http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/ethanol/ en-us Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:37:36 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410131/posts PEORIA — A bipartisan coalition of members of Congress questions the Environmental Protection Agency's recent decision to delay increasing the ethanol blend wall in gasoline from 10 percent to 15 percent. U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, along with six of his colleagues sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson this week. Their letter said the EPA's decision inhibits their ability to improve the quality of fuels and help the nation realize energy independence. "There has been no evidence to demonstrate that the switch to the E-l5 blend will cause damage to vehicles, regardless of the vintage. Further, changing to... Peoria Journal-Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410131/posts#comment Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:37:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400927/posts The federal government on Friday committed to award as much as $564 million to 19 projects nationwide that aim to transform wood chips, algae and plant parts into renewable fuel, including a planned biorefinery in Freeport. At the same time, the Energy Department announced $350 million in spending to propel technology that captures and stores carbon dioxide, with $350 million set aside for a 400-megawatt plant near Midland. All of the spending comes from the $787 billion economic stimulus bill enacted in February and is designed to help close the gap between current biofuel energy production and the future goals... Houston Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400927/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 14:18:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398857/posts WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency said Monday that it would probably increase the amount of ethanol that gasoline retailers could blend into ordinary fuel, to 15 percent, if tests established that the blend would not damage cars. The maximum ethanol blend is now 10 percent, except for cars specially equipped to handle higher blends. The agency said it was likely to approve the increase to 15 percent next summer, perhaps for use only in cars of the 2001 model year and later. NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398857/posts#comment Thu, 3 Dec 2009 00:35:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396137/posts Two years ago the Democrats in Congress and the Bush administration got together to deliver a payoff to farmers: they required refiners to use 15 billion gallons of biofuels by 2012. They did not expect that a crashing recession would lead to a reduction in the amount of gasoline the nation consumes - the first such reduction in years. And they also didn’t expect a White House to push so aggressively for higher-mileage vehicle fleets. As a result of the changed circumstance, it looks like it will be impossible for Americans to use that much ethanol. Something has to give.... redstate.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396137/posts#comment Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:32:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2395794/posts The NY Times this morning is running an Op-Ed piece which suggests that our government's policy toward ethanol production has been less than enlightened. Some of us arrived at this conclusion long ago. Georgie Cracks Corn I don't know how many State of the Union Addresses since 1973 have pledged commitment to energy independence, but to quote Jim Ignatowski when he was asked how many different illicit drugs he had ingested in his lifetime, it's "exactly a lot." It was still a surprise, however, when our current President touted ethanol last week citing the sustainability myth as just one of... Give n' Go http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2395794/posts#comment Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:19:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395340/posts Two years ago, Congress ordered the nation’s gasoline refiners to do something that is turning out to be mathematically impossible. To please the farm lobby and to help wean the nation off oil, Congress mandated that refiners blend a rising volume of ethanol and other biofuels into gasoline. They are supposed to use at least 15 billion gallons of biofuels by 2012, up from less than seven billion gallons in 2007. But nobody at the time counted on fuel demand falling in the United States, which is what has happened during the recession. And that decline could well continue, as... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395340/posts#comment Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:40:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2393387/posts Under the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), the EPA is required to make a determination by November 30 of each year about the projected volume of cellulosic ethanol that will be available in the next calendar year. If the projected volume is less than volume mandated by the 2007 EISA, the EPA is required to lower the mandated volume in that year to the projected volume. Therefore, in the coming days, the EPA has to assess the situation. The legal mandate for cellulosic fuel use in 2010 is 100 million gallons. The Biotechnology Industry Organization, however, is privately... weekly standard http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2393387/posts#comment Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:17:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2389930/posts Although Valero Energy Corp.'s refining business has been pummeled this year, there's a bright spot on the company's balance sheet that comes from a surprising source: ethanol. Valero is making money with the corn-based fuel just six months after buying seven corn ethanol plants from bankrupt VeraSun Energy for $477 million. Although Valero's ethanol business is small when compared with its vast refining operations, “the business has worked out for us very well,” Valero CEO Bill Klesse told analysts during the company's earnings conference call late last month. “We feel very strongly that ethanol is going to be part of... Express-News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2389930/posts#comment Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:11:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2373930/posts