ETHANOL BUSINESS

Pork Magazine: Just when you thought the ethanol industry had received more than its share of government support, USDA Secretary Ed Schafer has other ideas. He believes the government should extend loans to ethanol plants that bought corn at the higher prices that prevailed earlier this year. After all,... More

Gas2.0: In what could be a major breakthrough for second generation ethanol production, German researchers have developed a new method that easily converts raw wood into sugar using a liquid ionic salt bath at room temperature followed by reaction with a solid acid resin. The process works by chopping... More

MoneyWeek: Falling oil prices mean companies are scaling back on hard-to-exploit sites. What does that mean for oil supplies – and green energy companies? Tim Bennett reports. What’s going on? “Investment in alternative energy is becoming less attractive,” says Bob Parker, vice-chairman... More

Hoosier Ag Today: With oil prices falling and the recessionary economy cutting consumer demand, is the boom in the ethanol industry over? On the surface it does not look good for the ethanol industry. Oil prices are approaching $60 a barrel, the profit margins for ethanol producers are shrinking, and... More

SustainableBusiness.com: Xethanol Corp announced today that it is changing its name to Global Energy Holdings Group, Inc. and changing its business focus from cellulosic ethanol to methane. Following the restructure, the Atlanta, Georgia-based company now has two subsidiaries, Global Energy Systems... More

MarketWatch: The Illinois Corn Growers Association announced at a press conference Tuesday that the state has become a technological and commercial leader in corn-based ethanol while unveiling two landmark studies that concluded that production of the biofuel leaves a smaller carbon footprint than gasoline... More

Houston Chronicle: Energy is on everyone’s mind these days, particularly Houstonians, after we just spent weeks without electricity. Imagine doing without electricity, natural gas, gasoline and water, all at the same time! Despite the recent drop in the price of oil (which is likely only temporary),... More

Washington Post: The national push to wean the country from imported fuel by adding American-brewed ethanol to gasoline has come at a cost: The flammable liquid is being transported through residential neighborhoods, catching off guard many communities that are unprepared to fight potential fires. Some... More

Kansas City Star: Randy Ledbetter, shop foreman at a General Motors dealership, knows that anything from a bad spark plug to a failing fuel injector can cause engine problems. But he’s discovering another culprit: too much ethanol. He’s seen that problem surge this year at Dale Willey Automotive... More

CattleNetwork.com: Earlier this month, President Bush signed into law the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (EESA) of 2008. It provides $700 billion to Wall Street lenders affected by the home mortgage crisis. In a previous column, I discussed a number of key provisions in the legislation that extend... More

Media Newsline: Today we are facing acute energy shortages, resulting in power shading from 4 to 10 hours every day at different locations in India. Building new power generating plants is part of a long term planning depending on fossil fuel availability. This is high time, we must work out solutions... More

guardian.co.uk: French ethanol producers welcomed on Friday the government’s decision to reduce a planned tax increase for biofuels from next year. In an amendment approved by the lower house of parliament on Thursday to the 2009 finance bill, the government said it would cut tax breaks for biodiesel... More