In case you’ve wondered if you can drive across the U. S. on E85 fuel only the answer is “you can.” Some college students are doing just that as I write. I just spoke with Jim Richardson, Iowa Central Community College, and they’ll wind up in Des Moines tonight after starting out in Washington, DC yesterday morning. He said they had just done a few laps around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway!
I invited Jim to have the students send in daily reports to DomesticFuel that we can use here. I think it would be interesting to see their perspective on the trip and renewable fuels like ethanol. He thinks that after they get in tonight they can send us a report.
Here’s some more information about the trip they’re on:
Beginning on Monday, March 6, 2006, students from the Iowa Central Community College (ICCC) will begin a cross-country trip in a 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche with E85 FlexFuel capability, demonstrating the possibility of coast-to-coast travel solely on E85, a mostly renewable fuel containing 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.
The students, who are part of the Iowa Central Aggies for Renewable Energy (ICARE), and a chaperone, will start their voyage from Washington D.C., with a scheduled arrival in Los Angeles at noon on Saturday, March 11.
“This is a great demonstration of the increased awareness and availability of renewable fuels such as E85,” said Jim Richardson, lead coordinator and professor at Iowa Central Community College. “With automakers like General Motors producing an abundance of flexible-fuel vehicles, we can help boost our country’s agriculture industry, save the environment, and reduce our dependence on petroleum.”
The students are Tami Davis, Ashley Heflin, Alex Lundgren and Bradley Westrum – posing in the picture with RFA president Bob Dineen, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Senator Conrad Burns of Montana.
The latest “Fill Up, Feel Good” podcast from the 
I’m sure that Tom was just standing around his booth (EPIC) at Commodity Classic and looks up and lo and behold, there’s the U. S. Secretary of Agriculture stopping by for a visit. I hope he took a spin in the ethanol car simulator.
Our U. S. Secretary of Agriculture not only mentioned renewable fuels in his speech last week at Commodity Classic but he made sure he met with all the folks there working for the various organizations involved with the industry.
While exhibiting at last week’s Commodity Classic in Anaheim EPIC got to put a new team ethanol sponsor decal on the car (simulator).
Our sponsor here at DomesticFuel is the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC). They were in Anaheim this past week exhibiting at the Commodity Classic and had some very distinguished visitors like Tom Dorr, USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development. I just got the pictures and wanted to share. There’s more to come.
Minnesota Governor, Tim Pawlenty, spoke to a crowd here at Commodity Classic in Anaheim on Friday. I think some of the folks here would like to see him run for President. He gave a great talk about how his state has led the way in the development of renewable fuels and challenged other states to follow their lead in what he called the “Energy Revolution.”
The Ethanol Promotion & Information Council wants you to experience fuel performance at 220 miles per hour. As they say, “There’s nothing Mickey Mouse about that.” Here at their booth at Commodity Classic in Anaheim, CA, they’ve got an IndyCar racing simulator. So strap yourself in and hold on. You can hear what this baby sounds like here: 
The President of the American Soybean Association is Bob Metz, from South Dakota. Bob is very happy with the way things are going with the whole renewable fuels initiative in the U. S. and especially with biodiesel. I don’t think you’ll find a bigger supporter out there.
Hello from Commodity Classic, the combined annual meeting of the National Corn Growers Association and the American Soybean Association. The first press conference here at Commodity Classic is always with the leadership of NCGA and ASA. To get us started I interviewed NCGA President, Gerald Tumbleson.