In honor of Rudolph Diesel’s birthday on March 18, 1858, today is National Biodiesel Day! As you might know, the inventor of the diesel engine advocated for the use of vegetable oil (in particular peanut oil) to power his fuel-efficient invention. Today, biodiesel is the manifestation of Diesel’s vision, as it provides a clean source of renewable energy for the …
Galveston Biodiesel Plant Back On
A Galveston, Texas biodiesel plant that looked like it was done after oil giant Chevron backed out of a deal to expand operations, now looks like it is back to expanding its efforts. This story in the Houston Chronicle says Galveston Bay Biodiesel will spend $15 million to do some improvements and settle legal claims against it after Chevron left …
Ethanol Pioneer Dies
One of the original ethanol visionaries has passed away, but the plant he helped to build in 1984 continues to operate. The Washington Post today published the obituary of Donald Evans, a Washington area lawyer and “70s ethanol pioneer,” as the headline reads. In 1980, he and other partners formed New Energy Inc. of Indiana to build a $185 million …
Texas Cuts Biofules Incentives
Surprise, surprise… petroleum giant Texas has cut some of the state’s incentives to biofuels makers. The Dallas Morning News reports that lawmakers in the state legislature removed funding for biodiesel and ethanol because some complained that they were competing with the state’s petroleum industry. But some lawmakers see the move as short sighted: Rep. David Swinford, a Republican lawmaker from …
The Brotherhood of Biodiesel
As naysayers try to bash the promise of biofuels, a man in Washington state is doing his part to spread the word through his brotherhood of biodiesel. This story in the Othello (WA) Outlook says Bill Riley, the director of Big Bend Economic Development Council, has been making his own biodiesel for several years. He’s taking the approach that every …
Soybean Acres Drop Despite Biodiesel Rise
In what might be considered a bit counter-intuitive, U.S. soybean acres planted have dropped to the lowest level in 12 years… despite increased interests in biodiesel… a product that often uses soy oil as its feedstock. This story posted on Forbes.com says the culprit is more farmers switching to corn to make the even more popular ethanol: The USDA reported …
Cold Crushing Explored for Biodiesel
Toronto, Canada-based Bio-Extraction Inc. is joining with BioNex Energy Corp to develop and test, and then prove the commercial viability of using a cold crushing technology to more efficiently extract oils from seeds for use in a BEC biodiesel refinery in the works in western Canada. Check out this story from Renewable Energy Access.com: BEC is a developmental stage company …
Ethanol Key Topic at OAS Meeting
A showdown over ethanol is brewing at the Organization of American States’ General Assembly meeting this week in Panama. According to this story in the Washington (DC) Times, the U.S. and Brazil are pushing an OAS paper promoting looking for alternative fuel sources in the Western Hemisphere, more specifically, ethanol, which the Americans and Brazilians are producing in the billions …
Tyson Defends Using Biodiesel Credit
Tyson is defending the use of a biodiesel tax credit by the meat-producing giant and oil giant ConocoPhillips. A recent IRS ruling that the two companies could take advantage of a $1-a-gallon tax credit brought criticism from the National Biodiesel Board (see my post on April 18th) and the threat of legislative action by a Congressman from Texas (see my …
NBB Fights Tax Incentive Abuse
The National Biodiesel Board is vowing to fight what it considers abuse of the biodiesel tax credit. According to a release from the NBB, the original intent of the credit was to help the biodiesel industry get off the ground, but big oil companies now are trying to take advantage of it: The NBB has been advised of a potential …