IA Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson

Chuck Zimmerman

Sally PedersonThe Lt. Governor of Iowa met our convoy off of I-80 after we got into Iowa. She’s Sally Pederson (right), seen here with AASHTO staff members Jennifer Gavin (left) and Kathie Leyendecker.

When I spoke with the Lt. Governor she said she’s kicking off her own convoy tour around Iowa to promote tourism. I’m sure she’ll be doing some interstate miles. She thinks ethanol is very important to Iowa and is proud that Iowa is the number one ethanol producing state.

Listen to Lt. Gov. Pederson here: Listen to MP3 Lt. Governor Sally Pederson Interview (2 min MP3)

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

Audio, Ethanol

Burn Ethanol In That Harley

Chuck Zimmerman

American Legion Riders of IowaBefore we were escorted into Living History Farms in Iowa I met with our escorts, the American Legion Riders of Iowa.

One of their group was volunteered by the others to do an interview. He’s Chuck Thompson. Chuck says he burns ethanol in his Harley with no problems and highly supports renewable fuels.

Listen to Chuck here: Listen to MP3 Chuck Thompson Interview (2 min MP3)

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

Audio, Ethanol

Convoy Rollout

Chuck Zimmerman

Convoy RolloutYou get just one post today. We rolled into Iowa and stopped just short of Urbandale to meet up with the Lt. Governor, Sally Pederson. I’ve been meaning to shoot a video clip of the convoy and finally did that.

Yes, we risk life and limb to bring you interesting pics and video. It’s been a long day with a fabulous celebration at Living History Farms and a stop at the Largest Truck Stop in the world and now we’re in Davenport. Tomorrow it’s on to Illinois and I’ll get caught up this weekend.

So watch our convoy roll out of a rest area this morning being led by the American Legion Riders: Watch wmv file Convoy Rollout (2 min WMV)

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

Video

Bill Would Keep Incentives in Place

Cindy Zimmerman

NBB A bill introduced this week in Congress would make the federal excise tax credits for renewable fuels permanent. According to a release from the National Biodiesel Board, Congressmen Kenny Hulshof (R-MO) and Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) introduced the Renewable Fuels and Energy Independence Promotion Act, which 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.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Government

USDA Will Help Fund IA Biodiesel Plant

Cindy Zimmerman

USDA RD Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns has announced a loan guarantee and grant totaling $3.75 million for construction and operation of a new biodiesel production facility in Iowa.
Riksch BioFuels LLC will construct a plant near Crawfordsville, Iowa. Twenty-five investors, including farmers and business owners, already have raised over $3.3 million for the project and will receive $400,000 from the Iowa Department of Economic Development.

Biodiesel, Government

Ethanol Awareness Increases

Cindy Zimmerman

EPIC Seventy-three percent of American consumers are likely to purchase ethanol-enriched fuel, according to the results of a new national study by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council. This represents a nine percent increase over January 2005. In addition, nearly 90 percent of those who are familiar with ethanol associate the fuel with its many positive benefits.

However, Tom Slunecka, executive director of EPIC, thinks we could do better.
“Despite prolific media coverage of ethanol in recent months, awareness of its availability is lower than expected,” said Slunecka. The lack of consistent nationwide pump labeling standards may be one of the reasons. The study showed that consumer awareness of ethanol’s availability increases with the presence of ethanol signage at the pump,” states Slunecka.
Read the release and the study here.

Ethanol, Research

USDA and DOE Announce Renewable Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

Mike Johannsenergy secretary U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns and U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman today announced that the two agencies will co-host a national renewable energy conference to help create partnerships and strategies necessary to accelerate commercialization of renewable energy industries and distribution systems, the crux of President Bush’s Advanced Energy Initiative. According to a USDA release, the conference, Advancing Renewable Energy: An American Rural Renaissance, is scheduled for October 10-12, 2006, in St. Louis, Missouri.
Among the goals for the conference is raising public awareness and I asked the Secretaries if they had any ideas for doing that. Listen to their answers here: Listen to MP3 Johanns and Bodman (3 min MP3)

Ethanol, Government

NE Lt. Governor Rick Sheehy

Chuck Zimmerman

Nebraska Lt. Governor Rick SheehyI didn’t get my own photo of Nebraska Lt. Governor Rick Sheehy today so I borrowed this one from his website. However, I did get to speak with him after our Omaha press conference.

He’s a real ethanol supporter as you’ll hear in our interview. Sheehy says that in just a few years Nebraska will be producing over 1 billion gallons of ethanol.

Listen to Lt. Governor Sheehy’s interview here: Listen to MP3 Lt. Governor Rick Sheehy Interview (2 min MP3)

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

Audio, Ethanol

Other Convoy Bloggers

Chuck Zimmerman

I think it’s fascinating that I’m not the only blogger on this trip. There are several of us and you ought to check them out. Here’s a list of them which you can find on the AASHTO website.

  • Merrill Eisenhower Atwater
    A great-grandson of President Eisenhower and a communications major at Missouri Western State University. He will be chronicling the trip and sharing family recollections.
  • Dana Alexander Nolfe
    Dana Alexander Nolfe, the Chief Public Affairs Officer for the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, shares her impressions of the trip and of how America loves its highways and byways in her blog, Life on the Highway.
  • Roadside Conversations
    The Roadside Conversations team has a blog, News from the side of the road, where they describe their experiences on the trip and in setting up their Airstream Travel Trailer with advanced audio-visual recording and playback facilities.
  • Dave Humphreys
    Convoy speaker and former Recreational Vehicles Industry Association President Dave Humphreys has a journal of his convoy trip at RV Trade Digest’s website. You can view it in the Breaking News section on the right side of the page.
  • Steve Jarriel
    Steve Jarriel, reporter for NCNTV, who is accomponying the convoy and appearing on NCN’s daily webcasts, shares reflections on his trip in a blog. You can view it by scrolling down to the very bottom of the page.
    • Uncategorized

    The Commissioner on Ethanol

    Chuck Zimmerman

    Tailgator on EthanolWe met the Commissioner of Tailgating, Joe Cahn, the other day. He was out in the sun tailgating again today.

    This time we were treated to some excellent jambalaya and bratwurst.

    If you ever have a chance to attend a Joe Cahn tailgate party I highly recommend it. He’s a great guy with an awesome perspective and outlook on life and I’m glad to have met him.

    Before saying goodbye to Joe I got this little video clip to share with you. Joe says corn is hard to find in Nebraska to cook with and explains why: Watch wmv file Commissioner Cahn on Ethanol (1 min WMV)

    Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

    Ethanol, Video