Ethanol

Pressures on Fuel Ethanol Production Capacity

November 18, 2009 -- Capacity to produce fuel ethanol from corn nearly tripled between January 2006 and January 2009. However, over the past 18 months, a combination of surplus production capacity, the decline of gasoline prices from their mid-2008 peak level, and high corn prices that boosted producers’ input costs have resulted in a sharp decline in ethanol margins. The combination of economic pressures on capacity led some producers to idle plants, and in some cases, file for bankruptcy.    » read more »

Facility represents successful scale-up of company's technology and showcase for the world's first commercially-viable flex ethanol process

2009-10-15 -- Madison, PA - Coskata Inc., a leading developer of next-generation biofuels, today announced the successful start-up of its semi-commercial flex-ethanol facility located in Madison, PA. The accomplishment represents the successful scale-up of the company's technology, and will serve as a showcase for the world's first commercially viable flex-ethanol process.    » read more »

October 1, 2009 -- BISMARCK, N.D. - North Dakota Governor John Hoeven today extended a welcome and congratulations to the management and employees of Murphy Oil Corp., which earlier today acquired the former VeraSun Ethanol facility in Hankinson, North Dakota. It is the company's first renewable fuels venture.

Gov. Hoeven was informed of the acquisition by Plant Manager Wes Plummer, who said the company had searched extensively for an ethanol plant to acquire and was sold on the Hankinson site because of its outstanding workforce and well-maintained, modern facility. The purchase price was $92 million, and the company plans to invest an additional $15 million in working capital into the facility.    » read more »

Bill would require study before introduction of new gasoline/ethanol blend

September 14, 2009 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today introduced legislation designed to ensure that new gasoline fuel mixtures introduced into the marketplace are compatible with gasoline-fueled engines already in widespread use.    » read more »

Shell blends advanced biofuel into Shell V-Power gasoline race fuel at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race

11/06/2009 -- Shell is demonstrating its commitment to fuels innovation and the development of sustainable, low-carbon fuels with the blending of 10% cellulosic ethanol into its Shell V-Power race fuel at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, in France on 13 June, 2009.

This will be the first time an advanced biofuel has been used in the gasoline at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Cellulosic ethanol, as an end fuel, is identical to ethanol but it can offer up to 90% less lifecycle CO2 emissions than gasoline.

The biofuel is produced at Iogen Energy Corporation’s demonstration plant in Ottawa, Canada. Iogen and Shell are partners in the plant.    » read more »

Shell first to sell gasoline blended with advanced biofuel

10/06/2009 -- From today, customers at a Shell service station will become the first in the world to fill their tanks with gasoline containing advanced biofuel made from wheat straw.

For one month starting June 10, the regular gasoline purchased at a Shell service station in Ottawa, Canada will contain 10% cellulosic ethanol. The biofuel is produced locally from non-food raw materials at Iogen Energy Corporation’s demonstration plant, using advanced conversion processes. Iogen and Shell are partners in the plant, which now produces 40,000 litres of fuel per month.    » read more »

Webb Calls on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to Conduct Comprehensive Test of Ethanol Blend Impact

June 9, 2009 -- Senator Jim Webb (D-VA), along with 20 other Senators, today wrote to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to request more comprehensive testing on ethanol prior to raising the ratio that can be mixed into gasoline. The letter emphasizes that air quality and technical issues should be explored, as well as potential adverse effects on consumers and livestock and poultry producers during these hard economic times.

The letter was also sent to Steven Chu, Secretary of the Department of Energy; Tom Vilsack, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture; and Carol Browner, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change.    » read more »

June 5, 2009 -- BISMARCK, N.D. - North Dakota Governor John Hoeven today spoke with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson to request that EPA expedite his previous request to raise the ethanol blended gasoline variance to 15 percent from the current 10 percent blend.

The move would help to expand the market for domestically produced biofuels, according to Hoeven. The Governor, as chairman of the Governors Biofuels Coalition, made the formal request in February to President Barack Obama.

“The nation needs greater energy independence, and domestic ethanol producers need a boost under current market conditions,” Hoeven said. “Increasing the proportion of ethanol to 15 percent would move us closer to both goals.”    » read more »

CHICAGO, June 5 -- CME Group, a derivatives exchange, announced today that electronic trading hours for the CBOT grains, oilseeds and ethanol contracts will be expanded in the morning by one hour and fifteen minutes, until 7:15 a.m., beginning July 1.

The new electronic trading hours will run from 6:00 p.m. to 7:15 a.m. Chicago time Sunday through Friday for futures and options on futures for full and mini-size where offered corn, wheat, soybeans, soymeal, soyoil, rice, oats and ethanol contracts. Daytime electronic and open outcry hours will remain from 9:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. weekdays.    » read more »

New Biofuel Product Likely Would Contaminate Food Supply, UCS Says

WASHINGTON (June 4, 2009) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture today reopened the public comment period for its proposal to permit, for the first time, widespread cultivation of a food crop engineered for biofuel production. In the first round, USDA received more than 13,000 comments, the vast majority of which opposed the crop's commercialization.

The opposition included major trade groups and food companies that fear the enzyme could end up in breakfast cereals and snack foods and hamper their ability to export them. In response, USDA revised its risk assessment for the corn and is now seeking additional public input between today and July 6.    » read more »

Renewable Fuels Changes to EIA's Petroleum Surveys

May 28, 2009 -- EIA has recently implemented expanded data collection efforts to better capture ethanol, biodiesel, and other renewable liquid fuel volumes, marking an important milestone in a multi-year effort to address the growing role of renewable fuels. Congress enacted a mandate for the increased use of renewable motor fuels in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. That same law also authorized EIA to collect better data on renewable fuels.

The need for better renewable fuels data became even more important when the mandate for renewable fuel use was significantly expanded by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which sets a target of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel use by 2022.    » read more »

Sierra Club, Worldwatch Institute Outline "Smart Choices for Biofuels" in New Report

February 18, 2009 -- Washington, D.C.-The Sierra Club and Worldwatch Institute today released a report, Smart Choices for Biofuels, highlighting the need for important policy reforms at this critical juncture in America's effort to increase the use of biofuels. The report outlines the economic and environmental impacts of first-generation biofuels such as corn ethanol, proposes strategies to make the biofuels industry more sustainable, and offers specific policy recommendations in four broad categories:

* Developing sustainability standards
* Advancing biofuels production and new technologies
* Creating green jobs through biofuels
* Promoting policy coherence across energy sectors    » read more »

UCS Says New Biofuel Product Likely to Contaminate Food Supply

February 13, 2009 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently closed the public comment period for its proposal to permit—for the first time—widespread cultivation of a food crop engineered for biofuel production. If authorized, the new ethanol corn would also be the first genetically engineered industrial crop destined to be planted on millions of acres annually. Grown at such an enormous scale, the ethanol corn would inevitably contaminate corn intended for the food and feed supply, exposing people to new engineered proteins that may pose an allergy risk.    » read more »

February 3, 2009 -- Washington, D.C.—With the auto industry in turmoil and energy prices in flux, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy today released environmental ratings for model year 2009 vehicles. This is the twelfth year ACEEE has published its rankings as part of ACEEE’s Green Book® Online, the organization’s environmental guide to cars and trucks, available at greenercars.org.    » read more »

Drivers can now find alternative fueling stations using cell phones & PDAs

4, 2009 -- Driving cross-country or even around town in an alternative fuel vehicle used to require drivers to do a little homework to find the nearest fueling station – but not anymore. Consumers on-the-go can now access the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Alternative Fueling Station Locator using their cell phone, BlackBerry, or other personal digital assistant (PDA).    » read more »