Domestic Fuel

One thousand flexible fuel vehicles and 900 gasoline/electric hybrid will be part of the replacement of nearly 6,500 U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to its delivery fleet, part of a vehicle purchase by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). The remaining 4,600 of the GSA purchase for the USPS will be fuel-efficient, four-cylinder vehicles.

“With our fleet traveling more than 1.2 billion miles a year, the Postal Service consistently looks for ways to reduce the environmental footprint that results from visiting every home and business in America six days a week,” said Sam Pulcrano, vice president, Sustainability. “The GSA fleet upgrade program will help us continue these strategies.”

Since 2006, the USPS has inceased their alternative fuel use 41 percent.Over the next five years they plan to reduce the use another 20 percent over the next five years. Replacing aging vehicles with more fuel-efficient and alternative fuel-capable vehicles is key to reaching that goal.

“This is a unique opportunity for the Postal Service to continue work on our goals for improved fuel economy, greenhouse gas reductions, and on our position as an environmental leader,” said Wayne Corey, manager, Vehicle Operations, who is overseeing the vehicle delivery.

There was no cost to the Postal Service for the vehicles. GSA bore all purchase and distribution expenses.

Peak Oil has been a topic of interest since the infamous M. King Hubbert predicted when both the U.S and the world would see peak oil. Yet, there are still millions of people in denial, says Michael C. Ruppert and these people need to “get angry” so they can move to the step of acceptance that we’re running out of oil. Do I foresee a 12 step program for oil addiction coming our way? This is just the beginning of what Ruppert writes about in his new book, A Presidential Energy Policy: Twenty-five Points Addressing the Siamese Twins of Energy and Money. Just in case you’re unclear, this book was written for President Obama to help guide him in making energy decisions on behalf of the country.

As the country attempts to push forward legislation that would spur alternative energy and reduce global climate change, this statement becomes apropos: “Before we instantly accept alternative energy lifeboats that will allegedly let us keep our current lifestyles, don’t you think it wise to see if they float?” A valid point and one in which Ruppert answers yes, and here is the criteria:

• 1.    Does the energy source have a positive net energy balance?
• 2.    Is the energy regime a substitute or just scavenging?
• 3.    Have the Claims Been Verified by an independent third party?
• 4.    Is the energy available 24/7 as needed?
• 5.    Is the energy transportable over distance?
• 6.    Is the energy source applicable for the region?
• 7.    Does the inventor claim ZERO ollution?
• 8.    How destructive of the environment is this energy source?

Ruppert is a man on a mission with nothing to lose. He takes the readers through a critique of everything that’s wrong with America.
Read the rest of this post…

American drivers across the country have more access to biofuels than ever before. This increased availability is changing the composition of the fuels offered to drivers.  With this in mind, the Renewable Fuels Foundation (RFF) has released its updated resource on gasoline quality for auto mechanics. “Changes in Gasoline Manual IV,” in its fourth update has become the most used resource on gasoline quality and its relationship to vehicle performance.

The leading author of the manual is Robert Reynolds who is the president of Downstream Alternatives. He noted, “With old requirements for oxygenates and other fuel additives gone and new mandates for renewable fuel use in place, it was clear the changing fuel landscape needed to be addressed. This manual addresses all the concerns from vapor pressures to octane ratings to drivability standards for all ethanol-blended fuels, including E85. It also focuses on the use of ethanol-blended fuels in non-automotive applications, a growing area of unnecessary concern for consumers. Simply put, ethanol fuels are safe and effective for use.”

The “Changes in Gasoline Manual” focuses on changes in gasoline composition resulting from the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. It also provides important updates in fuel quality ratings, octane ratings, ethanol fuel for non-automotive uses, and a new feature on E85 and flex-fuel vehicles designed to run on higher ethanol blends.

Click here to download your free copy.

“Food—Fuel—Future” is the theme for this year’s Wisconsin Farm Technology Days coming up July 21-23, 2009, in Waterloo, Wisconsin.

