I had to get in one picture today! Here I’m interviewing Jeff Simmons, driver of the Rahal-Letterman Ethanol Car.
Jeff describes how his backup car is performing. He had to move to it after a little wall incident with the other car last week.
Jeff also says that the attention ethanol is getting from the people here at the Ethanol Summit, like USDA Under Sec. Tom Dorr, is overdue.
You can listen my interview with Jeff here: 
Jeff Simmons Interview (2 min MP3)
The Executive Director for the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council is Tom Slunecka, who spoke to the crowd at the Ethanol Summit just a little while ago.
Tom made a point of saying how important a role the media and consumers play in the development of alternative fuels like ethanol. He urged consumers to look at what the gas pump is providing and if it doesn’t have ethanol, to ask for it.
I recorded Tom’s remarks for you. You can listen to them here: Tom Slunecka Remarks (5 min MP3)
The keynote speaker today at the Ethanol Summit here at the Indianapolis Speedway was USDA Under Secretary Tom Dorr.
I interviewed the Secretary and asked him what his department is doing to assist in the development of alternative fuels. He says that the main ways they help are by providing small grants to companies that are starting up and developing alternative fuel alternatives like ethanol and then some initial financing in the form of low interest loans.
You can listen to my interview with Secretary Dorr here: Secretary Dorr Interview (4 min MP3)
One of the first speakers at today’s Ethanol Summit was the late Paul Dana’s brother Greg.
Greg talked about the vision and mission Paul had in bringing together the ethanol industry and the IRL. He paid a great tribute to his brother and I have to believe it was a tough thing to do here today in front of so many people in the industry who worked with and miss Paul. He did a great job though and I’ve got his full comments for you.
You can listen to Greg’s remarks here: Greg Dana Remarks (7 min MP3)
Prior to the start of the program here at the Ethanol Summit at the Indianapolis Speedway the chairman of the National Corn Growers Association, Leon Corzine (left), met with USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development, Tom Dorr.
It’s not the first time the Secretary has been here in Indianapolis and I’m sure it won’t be his last.
Dorr’s department is very involved with assisting in the growth of infrastructure for alternative fuels around the country as you’ll hear in a post coming up with my interview with him.
The Ethanol Summit is now in full swing. Buddy Rahal and his 3 drivers got us started with short statements. Tony George, President of the IRL, (pictured) just finished speaking.
Right now Greg Dana, brother to the late Paul Dana is speaking. It’s a very emotional moment and you can hear it in his voice. I know we all wish Paul was still here with us to celebrate this week’s race and the use of ethanol in the Indy car tanks.
I’ll have a number of posts with audio for you after the morning’s activities are completed. Coming up on the agenda are several more speakers.
To get you in the Indy mood today, here’s an interview I did on Ethanol Day with the number 17 car driver, Jeff Simmons.
Jeff talks about the significance of the event. He talks about how his fellow drivers feel about putting ethanol in their cars.
You can listen to my interview with Jeff here: Jeff Simmons Interview (3 min MP3)
It’s a beautiful Thursday morning trackside here in Indianapolis as we get ready for the Ethanol Forum. As you know, our primary sponsor is the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council and they are very involved in the event being held here this morning.
On the agenda this morning we’re going to hear from people like Jeff Simmons, Bobby Rahal, Danica Patrick, Buddy Rice, Tony George, Tom Slunecka, Becky Skillman and USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development, Tom Dorr. I’ll have audio and pictures later today for you.
Hopefully, the rain that passed through last night will leave us alone this morning.
Time to take a break, as in drive to Indianapolis. Tomorrow there will be an Ethanol Forum taking place and I’ll be there. I’ll be posting lots of interviews and pictures all the way through the race on Sunday from the pagoda, as they call the media center building trackside.
I hope you enjoy our coverage of the race and surrounding activities.
There is no shortage of ethanol news this week as we get closer to the Indianapolis 500. This story is about a new ethanol plant in Iowa. The Broin Companies just announced that Frontier Ethanol, LLC, near Gowrie, Iowa, is the 100th ethanol plant to begin operations in the United States. The Sioux Falls, SD-based company developed, designed, engineered, and built the facility and will provide management and marketing services. There’s a grand opening planned for tomorrow.
“The Broin Companies built one of the first successful ethanol production plants in America in the early 1980s and we are thrilled that our plant, Frontier Ethanol, is our nation’s 100th,” exclaimed Jeff Broin, CEO of the Broin Companies. “This is a tremendous milestone for our industry and our organization.”Read More
