E15 Marketer Gets Ethanol Industry Award

Cindy Zimmerman

nec13-award-1During the opening session on the second day of the Renewable Fuels Association’s (RFA) 18th annual National Ethanol Conference, Scott Zaremba, President of Zarco 66 Inc. and Zarco 66 American Fuels, received the “Industry Award” in recognition of his vision and commitment to expanding fuel choices for his customers in Kansas.

In July of 2012, Scott Zaremba became the first petroleum marketer in the United States to offer E15. Since that time, he has expanded E15 availability to seven stations throughout Kansas.

Presenting the award, RFA president and CEO Bob Dinneen said, “Scott is a trailblazer. He has vision, know-how, and most important, passion. It is never easy being first-in-the-nation at anything, but it is particularly challenging when introducing an entirely new fuel. Scott is committed to offering E15 in the name of a stronger, more energy independent country.”

Zaremba explained, “I’m proud to be able to offer my customers a choice at the pump, especially when that choice helps Kansas drivers save money, clean the environment and support ethanol production jobs across the state of Kansas and throughout the Midwest. In Kansas, our state motto talks about getting to the stars through difficulties. Introducing E15 is a good example of blazing a new trail despite regulatory delays and resistance to break our addition to foreign oil. E15 is a win-win in my book. It is part of a domestic solution to energy independence.”

Listen to my interview with Scott here: Scott Zaremba at NEC 2013


2013 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

2013 NEC Golf Tournament Photo Album

Audio, E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, RFA

Secretary Vilsack at Ethanol Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will be speaking live here at the National Ethanol Conference in Las Vegas at 8:00 am Pacific time. We will be live streaming and posting the recorded file shortly afterward – along with photos and audio.

Post Update: You can watch Sec. Vilsack’s remarks in the video – audio is posted below the video.



Video streaming by Ustream

Secretary Vilsack at NEC 2013


2013 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

2013 NEC Golf Tournament Photo Album

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, RFA, Video

Most support using corn for biofuels.

Talia Goes

Our latest ZimmPoll asked the question, ”Do you support biofuel production and the use of corn to do this?”

Our poll results: The majority of you at sixty percent say Yes, thirty-three percent said No, four percent were Indifferent and four percent chose Other. Growing crops to use as biomass for producing fuel seems to be the best alternative to depleting our finite stocks of oil and they have the added benefit of being more friendly to our environment.

Untitled

Our new ZimmPoll is now live and asks the question, “What did you think of Dodge Super Bowl commercial?” The late conservative radio broadcaster Paul Harvey’s “So God Made a Farmer” speech was the voice of the Ram Trucks Super Bowl 2013 commercial. Paul Harvey was a large voice for HSUS and an animal rights advocate. This may cause agriculturalists to have mixed feelings about Ram’s commercial. How do you feel about the commercial? Can you look past what he represented and smile about the message that he conveyed? Let us know.

ZimmPoll is sponsored by New Holland Agriculture.

Miscellaneous

Importance of Ethanol Messaging

Cindy Zimmerman

nec13-divallA widely respected public opinion research firm had some good news for the ethanol industry at the National Ethanol Conference Wednesday.

In a poll commissioned by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and conducted by American Viewpoint, 64 percent of adults polled said they supported the RFS, while just 25 percent are opposed.

Presenting her findings during a luncheon address at NEC, American Viewpoint president Linda DiVall said, “The ethanol industry has a compelling narrative to advance to consumers — it significantly reduces greenhouse gases, lowers our dependence on foreign oil, creates quality jobs, reduces fuel costs for Americans, and is serving to advance further innovations in renewable fuels.”

DiVall came up with four positive message components for the ethanol industry to utilize – green energy (targeting women and younger adults), oil companies still receive subsidies, ethanol creates jobs and reduces gas prices, and finally – call it a biofuel instead of ethanol. “Biofuel is seen as a more futuristic energy source than saying the word ethanol,” she said. “There are very positive images associated with biofuels.”

Listen to DiVall explain in this interview: Linda DiVall at NEC 2013


2013 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

2013 NEC Golf Tournament Photo Album

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, RFA

Ethanol Mantra – “Don’t Mess with the RFS”

Cindy Zimmerman

The mantra of the U.S. ethanol industry should be “Don’t Mess with the RFS,” according to Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen.

nec13-bobAddressing 1,100 participants in the National Ethanol Conference in Las Vegas today, Dinneen said, “The state of the ethanol industry can be summed up in five words: under siege and fighting back.”

“American ethanol is engaged in a Battle for the Barrel,” said Dinneen. “The stakes are high; our adversaries are well-funded; and our challenges are legion.”

Expressing optimism for the future of American biofuels, Dinneen said, “The nay-sayers keep writing obituaries for cellulosic ethanol. But the real news is that, in 2012, the first commercial cellulose plant was completed and several others began construction. Ineos in Florida is producing cellulosic ethanol today. From Abengoa in Kansas to ZeaChem in Oregon, the future of the ethanol industry can now be seen.”

“The real story of 2012 isn’t that, sometimes, we got knocked down. The real story is that we kept on bouncing back,” said Dinneen.

Read his speech here, listen to or download below.
RFA CEO Bob Dinneen at NEC 2013


2013 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

2013 NEC Golf Tournament Photo Album

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, RFA

Live Stream of Ethanol State of the Industry

Chuck Zimmerman

This morning Bob Dinneen, CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, will give his annual state of the ethanol industry speech at the 2013 National Ethanol Conference, scheduled for 8:15am pacific time. We’re streaming it live for you. Just click on the play button to watch. There may be a short commercial to sit through to get started. Thank you.