This year, the state’s largest agriculture exposition takes place at The Crave Brothers Farm in southern Dodge County.

The Crave Brothers are living examples of the event theme of “Food—Fuel—Future.” Since 2002, they have increased milk production on their family farm, doubled the size of their on-farm cheese plant, and formed a unique partnership with Clear Horizons of Milwaukee with two anaerobic manure digesters that create enough electricity to power 550 average Wisconsin homes.

Year after year Portland is named the county’s most sustainable city. Well, yesterday, San Fransisco, tired of its runner-up status, challenged Portland to The Great Electric Vehicle Race. San Fransisco Mayor Gavin Newsom threw down the gauntlet and Portland Mayor Sam Adams declared a war. It looks like they’re off to the races.

The challenge is being hosted by Gas 2.0 (and yes, I do write for this site as well but does not lessen the coolness factor of this challenge) with the intent to help communities across the country” develop the charging infrastructure needed for full-scale electric vehicle deployment.” The goal is to engage cities across the country to embrace electric vehicles and develop infrastructure which will help revitalize the auto industry (or the new one in its place) help create jobs, help the environment, and help bring non-fossil fuel based technologies to market more quickly.

Before you jump the gun and call me stupid, yes, I’m very much aware that a major portion of our electricity comes from dirty fossil fuels such as coal. That is why the development of wind and solar is an important part of our energy portfolio moving forward.

On the Great Electric Vehicle Race website, there is a map with all the cities listed. In addition to San Fran and Portland, is Seattle. And that’s it. Come on America, let’s not make electric vehicles a technology for the Northwest but a technology for the entire country. Check out the site (www.electriccarrace.org) to see how you can work with your local government to create similar electric car programs for your community.

The Ethanol Emergency Response Coalition (EERC) has compiled and released the Complete Training Guide for Ethanol Emergency Response to help prepare ethanol producers, transporters and first responders for ethanol-related emergencies.

This complete training package includes two videos, an instructor’s guide, interactive workshops and seven modules and PowerPoint presentations, each focusing on a specific and important aspect of ethanol response. Guidelines are also given for fire departments and first responders that have ethanol production facilities in their communities.

Kristy Moore, Director of Technical Services for the Renewable Fuels Association, says they are proud of this collaborative effort between all stakeholders in the EERC. “Preventing just one injury makes all the resources invested in this effort worthwhile,” she said.

The EERC consists of organizations representing emergency responders and the industry including the Renewable Fuels Association, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Liquid Terminals Association, Ansul Fire Protection, Industrial Fire World and Williams Fire Hazard Control.

The Complete Training Guide to Ethanol Emergency Response is now available at the EERC website.

A new report says Missouri could become a real center for wind power, biomass, biogas and other sources of renewable energy, while creating thousands of jobs and more tax revenues, especially in rural areas of the state.

This story in the St. Louis Business Journal says the Natural Resources Defense Council report points out that Missourians spend more than $18 billion a year on energy for their homes, vehicles and businesses:

That comes to $3,000 in energy costs for each person in Missouri, and most of those dollars leave the state because 84 percent of Missouri’s electricity is generated using coal, almost all of which is shipped in from Wyoming, according to the report.

“Within Missouri’s borders are vast resources of wind, land and water — all the ingredients needed for Missouri to become a national leader in new energy development, creating tens of thousands of good jobs and substantial new sources of income for farmers,” said Martin Cohen, the energy policy analyst who authored the report.

You can read the entire report here.

The first national radio show dedicated to the business of renewable energy will make its debut from the Miami studios of 880 The Biz (WZAB) on Monday, July 13, at 6:00 pm Eastern time.

Pure Energy is hosted by noted energy expert Sean O’Hanlon, Executive Director of the American Biofuels Council (ABC).

