This edition of “The Ethanol Report” features comments from the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) “Land Use and Carbon Impacts of Corn-based Ethanol Conference” held August 25-26 in St. Louis. Comments come from National Corn Growers Association Director of Biofuels & Business Development Jamey Cline, NCGA CEO Rick Tolman, North Dakota grower Bart Schott, and Geoff Cooper with the Renewable …
Corn Growers Spotlight Indirect Land Use Issues
Corn growers want regulators to know that trying to measure unintended consequences of biofuels production could result in more unintended consequences. The National Corn Growers Association held a conference this week in St. Louis to focus on the issue of land use and carbon impacts of corn ethanol and how the future can be predicted with models to determine lifecycle …
Indirect Land Use Concerns for Ethanol
A conference on land use and carbon impacts of corn ethanol held this week in St. Louis offered a broad view of a significant topic as Washington braces to continue debates on climate change legislation and the future of ethanol. Geoff Cooper with the Renewable Fuels Association moderated the first panel at the conference sponsored by the National Corn Growers …
DF Cast: ACE Explores Indirect Land Use Issue
The recent American Coalition for Ethanol’s 22nd Ethanol Conference & Trade Show in Milwaukee saw an exploration of an issue that remains a hot issue in the biofuels biz: Indirect Land Use. The concept that the growth of some biofuels feedstocks in the United States, especially corn and soybeans, could cause the cutting down of the rain forests in other …
Indirect Land Use Science Lacking & World Knows it
Yet another study has found that Searchinger et al.’s paper on Indirect Land Use was not based on ‘sound science’. According to researchers Professor John Matthews and Dr. Hao Tan, from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, the Searchinger paper is more ideology than science and is seeking to put biofuels in the worst possible light. In addition, they say, alternative …
EPA Responds to Indirect Land Use for Ethanol Issue
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has received a response from the Environmental Protection Agency explaining the decision to include indirect land use change in calculating estimates of lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions for biofuels, but the senator still believes it should not be a factor in the Renewable Fuels Standard. According to the letter from EPA acting assistant administrator Elizabeth Craig, the …
Ethanol Industry Pleased With White House Action
The ethanol industry is unanimous in its praise for the actions announced today by the Obama administration with regard to the future development of biofuels under the Renewable Fuels Standard and the creation of a Biofuels Interagency Working Group. During a press conference immediately following the announcement, Renewable Fuels Association president Bob Dinneen said, “The president has sent an incredibly …
AF&V Conference Kicks Off in Orlando
The exhibit hall opened yesterday and showcases booths from a variety of alternative fuel industry groups and automakers. An important workshop was held this afternoon and focused on the untruths of the alternative fuel industry. The session, Eco-Smackdown: Industry Addresses Untruths About Alternative Fuels, included a panel of experts from industries representing propane, compressed natural gas, biodiesel, and ethanol. An …
DOE Conference Focuses on Biomass Future
With appropriate policies to help overcome current fiscal constraints, the advanced biofuels industry can meet environmental goals, create new green jobs and contribute to economic growth, according to industry leaders who met this week at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of the Biomass Program’s Biomass 2009: Fueling Our Future conference. During the conference opening plenary session, titled “Dispelling …
NRDC’s Take on Indirect Land Use
Indirect land use has been a hot topic at this year’s 14th annual National Ethanol Conference. The ethanol industry has been working closely with many organizations on this issue including the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). I caught up with Nathanael Greene, Senior Policy Analyst–Air and Energy, after he participated in the panel: The Impact of Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions …