Today in Biofuels: VeraSun Energy’s Don Endres wins Biofuels Digest Medal for Highest Achievement; Lula wins silver medal; Gore, Bush, Khosla among bronze medalists; Sustainable Energy CEO John Rivera wins Biofuels Personality of the Year

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Biofuels Digest Medal for Highest Achievement in Biofuels in 2007

The following winners were announced today for the Biofuels Digest Medal for Highest Achievement in Biofuels in 2007, a distinction voted by the Biofuels Digest Editorial Board:

Comments on individual medal winners are provided in detail here.

Biofuels Personality of the Year

Website balloting closed yesterday, and in a surprise result, John Rivera, CEO of Sustainable Energy Corporation was voted Biofuels Personality of the Year by Biofuels Digest readers.

Rivera, inventor of the Rivera process, was named by 22 percent of voters, and bested favorites such as President George Bush, former Vice President Al Gore, and billionaire investors Vinod Khosla and Sir Richard Branson. The award was given in recognition of the most impact on biofuels during 2007, for better or worse.

The top ten vote getters were:

1. John Rivera, CEO, Sustainable Energy, 22 percent
2. (tied) Al Gore, Nobel Laureate, 12 percent
2. (tied) George W. Bush, President, United States, 12 percent
4. Vinod Khosla, venture capitalist, 8 percent
5. Jeff Broin, CEO, Poet, 7 percent
6. Elliott Mannis, CEO, D1 Oils, 5 percent
7. Donald Endres, CEO, VeraSun Energy, 4 percent
8. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President, Brazil, 4 percent
9. (tied) Gloria Arroyo, President, Philippines, 3 percent
9. (tied) Bob Dineen, President, Renewable Fuels Association, 3 percent
9. (tied) Sir Richard Branson, entrepreneur, 3 percent

Producer News:

In Florida, 139 proposals have been submitted for $12.5 million in state funding through the Renewable Energy Technologies Grant Program. Grants will be awarded based on economic potential, energy efficiency and cost share percentage. Applicants sought $200 million in grant funding and pledged $700 in cost share funding. In 2007, the state awarded $15 million in grants.

In South Dakota, VeraSun Energy chief financial officer, Danny Herron, has been appointed company president. Herron has served as CFO since March 2006. Don Endres will remain CEO.

International News:

In India, Sugarcane minister Nitish Mishra said that “Bihar is sure to emerge as an ethanol hub”. Bihar, traditionally identified as the country’s poorest state, has seen companies such as Hindustan Petroleum, India Glycols and Birla Sugar vying to lease closed sugar mills to be operated as ethanol plants.

In Brazil, the national B2 biodiesel mandate takes effect today. Brazil’s Minister of Mines and Energy, Nelson Hubner, estimated that the country would save $511 million in imported diesel as a result. He added that he hoped to move to B3 in 2008 and B5 by 2013.

Eleven African nations agreed at an FAO meeting in Rome to improve cooperation aimed at ending rural poverty, with biofuels on the agenda. The agreement targeted the exchange of scientific information and the establishment of rural training relating to biofuels and climate change.  have agreed to join forces to meet the challenge of education for rural people. Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger, Uganda, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania adopted a series of recommendations for African governments, international agencies and higher learning institutions.

Research News:

Scientists are debating the impact of increased ethanol production on the Gulf of Mexico “dead zone”. The dead zone is caused when a proliferation of bacteria absorb so much oxygen that fish and other marine life cannot survive. The bacteria grow out of control as the result of massive algae blooms in the Gulf. The blooms in turn are caused by nitrates pouring into the Gulf, and the nitrates come from corn fertilizer. The increase in corn cultivation has scientists worried about a chain reaction that would devastate marine life and the fishing industry.

“The days of cheap food may be over,” said Benjamin Senauer, co-director of the University of Minnesota’s Food Industry Center. His remarks came as food prices rose in 2007 at double the typical inflation rate. Researchers are debating the individual impacts of root causes, such as crop failures, increased demand from biofuel producers, or an increase in meat consumption in China.

Policy and Policymakers:

In Missouri, an E10 mandate takes effect today. With the new law, Missouri joins Minnesota and Hawaii as the only states mandating E10. Most Missouri stations switched months previously, and the transition is expected to be very smooth.  “That’s why we anticipate the January 1 transition to be a nonevent.”

Consumer and Fleet News:

In North Dakota, three Canadian Pacific rail cars, loaded with ethanol, derailed near the town of Max. Two other ethanol tankers partially derailed before the train was stopped. The tanks did not rupture and the contents did not spill. No injuries were reported.

In Kansas, motorists can now choose from 28 E85 stations, with the opening of new E85 locations in Arkansas City, Burlington, Oakley, Parsons, Thayer and Topeka. The staff of the Kansas Corn Growers Association and Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association are reporting no major changes in fuel economy with E85, and the loss in fuel economy is offset by the lower cost per gallon.

Financial News:

The Biofuels Digest Indexâ„¢, a basket of public biofuels stocks, fell 1.17 percent to 134.23 as investors took profits at year end. Losers led winners by a slight margin. Among diversified agribusiness, The Andersons (ANDE) fell 1.62 percent to close at $44.80, while Pacific Ethanol fell 4.65 percent to $8.21 as investors reigned in the recovering ethanol pureplay. Among small caps, GreenShift (GSHF.OB) gained 15.79 percent to close at $0.022 after providing a positive restructuring update to the markets.

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