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« Previous EntriesNew England Boaters Wary Of Ethanol
Friday, July 4th, 2008
Boston Globe:
With the recreational boating season getting into full swing, some boat and marina owners across northern New England are less worried about the cost of gas than the type of fuel that’s going into their fuel tanks this holiday weekend.
Across the country, many boat owners already have gone through the transition to gasoline […]
Ethanol Worries In Small Engines
Thursday, July 3rd, 2008NBC 13 Birmingham:
Benjamin Mallisham’s lawn mower repair shop in Tuscaloosa is booming with business lately. Mallisham says about 40% of the broken engines he’s repairing have ethanol damage.
“When you put that ethanol in here, it eats up the insides or rusts them out. All the rubber gaskets and parts - it eats those up,” […]
Food Groups Urge Bush To Suspend Sugar-Ethanol Tariff
Thursday, July 3rd, 2008The Hill:
An assortment of food groups, from soft drink makers to chicken producers, urged President Bush to suspend an import tariff on Brazilian sugarcane ethanol as a way to reduce demand for the corn-based variety produced domestically.
The competition for corn is increasing due to higher ethanol production requirements mandated by Congress in the 2007 Energy […]
An Investment Boom: The New Coal Car
Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008The technology dates to the 1920s, but today’s prices make liquid coal for cars a live option. The result is an investment boom.
Newsweek:
Powering cars with coal might seem like a recipe for ecological disaster. But if fuel experts are right, a liquefied form of the notoriously dirty mineral will be providing much of the world […]
Brazil Fines 24 Local Ethanol Producers For Environmental Crimes
Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008International Herald Tribune:
Brazil has slapped multimillion-dollar fines on 24 ethanol producers accused of environmental crimes in the country’s dwindling Atlantic rain forest, Environment Minister Carlos Minc said Tuesday.
The companies together face 120 million reals (US$75 million) in fines for operating without licenses and planting sugarcane in illegally deforested parts of one of Brazil’s most threatened […]
The Marketing Of Ethanol Conversion Kits
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008StimulationBlog:
Swedish media are full of reports on new laws and regulations that come into effect today on 1st July. From a car and environmental perspective perhaps the most important one is the possibility to now legally convert gasoline cars to run on ethanol/E85.
According to reports the interest for the (not yet available) conversion kits is […]
Ethanol-Free Gas Outlets Growing Daily
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008Statesman Journal:
For boat owners and operators of a variety of small engines that are bucking and choking on ethanol-blended gasoline, help is on the way.
A list of Oregon dealers who are pumping regular gas, with no ethanol added, is growing daily on the Web site of the Oregon State Marine Board.
“I’m hoping it’s a resource […]
Moving Beyond Corn - The Latest On Alternative-Energy Deals From Dow Jones Clean Technology Investor
Monday, June 30th, 2008Wall Street Journal:
Investors are pouring new money into companies developing alternative ethanol-production technologies.
Sources like paper pulp and barley are gaining attention as the merits of corn-based ethanol as an alternative fuel source is being questioned by environmentalists and politicians because of the fuel’s link to rising food prices.
In May, oil-and-gas giant Marathon Oil Corp. led […]
Bio-Insanity: Ethanol Subsidies Will Make Food Costs From Flooding Worse
Monday, June 30th, 2008Salt Lake Tribune:
If you think that food prices are high now, wait until the full effects of the flooding of farmland in the Midwest hit store shelves. Prepare to be pinched harder at the checkout stand.
The damage to crops from heavy rains and failing levies is the result of a natural disaster. But it’s […]
US Home Ethanol Maker Gets Boost From Record Oil
Friday, June 27th, 2008Reuters:
A U.S. firm that believes it has the answer to high fuel prices with machines that make ethanol at home says it has been swamped with orders even before the first unit ships in September.
Since California-based firm E-Fuel Corp officially unveiled the 100 MicroFueler last month, there had been overwhelming interest in the product due […]
S&P Highlights Risks For Ethanol Producers Amid Volatility
Friday, June 27th, 2008CNNMoney.com:
Standard & Poor’s said smaller pure-play ethanol producers face “high” business and financial risks due to market volatility.