Post Update: Here is the recording of this morning’s speech:



Video streaming by Ustream

We will update this post after the session with either the recorded video or the audio of Bob’s speech.

biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, RFA, Video

National Ethanol Scholarship Winner

Cindy Zimmerman

nec-13-scholarshipA new face at the National Ethanol Conference this year is Wade Hunt, student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He was the winner of this year’s NEC scholarship award, sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Foundation (RFF), which offers college students the opportunity to attend the conference each year.

“I’m definitely using this conference to learn more about the opportunities in the industry,” said Hunt, who will be graduating this May with a degree in chemical engineering. “Alternative energy and renewable fuels have always been big interests of mine.” His senior project is to develop a packed bed reactor for the production of biodiesel.

Hunt is pictured here with Mike Jerke, chairman of the RFF and general manager of Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company in Minnesota. “What we look for is somebody who has a passion, an interest for some facet of the industry,” said Jerke, who says that includes a variety of areas such as research, management and communications. “It’s just a reflection of the broad array of career possibilities in our industry.”

The Renewable Fuels Foundation was created in 1981 as the education and research arm of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). This is the fourth consecutive year the scholarship has been available to students in higher education with a focus on renewable fuels and intending to pursue a career in the industry.

Listen to my interviews with Wade and Mike below:

NEC Scholarship Winner Wade Hunt RFF Chairman Mike Jerke
2013 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

2013 NEC Golf Tournament Photo Album

Audio, Education, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, RFA

BiodieselNow Smartphone App Announced Today

Chuck Zimmerman

BiodieselNow App AnnouncedEver wondered how to find local biodiesel retail filling stations? Now you don’t need to with the BiodieselNow smart phone app.

BiodieselNow, a new app offered by the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), gives users the ability to quickly find biodiesel fueling stations, track fuel purchases and earn rewards.

Introduced today at the 2013 National Biodiesel Conference, the app is available for both Apple and Android devices and provides valuable mapping information on biodiesel fueling stations across the US.

BiodieselNow app users can stay up-to-date on the latest biodiesel news, including federal and state regulations, quickly locate biodiesel fueling stations, and easily log their biodiesel usage along the way. Every gallon of fuel purchased earns biodiesel reward points that are redeemable toward biodiesel merchandise in NBB’s online store.

“This app puts America’s advanced biofuel in the palm of your hand. We are very excited to be able to participate more actively in the mobile communication world and use the latest technology to get even more people tuned in to biodiesel,” said Doug Whitehead, Director of Operations of NBB. “As the biodiesel industry continues to advance and consumption grows, we feel it’s important to help users find those retail locations and improve communication between NBB and the industry.”

There are hundreds of retail stations making biodiesel blends available to the public both at filling stations and fuel docks. The BiodieselNow app could not have been launched at a better time and makes finding those stations easier than ever before. Download the app today to find biodiesel, now.

You can find the app in the iTunes Store and Google Play.

2013 National Biodiesel Conference Photo Album

Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference, NBB

Biodiesel Board Celebrating 20 Years

Chuck Zimmerman

National Biodiesel Conference Joe JobeThe opening general session of this year’s National Biodiesel Conference was a fantastic look back at 20 years of the National Biodiesel Board and 10 years of this conference. After some opening educational sessions the first general session took place.

Here are some excerpts from this morning’s opening speech by Joe Jobe, CEO of the NBB.

In thinking about what I wanted to say today it occurred to me that the past and future of the biodiesel industry can best be described in three distinct eras. These eras are distinct for the biodiesel industry but also distinct as stand-alone eras in history.

The first 10 years, is what I think of as biodiesel’s childhood. The second 10 year era, roughly the past decade, is what I think of as biodiesel’s teenage years. And like many teenagers, the industry was awkward, rebellious, and emotionally unstable during this period.

And then finally I will talk about the next ten years, which I believe is the era where biodiesel enters early adulthood.

Biodiesel will be in its 20’s during this period and like most people in their 20’s, this era will provide a lot of exciting growth, development, and innovation to look forward to – as long as we stay dedicated and unified as an industry.

You can listen to all of Joe’s opening speech here: Joe Jobe Opening Speech

We’ll have more to share from today’s activities as time permits!

2013 National Biodiesel Conference Photo Album

Audio, Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference, NBB

Eastern Winds Report Released

Joanna Schroeder

Eastern Winds ReportAccording to a new report, “Eastern Winds,” analyzing the emerging wind power markets in Central and Eastern European countries, plus Turkey, Ukraine and Russia, wind power will become a significant source of electricity production by 2020. In addition, Turkey’s wind power generation capacity will grow even faster as long as there is a stable legal framework in place. The report was published by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).

“Wind energy in Central and Eastern Europe, including Turkey, will substantially reduce the fossil fuel dependency of the power sectors, “said Christian Kjaer, Chief Executive Officer at EWEA. “But some countries – such as the Czech Republic, Hungary and Bulgaria – are without stable renewable energy legislation, and investors and banks will withdraw unless governments put in place long-term renewable energy policies.”

According to EWEA 12 newer EU Member States in Central and Eastern Europe plan to increase wind power capacity from the 6.4 gigawatts installed at end of 2012 to 16 gigawatts by 2020. This is equivalent to the electricity supply of 9 million households. Turkey wants to increase wind power capacity from its current 2.3 gigawatts to 20 gigawatts by 2023.

In 2012, Poland and Romania almost doubled their annual installed wind power capacity in 2012: Poland had 2.5 gigawatts, Romania 1.9 gigawatts, and Bulgaria 0.7 gigawatts of wind power capacity installed.

Alternative energy, Electricity, Energy, International, Wind