Congressmen and Corn Farmers Coalition Call on EPA to Reconsider Ethanol Rules Using Better Information

Business Wire
June 09, 2009 09:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Corn farmers and two veteran corn-state congressmen asked the federal Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider new rules on ethanol in light of the phenomenal productivity and declining environmental impact of America’s largest crop.

Reps. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa) and John Shimkus (R-Ill.) said farmers don’t get enough credit for growing more corn every year on the same amount of land with less energy and fewer resources.

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Ford advancing with Bobcat twin-fuel engine, using ethanol to boost engine efficiency, power, mileage

Biofuels Digest
June 09, 2009 Jim Lane

In Michigan, Ford made presentations to the Department of Energy and the Society of Automotive Engineers to update them on its development of a twin-fuel engine, code named Bobcat. Unlike flex-fuel engines that use a blend of ethanol and gasoline, the Bobcat engine uses gasoline and injects small amounts of ethanol when higher octane is needed to prevent fuel detonation.

This allows the engine to operate at higher compression ratios and achieve greater mechanical efficiencies. Using this technique, ethanol adds to fuel economy and mileage — as opposed to the use of E85, which reduces fuel efficiency by burning high-octane ethanol fuel at lower compression ratios.

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Indirect land use calculations giving ethanol, biodiesel producers heartburn

Southeast Farm Press
Jun 8, 2009 9:45 AM, By Forrest LawsFarm Press Editorial Staff

Collin Peterson remembers the first ethanol boom in the 1970s. The Arab oil embargo and resulting long lines and high prices at the gas pumps prompted a number of entrepreneurs to jump into corn-based renewable fuels.

But when unexpected energy conservation measures by the U.S. public reduced the demand for oil, gasoline and ethanol prices plummeted and the plants were shuttered. Peterson has said ethanol producers in his state of Minnesota never recovered.

So you might understand why Peterson was visibly angry when EPA released its proposed rule for implementing the Renewable Fuels Standard earlier this month. The proposal includes calculations of greenhouse gas emissions for all fuels covered by the standard.

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New Ways to Look at Old Waste

Earth911.com
Published on June 8th, 2009
by Becky Hammad

The race is on to find more cost-effective, energy-efficient strategies for turning biomass, or renewable feedstocks, into alternative fuels. But just as important, researchers are seeking ways to produce these fuels without compromising global food supply and land.

In recent years, more attention has been given to creating energy generated from waste and from biomass consisting of organic materials. This renewable energy is favorable because the process produces fewer toxins, is easier on the environment and sends less waste to the landfills.

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Ag Secretary says ethanol blend increase likely

RadioIowa
Monday, June 8, 2009, 8:27 AM
By Darwin Danielson

State Ag Secretary Bill Northey says increasing the amount of Iowa-produced ethanol that's mixed in gasoline is a good possibility. The Environmental Protection Agency is taking input on raising the amount of ethanol allowed from 10% to 15%.

Northey says we are in the middle of the comment period, and once the period is done, federal officials will look at the comments and make a decision. He says there is a good chance for a higher blend, maybe starting at a 12 or 13% blend on the way to a 15-percent blend. Northey says a change in the formula is overdue.

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Agriculturalists future of little ‘camelina’ plant

Idaho Business Review
POSTED: Monday, May 25, 2009
by Zach Hagadone

The term “wonder crop” germinates and blooms, or withers and dies, when the rarefied camelina sativa comes up in conversation.

With its bright yellow blossoms, this sturdy relative of mustard grows fast, grows in the cold, grows in drought and grows when ignored.

Its tiny seeds have an oil content of around 40 percent, and are exceptionally high in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Some scientists claim camelina can be used to produce heart-healthy oils and supplements, meal for livestock and, potentially, low-cost biofuel.

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INL and OriginOil to develop algae-to-oil technology

Idaho National Laboratory
by Reuel Smith and Keith Arterburn , INL Communications & Public Affairs

Idaho National Laboratory recently signed an agreement to help OriginOil, Inc. validate and scale the company's proprietary technology for converting algae to oil. Representatives from the company converged at the U.S. Department of Energy lab for a February signing ceremony.
OriginOil Chief Technical Officer Vikram Pattarkine (left) signs an agreement on algae research with INL commercialization manager David Anderson.

Algae grows faster and requires less energy than other biofuel sources, or "feedstocks." But only a few technology companies have seriously pursued algae-to-oil research. In addition to INL's science and engineering strengths, the lab has a history of algae research experience dating back three decades.

"INL is uniquely positioned to analyze the efficiency and effectiveness of industrial systems and to develop algal resources for biofuels," J.W. "Bill" Rogers Jr., INL associate laboratory director for Energy and Environment, said at the signing ceremony.

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Dry At The Pump

Conservation Magazine - Journal Watch Online
June 5, 2009

When it comes to water, bioenergy is not one size fits all

Think you’re saving the planet by filling up with biodiesel? You might want to do your research first. If jatropha was the source, then you just consumed more than 300,000 gallons of water while filling an average-sized tank.

A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ranks the water footprint of twelve of the world’s most common crops along with jatropha, which is often considered a more sustainable or “advanced” biofuel. Per liter of fuel, jatropha, it turns out, is the most water-hungry of the bunch.

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California Bioenergy First to Sell Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions to PG&E

Electric, Light & Power; Utility T & D, Automation & Engineering

June 5, 2009 — California Bioenergy, a renewable energy company, agreed to sale of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions from its livestock methane capture project to Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s (PG&E's) ClimateSmart Program. The ClimateSmart Program is a voluntary, tax-deductible program allowing PG&E customers to mitigate the GHG emissions produced through their energy use by paying a separate amount on their monthly bill. PG&E invests the funds in new, independently verified projects that reduce or absorb GHG emissions. The California Bioenergy project, located on a dairy farm in Kern County, Calif., will help combat climate change by yielding 75,000 metric tons of GHG emission reductions.

"California Bioenergy's contract with PG&E creates tremendous benefits," said Edwin F. Feo, co-chair of Milbank's Power, Energy & Utilities practice, working with associate Ari Bessendorf, both in the firm's Los Angeles office. "The project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as facilitate economic development in the area."

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World ethanol leaders meet in Brazil to discuss the industry’s future

Ethanol Producer Magazine July 2009
By Hope Deutscher
Report posted June 5, 2009, at 3:41 p.m. CST

Ethanol industry leaders discussed the present and future of biofuels in São Paulo, Brazil, on June 1-3. Specialists, researchers, leading business executives and government officials from around the world participated in the Ethanol Summit, which has been held annually since 2007. The summit provides a platform for in-depth discussions on the present and future of biofuels in Brazil and the world, with special focus on the most widely used biofuel of all, ethanol.

Brazil, which is the world’s largest exporter of ethanol and the second-biggest producer after the U.S., has been lobbying for greater access to the U.S. and European Union markets.

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