Domestic Fuel

It was with great sadness that I tuned in to today’s Indy Car race and saw the 13th lap multi car wreck and learned that Dan Wheldon was killed. Wow. I’ve had the opportunity to get to know a number of these Indy Car racers over the years. You can say all you want about the wisdom of driving a “car” at 220 MPH but they are still people. This brought back memories of Paul Dana in 2006. I liked Dan and certainly took a number of photos of him in the winner’s circle. He was the winner of this year’s Indy 500.

Today’s race was cancelled after this happened. Then the drivers all rode 3 abreast for five laps to honor Dan. This is just a photo of my tv while they were circling the track.

Here’s a photo of Dan in the winner’s circle in at the 2007 Kansas Lottery Indy 300.

At the time I was working with our sponsor known at that time as the Ethanol Promotion & Information Council (now Growth Energy). Dan won the first race of that season in Homestead, FL. I asked him about racing on ethanol in his post race press conference.

Here’s what he said: Dan Wheldon Ethanol Comment

My prayers go out to Dan and his family. It is a shock when something like this happens. I also hope all the other drivers involved in the accident are okay.

Officials with Green Tech America Inc. have announced that they are producing a more efficient way to produce cellulosic ethanol with a new type of yeast. According to a Purdue Research Park press release, the feedstocks involved include: wood chips, grasses and agricultural wastes like corn stalks and wheat straw. The new yeast ferments both glucose and xylose, two major types of sugar recovered from cellulosic biomass. Conventional yeasts ferment only glucose.

The yeast was developed at Purdue University by Nancy Ho (pictured), a research professor in the School of Chemical Engineering, in the Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering and the Energy Center. She also is founder and president of Green Tech America.

Green Tech America, which is based in the Purdue Research Park, also received exclusive license for improvements to the new yeast to be developed by Green Tech. “We licensed the yeast so we can provide it as well as technical assistance to other companies so they can use it for their own cellulosic ethanol production,” Ho said. “We can produce the yeast more cost-effectively. It is similar to how few people will make their own bread at home because it is more convenient and less expensive to buy loaves in the supermarket.”

Ho’s research at Purdue has been funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture, the Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research Inc., Environmental Protection Agency and industry sources.

The latest edition of Domestic Fuel Cast listens in on some of the conversation at this week’s Farm Foundation “Transition to a Bioeconomy: Global Trade and Policy Issues” conference.

This is the fourth in a series of conferences looking at the transition to a bioeconomy the Farm Foundation has sponsored. This week’s event brought people from around the world to Washington, DC, where they were able to combine their divergent viewpoints to come up with workable solutions that everyone can live with. Unlike some other conferences where everyone already agrees before they meet, these Farm Foundation meetings put together people with vastly different perspectives. The conversations are lively, they’re maybe a bit pointed, but they work… and they are something we need to have more of in this country: frank, honest discussions where everyone doesn’t have to agree.

Folks like Purdue’s Wally Tyner or the European Commission’s Laurent Javaudin come with ideas that each might believe is best but walk away with more ideas than what they would have had with just yes-men around them. We picked up on part of the conversation regarding how the U.S. and Europe have different approaches to renewable energy mandates: the U.S. choosing to set a number of gallons of biodiesel and ethanol produced, while Europe wants to base its renewable energy goals on a percentage of all energy produced… regardless of the source. And while the Americans and Europeans had plenty to talk about with the recent tariffs being slapped on U.S. biodiesel coming to Europe, our friends like Joel Velasco with the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association reminds us that there are some pretty steep protectionist tariffs America has put on the import of his country’s ethanol. Finally, David Zilberman with the University of California-Berkeley reminds us to keep our eyes on the prize: becoming free from the yoke of OPEC oil.

It’s a unique conversation, and you can hear some of it on this week’s Domestic Fuel Cast here: DFCast-4-03-09.mp3

You can also subscribe to the DomesticFuel Cast here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (2.7MB)

The University of Florida Gators are National Champions again this year and now a UF student has won free ethanol-enriched fuel for a year.

