Domestic Fuel

As Cindy mentioned in the previous post, biofuels were a big part of the conversation at the recent Commodity Classic in Grapevine, Texas. And during that important meeting of the nation’s grain producers, it only makes sense that one of the country’s biggest commodities recognized the contribution biodiesel has made to the agricultural industry in the U.S.

The American Soybean Association honored immediate past chairman of the National Biodiesel Board Darryl Brinkmann for his lifelong work in furthering biodiesel in this country. This NBB press release says Brinkmann received the ASA Lifetime Achievement – Association Focus Award for his work with biodiesel through NBB, among his other service to ASA:

“It is a real honor to have your colleagues pay tribute to you in that way,” said Brinkmann, who was surprised with the award at ASA’s banquet Friday night at the Commodity Classic in Grapevine, Texas. “Usually getting a new product to market takes longer than it has for biodiesel. During my time serving ASA on NBB’s board, there have been lots of challenges, lots of successes, and lots of fun.” The Commodity Classic is an annual agricultural trade show and convention.

Brinkmann, from Carlyle, Ill., serves on the NBB Executive Committee and Governing Board as the ASA representative. He was NBB chairman from 2004 – 2007. Brinkmann has also served on ASA’s executive committee as vice president.

The award thanks the person for working on behalf of ASA throughout the years. NBB officials point out that while Brinkmann was chair, the first federal biodiesel tax incentive was enacted, along with other critical federal developments.

National commodity organizations representing growers of corn, soybeans, wheat and sorghum gathered together for the first time as one group last week in Grapevine, Texas at the annual Commodity Classic. Corn and soybean growers have been together as one for the past 14 years, wheat joined the group last year, and sorghum made four this year.

Renewable fuels were a major topic of discussion throughout the week-long conference and were addressed during the general session on Friday. Emcee Mark Mayfield (left) talked with each of them – National Sorghum Producers chairman Toby Bostwick, National Association of Wheat Growers president David Cleavinger, National Corn Growers Association president Bob Dickey, and American Soybean Association president Johnny Dodson.

“One of the key issues ASA will be working on in the coming year is the extension of our biodiesel tax incentive,” said Dodson. “Biodiesel has been a win-win for the agriculture community and the average consumer.”

Bob Dickey with NCGA said making sure the Renewable Fuels Standard is implemented and maintained is one of their top legislative priorities for this year and said they will be working with the ethanol industry to increase the blend rate for ethanol. “We are supportive of higher blend rates based on sound science, provided the EPA goes along with it,” he said.

Over 100 of the nation’s top scientists are questioning the approach taken by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) which singles out biofuels for “indirect effects,” claiming that petroleum products result in lower carbon emissions.

Scientists affiliated with research labs such as the National Academy of Sciences, UC-Berkeley, Sandia National Labs, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and MIT sent a letter to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger offering their “comments on the critical issue of how to address the issue of indirect, market-mediated effects.”

Under the CARB Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) proposal, all fuels are assigned a “carbon score” to reward the least carbon intensive fuels. But only biofuels are being singled out for so-called “indirect effects,” which thereby gives petroleum products a better carbon score and a competitive advantage.

The scientists make two major compelling points regarding the indirect land use issue:
1. The science is far too limited and uncertain for regulatory enforcement
2. Indirect effects are often misunderstood and should not be enforced selectively

The scientists warn Gov. Schwarzenegger that the state’s proposal “creates an asymmetry or bias in a regulation designed to create a level playing field. It violates the fundamental presumption that all fuels in a performance-based standard should be judged the same way … Enforcing different compliance metrics against different fuels is the equivalent of picking winners and losers, which is in direct conflict with the ambition of the LCFS.”

Read the letter here.

Young people all over the country are encouraged to take the Flex-Fuel Challenge and help pave the way for our nation’s renewable energy future.

The Renewable Fuels Association is kicking off the initiative today at Kansas State University and unveiling a new website, e85challenge.com to get college students engaged in the debate surrounding issues that impact their future: the economy, energy and the environment.

The challenge encourages them to produce a short video, take a photo, or even write a song about creative ideas on renewable energy that will impact future generations. Robert White, Director of Market Development for the Renewable Fuels Association, says the most creative of those entries can win some nice prizes. “Their own peers will decide who wins,” said White. “The overall winner will receive a MacBook Air laptop and each week we will be giving away a portable Passport™ hard drive in a drawing.”

White says they will be promoting the challenge during appearances at the top 15 college campuses nationwide, but anyone can enter on-line.

Listen to an interview with Robert here, conducted by Domestic Fuel reporter Joanna Schroeder at last week’s Commodity Classic: cc-09-joanna-rfa.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (2.9MB)

Legislation that would allow producers to make cellulosic ethanol out of waste wood from federal forest land was re-introduced last week in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) are co-sponsoring the Renewable Biofuels Facilitation Act, legislation that would
fix a provision in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 that prevents producers from making cellulosic ethanol out of nearly all federal forest waste. The legislation’s current definition of renewable biomass prevents almost all federal land biomass, such as trees, wood, brush, thinnings, chips, and slash, from counting toward the mandate if it is used to manufacture biofuels.

The bill would significantly broaden the definition of cellulosic ethanol within the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) to include biomass gathered from federal lands.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will be providing loan guarantees to help the ethanol industry, according to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

At last week’s USDA Outlook Conference, Vilsack said the USDA “has a responsibility for keeping an eye on that industry” to maintain an infrastructure to produce the next generation of biofuels.

Vilsack also says USDA is working with the Department of Energy to support research efforts to identify new feedstocks for biofuels to take some of the pressure off the food versus fuel discussion. “My view is that we have the capacity and the ability to do both and need to do both. If we’re to meet the President’s instruction that he wants more energy production out of our farm fields and ranches, and if we are going to turn this economy around and become less reliant on fossil fuels, we’ve got to create more biofuel.”

In addition to biofuels, Vilsack stressed USDA support for all forms of renewable energy, including wind and solar, “to continue the momentum of building and sustaining an energy industry within USDA and within farming and ranching.”