In North Carolina, President Obama mentioned the importance of biofuels to the economy as he gave his nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. Mentioning the one million barrel per day drop in oil importation, the president described his expectations for the future: “we’re offering a better path, a future where we keep investing […]
In Canada, the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance released its annual Green House Gas (GHG) Reduction Forecast. The GRFA is forecasting global ethanol production to reduce GHG emissions by 100 million tonnes in 2012. (S&T)2 Consultants Inc., an internationally renowned energy and environmental consulting firm, has produced data demonstrating the positive impact global ethanol production continues […]
In Sweden, Nestle’s CEO is again attacking first generation biofuels, calling them an “aberration”, and pushing for the US and EU to support advanced biofuels that don’t use food crops as feedstocks. He claims that as a major food company, they have a voice in the debate and they’re using that voice in Washington and […]
In California, Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law a bill that eliminates all funding to corn-based ethanol producers after July 2013, which comes to roughly $6 million. That money will be re-directed into other renewable energy, including ethanol but that won’t use corn as a feedstock.
In Brazil, regulations published last week putting planning control for ethanol plants under the control of the country’s energy regulator ANP including regulation of construction and expansion of ethanol mills as well as ethanol fuel production.
In Texas, the National Algae Association said that “the DOE’s Aquatic Species Program has completely failed in any commercialization efforts. For years, they focused their research on algae raceway ponds and not on any of the more advanced growing, harvesting and extraction systems.” The group contended, in a statement released on the wires last week, […]
In Washington, consensus is beginning to emerge that a waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard will do little to reduce corn prices or ethanol demand. A report from the McClatchy Washington Bureau quoted analysts saying that the spread between ethanol and gasoline prices, and the octane spread that allows lower-cost, lower octane gasoline to be […]
In Virginia, the National Science Foundation has announced 15 Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation grants for fiscal year 2012, awarding nearly $30 million to 68 investigators at 26 institutions. Over the next four years, teams of researchers will work in three emerging areas. One set of research teams will investigate the large-scale use of […]
In Canada, the Oshawa Port Authority (OPA) announced that it had given approval for FarmTech Energy Corporation (FarmTech) to build and operate an ethanol refinery at the Oshawa Harbour. Construction of the ethanol refinery (to be located on the shoreline of Lake Ontario, adjacent to the Second Marsh, a provincially significant 123-hectare coastal wetland) is […]
In Texas, Governor Rick Perry has become the seventh governor to write the EPA asking it to waive the RFS2 ethanol-blending mandate, claiming the policy is doing more harm than good despite good intentions. Not all seven states, however, including Texas, have formally petitioned the agency to waive the mandate.