Donning FDR's cape, Eisenhower's stripes and JFK's boat shoes, President Obama observed in Florida on Tuesday that his "clean energy economy" will require "mobilization" on the order of fighting World War II, building the interstate highway system and going to the moon. Of course, the only "mobilization" going on at the moment is on behalf of ethanol, whose many political dispensations the biofuels lobby is finding new ways to preserve even as the evidence of its destructiveness piles up. The latest embarrassment arrives via the peer-reviewed journal Science, not known for its right-wing inclinations. A new paper calls attention to... wall st journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2373930/posts#comment Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:11:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2368750/posts The Agri-Food investment story has been unfolding for more than three years, and has another ten or so years to go. For that reason, investors still have plenty of time to uncover the opportunities for profits in a world soon to be far more hungry. Agri-Food cannot be produced in factories with lower marginal costs for new production. Unlike consumer electronics, marginal production will have a higher cost. For centuries mankind has sought to satisfy hunger. Only in the second half of the 19th century did food become more plentiful with improved availability. Yet even after that period food was... Commodity News Center http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2368750/posts#comment Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:44:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2154676/posts Energy Policy: The heavily subsidized ethanol industry is the latest to seek a federal bailout. If there is any industry that deserves to go bankrupt, it's this one. Time has come to stop putting food in our gas tanks.The bailout-seeking domestic auto industry has been criticized as being unproductive and inefficient. It hasn't been helped by mandated fuel economy standards that have done little to reduce our dependence on foreign energy or help the environment. Now the fuel we have been mandated to put in our cars, equally unproductive and inefficient, is also seeking a bailout. Ethanol never made much... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2154676/posts#comment Sat, 27 Dec 2008 01:41:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2361073/posts Christmas in October for Ethanol Traders and analysts are paying attention to the ethanol industry's renewed life and has resulted in a boost to the corn market, according to the Wall Street Journal. Profit markets are wider to the delight of ethanol producers who have operated in the red in recent years. In fact just last week, advancing energy prices pushed ethanol margins up a dollar per bushel, almost doubled margins from the week before. Ethanol plants are procuring more corn in order to ramp up production in order to pay down their debt. The renewed and optimistic predictions for... DTN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2361073/posts#comment Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:51:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2359603/posts The outlook for waste-ethanol is looking up New research from Louisiana Tech University allows cellulose-digesting enzymes like cellulase, pictured here, to be immobilized, reducing enzyme loss and the cost of enzymatic cellulosic ethanol. (Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory)Cellulosic ethanol is an exciting technology which promises to convert the abundant sources of organic waste worldwide (kitchen waste, yard waste, paper industry waste, etc.) into green alternative fuel.  Unlike traditional ethanol, it won't use food crops or raise food prices.  In addition, environmental impact studies have indicated that while traditional ethanol releases more greenhouse gases than burning fossil fuels, cellulosic ethanol could... Daily Tech http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2359603/posts#comment Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:40:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2359134/posts PIKEVILLE — Touting Pike County as a leader in not only coal but greener energy technology, businessmen and local officials made presentations to the General Assembly's joint committee on energy Wednesday. The county seeks state money to develop an ethanol plant on its landfill site, county leaders have attended national meetings about wind power, and officials pushed to ensure the courthouse being built in Pikeville will be the state's first to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, Judge-Executive Wayne T. Rutherford said. Lexington Herald-Leader http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2359134/posts#comment Fri, 9 Oct 2009 23:05:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2357356/posts Longview Lawn and Garden mechanic Jason Beasley said there's something distinctly different about gas blended with ethanol, and you can see that difference in as little as two weeks."The shelf life is reduced dramatically," Beasley said, referring to how long ethanol lasts before it can no longer fuel small engines. He said it doesn't prevent him from using ethanol. He just knows he can't store the fuel. Jimmy Isaac/News-Journal Photo (ENLARGE) Tricia Edson of Longview pumps gas Wednesday evening at Skinner's Grocery and Market. She said she and her husband buy ethanol-free gas to avoid damage to their vehicles and... Longview News Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2357356/posts#comment Thu, 8 Oct 2009 05:54:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2352247/posts Makers of Ethanol Ponder Alternative By RUSSELL GOLD Some ethanol makers, battered by unpredictable profit margins and criticism that production of the corn-based fuel drives up food prices, are being presented with a way out: making biobutanol. Biofuels entrepreneurs are hoping to snap up idled and financially distressed ethanol plants and convert them to make biobutanol, another plant-based fuel that can be blended into gasoline or used to make plastic products such as water bottles. Denver-based Gevo Inc., a privately held biofuels start-up, is expected to say Wednesday that it is lining up financing to acquire and retrofit as many... WSJ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2352247/posts#comment Thu, 1 Oct 2009 05:01:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2350012/posts Excess ethanol blamed