“We’re going to talk about all forms of energy and we’re going to focus primarily on the business side of alternatives and renewables in the energy sector,” said O’Hanlon. “Most people focus on clean, green and sustainable but overlook the economic side of it – job creation, cost savings, cost competitiveness and the opportunity to invest in various technologies and companies in renewables.” The program will include all aspects of energy, from policy and petroleum concerns to wind, solar, hydro-electric, geothermal, and biofuels.

Guests for the premier show include two renowned energy authorities – worldwide peak oil expert Richard Heinberg, author of nine books including “Peak Everything” and aerospace engineer Dr. Robert Zubrin, author of Energy Victory, who says the nation needs and energy show like this right now. “I think it’s a great thing and I think it would be better if we had a network of such in every city across the country,” said Zubrin. “Because for America to break free from the oil cartel is essential for our future and people everywhere need to know how we can do it.”

O’Hanlon says radio stations in other major markets have already expressed an interest in airing the program. “We’ve gotten inquiries from Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, New York, and as far away as Buenos Aires, Argentina,” he said.

O’Hanoln says the program will originate from WZAB-AM as a live call-in and will also be available live on the web at PureEnergyShow.com. It can also be followed on both Twitter and Facebook.

I interviewed both O’Hanlon and Zubrin about the new show, which you can listen to or download here. They are two separate interviews back-to-back in the same audio file. If you have never heard Dr. Zubrin speak at an event, this will give you just a taste of his very commonsense approach to achieving “Energy Victory” in this country and some of the ideas he will be talking about on “Pure Energy” July 13.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.2MB)

The Renewable Fuels Association has launched a new online destination for ethanol information called Choose Ethanol.

The new website features a section dedicated exclusively to E85, plus a news center and quick facts, as well as links to follow RFA on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.

The site also invites visitors to sign up to “stay informed, share your stories and become a part of the discussion about clean, renewable fuel in the United States.”

The website address is www.chooseethanol.com.

Fuel, Food and the Future, the 19th annual national Ethanol Producers and Consumers (EPAC) sponsored Biofuel Conference was recently held at the Best Western Grantree Inn, in Bozeman, MT. This educational conference featured many educated speakers who addressed attendees on biofuels and feedstock.

Lt. Governor John Bohlinger addressed the conference, and posed for pictures with three of the flexible fuel vehicles (shown left) that were on display. Pictured are from right, Shirley Ball, Bohlinger and Alex Conger, who drove the Hummer that has been converted to E85 fuel to the EPAC conference.

“EPAC was formed to educate, and this was another great opportunity for learning and networking,” said Shirley Ball, President of EPAC. “I appreciated the audience remarks in the evaluations, as they scored the conference very high in regards to content and to how smooth the conference ran. I want to thank all the speakers and venders who helped make the EPAC conference a success.”

Ball continued, “We look forward to 2010, and invite everyone to make plans to join us in Missoula next year and help EPAC celebrate the 20th anniversary!”

There has been speculation as to when some of the funds dedicated to developing renewable energy will come to fruition. It looks like this is finally happening. Farmers, ranchers and rural business owners have until July 31, 2009 to apply for the USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants. The grants provide funds to purchase and install small wind turbines (or other renewable energy systems). These grants will cover 25% of the total installed cost of the small wind turbine system, and   when used in conjunction with the Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC), can help a farmer install a small wind turbine system for roughly 50% of the normal cost.

These incentives, when coupled with the cost savings from generating your own electricity, can result in impressive investment prospects. For example, according to David Shirkey of Renewable Options & Investments (ROI), in locations with 11 mph average wind speeds and with utility rates of $0.12 per kWh, a farmer could realize a 12 percent annual rate of return on his investment and a payback of eight years. In addition, some local utility cooperatives are also offering rebates to its members installing wind power.

Applications must be submitted to local USDA Rural Development offices by July 31, 2009. You can get more information on the grants by visiting www.rurdev.usda.gov or you can contact the American Wind Association.

