Proposed consent decree offers timelines for ethanol, advanced fuels through 2016, biobased diesel through 2017. In Washington, the EPA released a proposed consent decree in litigation brought against EPA by, the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), that would establish the following schedule for issuing Renewable Fuel Standards for […]
In Washington, news filtered out from the Pentagon today that the Rocky Mountain/ West Coast advanced biofuels solicitation is now posted on the FedBizOpps website (www.fbo.gov). This solicitation will be for fuel deliveries from 1 October 2015 to 30 September 2016. As you will read in the solicitation, vendors can submit bids with a minimum […]
In “The Iowa Renaissance” we looked at the rise in Iowa’s fortune through development of bioenergy and its sustainable agricultural base. Today, we look at how Minnesota, too, has been experiencing success via its bioeconomy, and how and why. The traditional view of “Minnesota”? A giant metropolis in the Twin Cities, replete with giant ag-focused corporations like […]
Amazing questions get asked at ABLC — and except for attendees, you generally don’t hear them, or the answers. Let’s change that. With great sessions at conferences, delegates are usually keen to get a hold of the powerpoint decks. But how do you get a hold of the great Q&A that follows the presentations — or […]
Why not use the materials we don’t need, to produce the fuels we do need? The Digest looks at the hard data. Wherever you look, there are concerns about energy production — cost, infrastructure, environment, emissions, and water impact, just to name a few. No matter what energy system you develop, it seems like someone will […]
Though representing just 1.3% of the US GDP, if the farm sector has a major impact on US economic health, it may tie back to what economists call “the wealth effect”. In today’s Digest, we look at “the wealth effect” and why political uncertainty over the Renewable Fuel Standard might lead to economic uncertainty, and impact on the […]
As part of the Digest’s deeper dive into the origins of Iowa’s economic Renaissance, we sat down in Ankeny, Iowa last week for a conversation with long-time Iowa Governor Terry Branstad. A native of Leland, Governor Terry Branstad was elected to the Iowa House in 1972, ’74 and ’76, and elected as Iowa’s lieutenant governor in […]
Though challenges remain, particularly in affordable feedstock, the US National Research Council says “Despite impressive recent and projected growth, the manufacturing of chemicals using biological synthesis and engineering could expand even faster.” The Digest looks at the Report. In Washington, the National Research Council arm of the National Academies has released its report, “Industrialization of […]
This week, California Governor Jerry Brown issued an unprecedented order to reduce California’s water usage by 25%. Cool Planet, a California-based company that makes an organic, water-saving soil enhancer, was inspired by the order and is offering to help reach this goal by delivering a truckload of its water-saving CoolTerra product to reduce water usage on the capitol lawns. CoolTerra […]
Construction of the German demo plant started. Additional 4.4 million euros financing secured In France, Global Bioenergies announced that it has completed the financing of its demo plant, and is commencing construction immediately. The 5,000L demonstration-scale facility will be completed in spring 2015, and will be located at Leuna, near Leipzig in German, and will […]
