Biofuels

May 07, 2008 -- Montpelier, Vermont – The State of Vermont announced today that the Department of Public Service (DPS) will award $2.28 million from the Clean Energy Development Fund (CEDF) for projects throughout the state. The goal of the CEDF is to increase the development and deployment of combined heat and power (CHP) technologies and renewable energy generation.

A hydroelectric facility in Winooski, Vermont: Photo by Peter Wadsworth (CC)    » read more »

March 31, 2008 -- The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has reached a Memorandum of Understanding with ConocoPhillips and Iowa State University to identify promising cellulosic biomass conversion technologies over the near, mid- and long-term. The collaboration will bring three independently established programs together to help identify the most efficient and cost-effective methods for making liquid transportation fuels from plants.    » read more »

Non-traditional resources and new conversion technologies critical to sustainable Northwest biofuels industry

March 17, 2008 -- RICHLAND, Wash. – The Northwest can have a sizeable biofuels industry based primarily on local resources -- if non-traditional feedstocks, such as municipal waste, and new conversion technologies are used, according to a report issued today by the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.    » read more »

March 17, 2008 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter today announced that the Governor's Energy Office (GEO) is seeking applicants for $100,000 in incentives for bio-heating projects that use community woody biomass.

The funds are being made available through the Clean Energy Fund for a "Community Biomass for Thermal Usage Program." Bio-heating projects support wildfire mitigation efforts, provide alternatives to slash pile burns, and build local wood-fuel markets.    » read more »

March 10, 2008 -- "Mr. President, I recently visited Birch Run High School in Michigan to learn about its Bio-Diesel project. This project is an innovative, forward-thinking endeavor, and I am proud that young people in Michigan are making strides to understand and begin to solve some of our nation’s most pressing concerns.    » read more »

March 4, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Ed Schafer and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel Bodman today announced that combined, USDA and DOE will invest up to $18.4 million, over three years, for 21 biomass research and development (R&D), and demonstration projects.    » read more »

28 February 2008 -- Air travel is growing rapidly around the world and the fuel jets burn is a major contributor of greenhouse gases. Virgin Atlantic Airlines President Richard Branson demonstrated this week that using biofuel to power a commercial jetliner may make the sky a little greener.

With much fanfare billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson tested a Boeing 747 jumbo jet's ability to fly with biofuel powering its massive engines.    » read more »

February 11, 2008 -- JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Governor Matt Blunt today announced that ICM, Inc., a leading company in constructing and operating ethanol plants across the U.S., has identified St. Joseph as the location to build a new biofuels plant. The proposed plant will use diverse feedstocks, including agricultural residue of corn fiber, corn stover, switchgrass and sorghum, to manufacture biofuels.    » read more »

Just-Filed Bill Would Devastate Landscape, Hurt Wildlife

WASHINGTON (February 8, 2008) -- In a move that could prove disastrous for America’s forests, open lands and wildlife, Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.) introduced a bill late Wednesday to strip environmental safeguards from the recently signed Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, according to scientists and policy experts from leading environmental and conservation organizations.

The organizations committed to fighting the attack on clean biofuels joined together with this statement:    » read more »

Sebelius praises Kansas company for landing federal grant for biofuels research project

January 30, 2008 -- Kansas continues to lead the nation’s evolution from grain-based ethanol production to ethanol derived from cellulosic sources, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius said today when she learned that the U.S. Department of Energy will award up to $30 million to ICM Incorporated of Colwich, Kansas, for a demonstration-sized plant to make renewable fuels from nonfood plant matter.    » read more »

Ten percent commercial-scale biorefineries will help the nation meet new Renewable Fuels Standard

January 29, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman today announced that DOE will invest up to $114 million, over four years, (Fiscal Years 2007-2010) for four small-scale biorefinery projects to be located in Commerce City, Colorado; St. Joseph, Missouri; Boardman, Oregon; and Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.    » read more »

DOE to support transformation of Hawaii’s energy supply through Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative

January 28, 2008 -- HONOLULU, HI –The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the State of Hawaii today strengthened cooperation to implement clean energy technologies that will increase energy efficiency and maximize use of the State’s vast and abundant renewable resources.    » read more »

January 28, 2008 -- HONOLULU – Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Alexander Karsner today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish the Hawai’i Clean Energy Initiative, a long-term partnership designed to accelerate the transformation of Hawai’i into one of the world’s first economies based primarily on clean energy resources.    » read more »

25 January 2008 -- Last year was a record year for the renewable energy industry in the United States. The development and sale of power from wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and other renewable sources in 2007 infused $20 billion into the U.S. economy and created tens of thousands of jobs. But industry leaders fear that growth could be stalled because of the failure of the U.S. Congress to ensure long-term support for renewable energy projects.    » read more »

Proposes Increase for OCAST

January 24, 2008 -- Oklahoma City -- Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry is calling on the state Legislature this year to continue its commitment to the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center (OBC), a groundbreaking initiative to bolster renewable energy, promote environmental protection and help wean the United States from its overwhelming dependence on foreign oil.    » read more »