The ratings agency said in a report that political-event risk also could become a risk factor for the industry “if the food versus fuel debate sways currently positive public opinion.”
The report comes a day after VeraSun Energy Corp. […]
Updated Corn Ethanol Economics
Thursday, June 26th, 2008The Oil Drum:
Executive Summary: The current cost to produce a gallon of ethanol is approximately $3/gal. The current price of ethanol is $2.86/gal, which explains why ethanol producers are shutting down. If corn and natural gas prices remain high, I think ethanol has to rise to something like $3.40-$3.60/gal to make it worthwhile to ethanol […]
Ethanol Mixes Finding Way Into Traditional Tanks
Thursday, June 26th, 2008The Associated Press:
To save money and support neighboring farms, Scott Dubbelde began mixing gasoline and cheaper, ethanol-based fuel in his cars years ago, driving first to the gasoline pump, and then to the ethanol pump.
It has worked so well that Dubbelde, who manages a local grain elevator, mixes fuels for all three of his family […]
Brazil Signs Deal To Export Sustainable Ethanol
Thursday, June 26th, 2008guardian.co.uk:
A group of Brazilian ethanol companies signed a deal to export certified sustainable ethanol to Sweden, in the world’s first agreement of such a kind, they said on Wednesday.
Brazilian groups Cosan, Guarani, NovAmerica and Alcoeste agreed sell to Sweden’s Sekab 115 million liters of anhydrous ethanol that will adhere to certain social and environmental standards.
“This […]
From Prayers To Ethanol, Events Prove Times Are Still A-Changin’
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008MinnPost.com:
Remember when it was OK for Catholics to pray with gays and lesbians? When communities thought they were going to receive a bigger taste of state aid? When ethanol was the answer to all our energy needs? When a bus ride was two bits, or even $1.50? When there was a gate across Rice […]
McCain Proposes A $300 Million Prize For A Next-Generation Car Battery
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008New York Times:
In the 18th century the British offered a £20,000 prize to anyone who figured out how to calculate longitude. More recently, Netflix offered a million dollars for improving movie recommendations on its Web site. Now Senator John McCain is suggesting a new national prize: He said here Monday that if elected president he […]
Oshkosh Ethanol Plant Settles Pollution Lawsuit
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008Bizjournals.com:
Utica Energy LLC, a firm that operates an ethanol production plant in Oshkosh, has agreed to pay $75,000 to settle allegations that the company violated state air and water pollution control laws.
The payment of penalties, fees, and costs will settle a case filed by the Wisconsin Department of Justice at the request of the […]
Blair Lands 100-Worker Ethanol-Related Plant
Tuesday, June 24th, 2008SW Iowa News:
Blair, Neb., will gain a new 100-employee plant to produce an energy-saving ingredient for making ethanol, an investment of $80 million to $100 million by an international company that touts itself as friendly to the environment, its customers and its workers.
Novozymes, based in Bagsvaerd, Denmark, near Copenhagen, chose a 30-acre portion of Cargill […]
Campaigns Clash Over Ethanol
Tuesday, June 24th, 2008And here’s another kernel related to corn: Ethanol subsidies.
Both John McCain and Barack Obama say they’re looking for ways to wean the U.S. off of foreign oil, but they have their differences when it comes to ethanol.
Marketplace:
Ethanol has been pushed front and center in this campaign because of soaring gas and corn prices.
Nancy Marshall Genzer: […]
Ethanol Trade Group Spent $162000 Lobbying In 1Q
Tuesday, June 24th, 2008Forbes:
The Renewable Fuels Association, which represents the U.S. ethanol industry, spent nearly $162,000 in the first quarter lobbying on federal regulations that encourage use of the fuel, according to a recent disclosure form.
The ethanol industry has come under fire as food prices have risen worldwide, especially for commodities like corn. With more corn being used […]