A power company that serves portions of Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming has inked a 20-year deal to sell power from a 51-megawatt wind energy farm that will be built in East Central Colorado.

This company press release says Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and a subsidiary of Duke Energy Corp. signed the deal that will help Tri-State meet the requirements for its 44 member distribution cooperatives:

“This wind power project is an important part of our near-term strategy to diversify our portfolio with renewable resource that complement our fleet of baseload generation,” said Ken Anderson, Tri-State’s executive vice president and general manager. “It also keeps us ahead of targets to meet renewable energy standards on behalf of our member co-ops.”

“Duke Energy is pleased to be able to help Tri-State bring clean, renewable wind power to the customers of its member cooperatives,” said David Marks, senior vice president for wind energy at Duke Energy Generation Services (DEGS), a business unit of Duke Energy that owns and develops renewable energy assets.

Tri-State officials say no new transmission facilities will be needed for the project.

Those guys and gals in those brown delivery trucks seem pretty efficient (especially when they get your order to you on time!). But UPS is making its whole operation even more efficient and greener… and biodiesel is playing an important role.

This story on FastCompany.com says the delivery giant today announced a new goal of cutting its entire airborne fleet’s carbon emissions by an additional 20 percent by 2020 by making its planes run more efficiently. But efforts once those packages are back on the ground will play a big role for the company as well:

When planes reach their destinations, a variety of biodiesel-powered ground support equipment will help the aircraft dock and unload swiftly and efficiently. While parked at UPS Worldport, planes are powered with electricity rather than fuel-burning auxiliary generators common at many airports. Loading and unloading equipment will run on electricity as well, further cutting the diesel bill for UPS.

As you might remember from my post last October 28, 2008, UPS is already testing a delivery vehicle that uses a hydraulic hybrid system to power the truck.

The fight between the Europeans and Americans over U.S. biodiesel continues as the European Commission now proposes to impose anti-dumping duties on the yankees’ green fuel.

Hoosier Ag Today reports that the 27-country bloc recommended the punitive final duties at a meeting in Brussels today:

The Commission suspects U.S. biodiesel is heavily subsidized. The duties will come into force by July 12 and range from 23 Euros to 41 Euros per 100 kilogrammes or about 160 pounds. The duties would last for up to five years.

The stakes are high as biodiesel represents around 80 percent of the total production in Europe of biofuels, which have become an important pillar of the EU’s efforts to fight global warming. While both the United States and the EU support the use of biofuels, the group claims that US biodiesel is being sold at below US producers’ costs thanks to generous subsidies.

National Biodiesel Board Vice President of Federal Affairs Manning Feraci was quick to respond, calling the decision “unfortunate:”

‘Throughout this case, we have constantly put data on the record that clearly shows the European biodiesel industry was not being harmed by U.S. competition. In fact, some EU companies have fared quite well. For those that have not, it is factors unrelated to U.S. competition – bad business models; high feedstock costs; and detrimental EU member state policy- that are to blame. The decision to ignore these fundamental facts has yielded a protectionist result that is detrimental to all parties involved.

“Moving forward, the U.S. biodiesel industry will certainly reserve our right and ability to further address this flawed outcome.”

An E85 promotion will lead off the Governor’s Ethanol Challenge event at Fiesta City Speedway in Montevideo, MN on July 10. According to the American Lung Association of Minnesota, the Cenex C-Store at 2402 E. Highway 7 in Montevideo will offer an 85 cent per gallon discount on E85 from 1-5 p.m. Biodiesel will also be discounted by 10 cents per gallon during the promotion.

The Governor’s Ethanol Challenge races are part of the Wissota Auto League’s Midwest Modified class competitions. Racing begins at the Fiesta City Speedway in Montevideo at 7 p.m. A race car will be on display at the Cenex C-Store during the promotion.

The event is supported by the Cenex C-Store, Chippewa County Corn Growers, Minnesota Corn Growers Association, Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, The Minnesota Clean Air Choice Team and the American Lung Association in Minnesota.