in breakdown of police cars Baltimore expects to be able to recover expenses By Justin Fenton | The Baltimore Sun September 23, 2009 City officials say an unusually high concentration of ethanol in the city's gasoline supply contributed to the breakdown of more than 70 police cars over the weekend, most of which had been repaired and returned to service Tuesday. More than 200 police cars fueled up at a 24-hour, city-run gas pump by the Fallsway before cars started showing problems, and nearly one-third of the Police Department's patrol contingent was sidelined with engine trouble. Baltimore Sun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2350012/posts#comment Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:41:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2350008/posts Ethanol group pushing for country-of-origin labels September 24, 2009 By The Associated Press HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — Ethanol producers are pushing a proposal to mandate country-of-origin labeling on gasoline pumps so consumers know exactly where their fuel comes from. But the nation's refiners say the plan is unworkable. Growth Energy, an industry group representing about 50 ethanol companies across the nation, launched an effort to increase ethanol consumption in the country. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2350008/posts#comment Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:36:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2350002/posts Pollution regulators sue Neb. ethanol plant owner September 24, 2009 By The Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Federal regulators say an ethanol plant near Sutherland has violated pollution rules by emitting too much carbon dioxide and failing to obtain proper permits for an expansion project. The Environmental Protection Agency filed a lawsuit against Midwest Renewable Energy LLC seeking civil penalties and fines. Company officials declined to comment because they had not seen the lawsuit. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2350002/posts#comment Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:33:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2331616/posts At a time when the trade is questioning USDA’s 2009/10 prospective demand for US corn, especially in the feed use column, it is refreshing to note the continued upward demand for corn for ethanol. According to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the United States is expected to manufacture 12 billion gallons of ethanol for calendar year 2010, or 14.3% more than a year earlier requirement of 10.5 billion gallons in calendar year 2009. As you are able to view the trend increase for corn use for ethanol continues to be impressive vs feed use and equally important... Commodity News Center http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2331616/posts#comment Thu, 3 Sep 2009 23:09:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2329221/posts People over 60 who consume moderate amounts of alcohol have a reduced risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, according to a large review of studies. The analysis, which appeared in the July issue of The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, reviewed 15 studies that together followed more than 28,000 subjects for at least two years. All the studies controlled for age, sex, smoking and other factors. The studies variously defined light to moderate drinking as 1 to 28 drinks per week. Compared with abstainers, male drinkers reduced their risk for dementia by 45 percent, and women by 27 percent... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2329221/posts#comment Tue, 1 Sep 2009 07:50:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2323031/posts Georgia’s only corn ethanol plant could be running out of gas. First United Ethanol LLC has limited liquidity and could slip into the arms of bankruptcy protection, the company warns in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. bizjournals.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2323031/posts#comment Mon, 24 Aug 2009 06:06:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2317483/posts Get ready for the sugar shock. Raw sugar futures have almost doubled this year amid fears of a shortage, which could lead to slightly higher prices for candy but also a spike in the price of ethanol. Much of the rise in sugar prices has come in just the past few weeks as drier-than-normal weather in India, the world's largest consumer, threatens to leave production there far short of demand... The bigger impact may be felt at the gas pump, where the sugar shortfall is likely to drive up the cost of ethanol, increasingly used as a substitute for gasoline.... Toronto Globe and Mail http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2317483/posts#comment Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:43:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2172374/posts Stimulus: Brazil, a leader in the use of biofuels such as ethanol and in the face of falling oil prices, still plans to spend huge sums to expand its offshore oil resources. Drilling rigs are infrastructure too.With oil prices scraping the bottom of the barrel, pun intended, there wouldn't appear to be much incentive to pursue the development of new oil resources. And in tough economic times worldwide, the necessary investment required would appear to be prohibitive. As the U.S. seeks to get its economy going by building roads, bridges and bicycle paths, Brazil has decided to create jobs and... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2172374/posts#comment Tue, 27 Jan 2009 02:22:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2312858/posts Abstract: Prior studies have estimated that a liter of bioethanol requires 263−784 L of water from corn farm to fuel pump, but these estimates have failed to account for the widely varied regional irrigation practices. By using regional time-series agricultural and ethanol production data in the U.S., this paper estimates the state-level field-to-pump water requirement of bioethanol across the nation. The results indicate that bioethanolÂ’s water requirements can range from 5 to 2138 L per liter of ethanol depending on regional irrigation practices. The results also show that as the ethanol industry expands to areas that apply more irrigated water... American Chemical Society http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2312858/posts#comment Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:56:13 GMT