EPIC Global Warming Expedition In an effort to bring attention to the role ethanol can play in the issue of global climate change, the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council joined forces with legendary polar explorer Will Steger for his 2007 Global Warming 101 Expedition. Steger, who had long been a proponent of alternative energy in the fight against global warming, …

Dana’s Dream Realized The XM Satellite Radio Indy 300 made history in Homestead, Florida on March 24, 2007 as the first race to run on 100 percent ethanol. It was a bittersweet and emotional milestone for many remembering Paul Dana’s tragic death prior to the same race a year ago. Besides the legacy Dana left behind with IndyCar Series moving …

All In For Cellulosic Momentum in early 2007 was strong for increasing the Renewable Fuel Standard and President George W. Bush remained focused on finding other sources for biofuel production, such as the switchgrass he had been touting as an alternative for the past year. In February, President Bush visited Novozymes North America Inc., a company in Franklinton, North Carolina …

New Year Gets in Gear with Goal to Increase RFS On the very first day of the 110th Congress, Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) re-introduced the Biofuels Security Act of 2007 which would amend the Clean Air Act and set new benchmarks for the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), reaching 30 billion gallons per year by 2020 and …

Chapter Seven: Driving RFS1 to RFS2

EPA Releases Rule for RFS Meanwhile, back at the EPA, the agency finally released proposed regulations for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) on September 7, 2006, almost exactly 13 months after the Energy Act authorizing it was signed by President Bush. EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson went to Mead, Nebraska to announce the proposal, designed to double the use of …

Industry Fends off Tariff Challenges Now that ethanol had the backing of new domestic energy policy requiring four billion gallons to be blended into the domestic fuel supply, there were some who thought the industry should be willing to give up some other incentives that had helped it along. In May of 2006, the target became the 54 cent per …

Plant Construction Reaches Major Milestone Ethanol plant construction was already running full tilt before the Energy Act was passed in 2005 and by the end of May 2006 it hit the major milestone of 100 facilities. Approximately 1,200 people attended the grand opening celebration May 26 for the new $80 million Frontier Ethanol – the 100th ethanol plant to begin …

Triumph and tragedy strike Team Ethanol In January 2006, it was announced that Paul Dana and Team Ethanol would be leaving Hemelgarn Racing and joining the Rahal Letterman group, owned by 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal and television talk show host David Letterman. “This is a huge step up for us from a competitive standpoint because Rahal Letterman has …

SOTU and Switchgrass The U.S. ethanol industry had never been in such a perfect position for dynamic growth than it was at the start of 2006. President George W. Bush was the strongest ally the industry had ever had in the White House. His 2006 State of the Union address was primarily focused on terrorism, with the memory of 9/11 …