Ethanol

Farmland Tapped For Oil In The Midwest

Almost half of 2014 is behind us, and yet EPA still hasn’t finalized the ethanol requirements for this year. This is not a recipe for predictability and reliability in the gasoline markets, and the administration’s inability to meet the congressionally-mandated deadline of November 30th is a clear example of how unworkable the RFS is. Given… Keep reading →

MaabjergBioEnergy_HighRes.JPG

Originally Posted on TheEnergyCollective.com If I asked you to think of renewable energy what comes to mind? I imagine it is skyscraper-sized wind turbines, solar panels on suburban roofs or massive hydro-electric dams. You probably do not think of burning wood or converting crops to liquid fuel to be used in cars. Yet throughout the world… Keep reading →

A woman pumps gas into a vehicle on Marc

Originally Posted on TheEnergyCollective.com Along with other forms of so called “renewable energy,” I have come to hold a jaundiced view of biofuels, largely because of their inevitable competition with food supplies, as well as some concern about land use and the pressure placed on natural habitats, and finally, maybe most importantly, the long term sustainability… Keep reading →

Farmland Tapped For Oil In The Midwest

With winter grudgingly giving way to spring, the guess here is discussion of the flawed Renewable Fuel Standard’s ethanol mandates, higher ethanol-blend fuels like E15 and the “blend wall” will rekindle debate in Congress. Lawmakers must act, because while EPA has proposed lowering ethanol-mandate levels from 2013, the rule still isn’t final (it was due at the end of November last year) and… Keep reading →

Ethanol Industry Threatened By Midwest Drought

In recent years we’ve regularly disagreed with the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) because its ethanol mandates could harm consumers and the broader economy. The conversation with Big Ethanol has been, well, spirited. That said, hats off to RFA for including an oil and natural gas industry executive as one of the keynote… Keep reading →

EPA Proposes Changes To Ethanol Mandate In Gasoline

We’ve written quite a bit about bad things that could occur because of the Renewable Fuel Standard’s (RFS) mandates for ever-increasing ethanol use in the fuel supply – from potential damage to vehicle engines and small power equipment engines to broader impacts in the economy.  A study by NERA Economic Consulting warned that RFS mandates could lead to fuel rationing and supply… Keep reading →

joule bacteria biofuel

Joule is a biotech firm developing a breakthrough photosynthesis based system for the production of liquid fuels using biocatalysts fueled by sunlight and carbon dioxide. The Joule process looks like many of the algal biofuel processes from the outside, but under the hood it is completely different. If proven successful the Joule process could be… Keep reading →

Extended Drought Pushes Corn Prices To Record Highs

Ethanol requirements for U.S. gasoline appear to be losing friends and influencing the wrong people, with calls growing to reform or scrap the government mandates altogether. The Environmental Protection Agency in November proposed reducing the amount of renewable fuels, including corn-based ethanol, that oil refiners must blend with gasoline. The rule is a centerpiece of… Keep reading →

NASA Offers Tour Of Its Offshore Membrane Enclosure For Growing Algae (OMEGA) System

Algae based biofuel production is growing as the market for alternative fuel continues to expand. This video, the latest in advertising campaigns from Algenol Biofuels, is certainly eye catching. The video captures the simplicity of algae biofuel that is integral to its feasibility.  New research has drastically improved the efficiency of the process of making… Keep reading →

Global Issues Impact Oil Price

More problems with the Renewable Fuel Standard – an ethanol and biodiesel US transportation fuel supply blending requirement – have arisen with fraud allegations against an Indiana company that sold 33.5 million renewable-fuel credits for biofuel it never produced. This is not the first time fraudulent renewable-fuel credits have disrupted the RIN market and the EPA has been… Keep reading →

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