There was some big news announced during the Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW) – Team Ethanol is back. Dave Vander Griend, the founder of ICM and one of the three original sponsors of the Team Ethanol IndyCar program, delivered the news that Team Ethanol will be back on the track for the first time in nearly two years at the upcoming …
Challenges Undermine Clean Energy Future
“If we refuse to take into account the full costs of our fossil fuel addiction — if we don’t factor in the environmental costs and the national security costs and the true economic costs — we will have missed our best chance to seize a clean energy future.” That is what President Obama said in his speech at Carnegie Mellon …
Brazil Ethanol Lobbies DC With Gas Discount
The Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) is discounting gasoline by 54 cents per gallon on the Tuesday before Memorial Day at two Capitol Hill gas stations to draw attention to a 54 cents per gallon tariff on imported ethanol. “The one-day discount will provide Washington area residents with a preview of how Americans across the country could save money at …
Ethanol Pump Opening Celebrations
The grand openings of new ethanol pumps are being celebrated Friday in two different states – one big on corn ethanol, the other not so much. Illinois legislative officials and corn ethanol representatives will be opening the first blender pump in southern Illinois. The pump in Sullivan is the first of 20 such pumps planned in the state in a …
One-Sided Article Blames Ethanol for Meat Price Hike
The ethanol industry was quick to respond to a Bloomberg Business Week article Monday that places the blame for the current hike in meat prices solely on using corn for ethanol. The story quotes several meat industry representatives who state that current higher meat prices are “ethanol-induced” – the result of hog and cattle herds that were reduced in 2008 …
Biodiesel Board Cites Earth Day in Renewal Call
This past week marked the 40th anniversary of the original green event, Earth Day. And the National Biodiesel Board used the occasion to call for an important tax break for the original advanced biofuel – biodiesel. This NBB press release says renewal of the $1-a-gallon federal tax incentive is imperative for the economic health of the country and the ecological …
UK Report on Food Crisis Vindicates Ethanol
A new report commissioned by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has concluded that drought and high oil prices, not biofuels, were behind the so-called food crisis of 2007/2008. “Available evidence suggests that biofuels had a relatively small contribution to the 2008 spike in agricultural commodity prices,” the report noted. “Studies which have found a large …
Toasting Biodiesel and Herr Diesel!
OK, maybe it’s not the drink of choice, but biodiesel is truly a fitting symbol for the 152nd birthday of Rudolf Diesel. Tomorrow, Thursday, March 18th, is the inventor’s birthday, and since he designed that first diesel engine to run on vegetable oil, the National Biodiesel Board is taking the day to recognize the role the clean-burning fuel has played …
Book Review – Climate of Extremes
I have a question for you. Is the debate over global warming over? The next logical question is: Should it be over? According to authors Patrick J. Michaels and Robert C. Balling Jr., human-induced climate change is indeed real, but this will not necessarily lead to an environmental apocalypse. This is the premise of their book, A Climate of Extremes. …
Biodiesel Standards Under Revision
One biodiesel standard is under review, while another one has been revised. This post on Truckinginfo.com says ASTM International is considering a cold weather biodiesel standard: Through the ballot, the group will decide if changes need to be made within the specification, D6751. If changes are needed, the group will determine whether they should apply to all biodiesel, or whether …