kits, are having a little war on Domestic Fuel. (see previous post comments) For the sake of transparency, readers should be aware that Full Flex asked their satisfied customers to comment on the post about the interview I did with them.
Here’s the way I see it, folks. Hopefully, you are both selling good products that will help us reduce our dependence on foreign oil. There should be a big enough market out there for both of you – and maybe even others. So, be nice to each other. Competition is good for the market.
Intrepid Technology and Resources, Inc., an Idaho-based renewable alternate energy company, is turning dairy cow manure into natural gas. (see previous post)
Thanks to a partnership with Utah State University, ITR is the first company to produce pipeline-quality methane from cow manure. ITR is expanding its operations, and will now produce natural gas from 100 percent of the manure from 6,500 cows. Previously, the company was only utilizing about 30 percent of their clients’ waste. All of the gas will be put into a pipeline and sold to Intermountain Gas Company, according to ITR Vice President Brad Frazee.
The expansion will include an additional eight digester tanks and will produce enough gas to provide gas energy to 5,000 homes and any dairy with 2,000 or more cows could produce enough gas to make such a project viable.
Read the entire story here.
Despite a dry summer in many parts of the country, there’s still plenty of corn to go around.
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service September crop report calls for an 11.114 billion bushel corn crop for the current marketing year, which would be the second-largest crop on record.
The forecast is one percent higher than last month report and up just a tick from 2005’s 11.112 billion bushel crop. 2004 was the record at 11.8 billion bushels.
National Corn Growers Association President Gerald Tumbleson says, “With last year’s carry over and this year’s projected second-largest crop on record, it is clear that corn producers will produce more than enough corn to supply all markets this year.”
E85 has arrived in the Sunshine State.
Florida’s first E85 pump opened in Tallahassee Wednesday, with Governor Jeb Bush doing the honors of filling the first tank full. 
General Motors Corporation, in partnership with Inland Food Stores and the State of Florida, facilitated the launch. According to a company release, they have plans for at least 16 other fueling sites in the greater Tallahassee area.
“Securing a diverse and reliable supply of energy will reduce Florida’s dependence on imported oil and ensure that a balanced mix of fuel sources and technologies are available for years to come,” said Governor Bush. “The tremendous potential of ethanol to become a major source of transportation fuel for Florida ‘s energy future will be spurred with greater public access to ethanol fueling stations.”
Commenting on today’s announcement, Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson added, “We congratulate General Motors and Inland Food Stores in the formation of this partnership to bring renewable biofuel to consumers at more retail locations. We’re pleased that the efforts of today’s partnership will help provide more Florida consumers with domestically grown and produced fuel choices like E85.”