University of Florida student Joshua Nicdao won the Ethanol Challenge grand prize, valued at $1300, as part of the 2008 Fox Tailgate Tour. The contest was sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) to help promote the economic and environmental benefits of ethanol to football fans and college students across the country.

“I still can’t believe I won. When I registered for free ethanol fuel for a year, I never thought I’d win,” said Nicdao. “As a student, having a year’s worth of ethanol will be a huge help to me financially, and it’s great that ethanol also helps environmentally.”

The Fox Tailgate Tour visited the University of Florida campus in October 2008 for the LSU vs. UF game where Nicdao participated in the ethanol challenge and entered to win the grand prize.

Officials with EPIC, which recently became part of the newly-formed Growth Energy organization, said they received thousands of entries for the contest and were pleased with their involvement in the tour to help promote ethanol.

The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council has been recognized by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Nebraska chapter for its work in fighting the misperceptions that ethanol was the primary culprit to the rising cost of food.

EPIC’s media kit “Food AND Fuel” received the Award of Excellence from the organization. In addition, EPIC also received an Award of Excellence in the OP-ED/Bylined Article category.

EPIC recently announced that it is joining Growth Energy, a newly formed organization dedicated to the promise of agriculture and growing America’s economy through cleaner, greener energy.

Several different groups are pressuring the Indy Racing League to rethink its decision to partner with Brazil for ethanol to fuel the Indy Car Series.

Among them is a conservative, free market group called American Future Fund (AFF) which launched a radio ad which urging Hoosiers and others to call the IRL and tell them to continue using American ethanol in its race cars.

“It’s amazing that amid all the progress we have made toward energy independence, the IRL decides to set us back,” said AFF Communications Director Tim Albrecht. “It’s mind-boggling as to why the league would take this action in an economic downturn. This is a slap in the face to American farmers and workers.”

“Our hope is that local citizens will stick up for what’s right, and demand the IRL rescind its deal with Brazil,” continued Albrecht. “This is a matter of energy independence and keeping our jobs here at home. The IRL may turn its back on the people of Indiana and the Midwest, but AFF will steadfastly stand with America’s energy producers.”

Indiana corn growers are also calling on the IRL to continue using domestically-produced ethanol. “We encourage the citizens of Indiana to make your opinion known to the IRL if you feel this decision was a mistake and not in the best interest of our country, Indiana farmers, and the local economies that benefit from the growing ethanol industry in our state,” said Mike Shuter, president of the Indiana Corn Marketing Council.

The actual contract has apparently yet to be signed, but IRL officials have said the Brazilian deal calls for them to use a US ethanol supplier for the first year of the multi-year agreement. The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council, through its producer members, has been the fuel sponsor of the Indy Car Series for the past three years but decided not to renew the contract for the coming season.

The Brazilian ethanol industry will remain the fuel sponsor of the Indy Racing League in 2009, but the ethanol will come from the United States – at least for the first year.

That is a compromise of sorts announced by IRL after meeting with corn ethanol industry representatives.

The multi-year partnership between the IndyCar Series and APEX-Brasil — a trade promotion agency that will be the official ethanol supplier to the series beginning in 2009 – includes cooperation from UNICA (the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association) to identify those interested in supplying ethanol.

Initially, UNICA will look to partner with a U.S. company to supply the IndyCar Series with American-produced corn-based ethanol.

Corn growers are other domestic ethanol interests are unhappy with the Brazilian deal, but ultimately it came down to a decision by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) to not sponsor the racing series for the next season. EPIC is “ceasing operation,” as the IRL statement notes, in that it will no longer exist as EPIC but as part of the newly formed Growth Energy group. However, the decision to stop sponsorship was made independently of that new direction – not just because it was expensive, but also because it had essentially served it’s purpose in proving ethanol as a performance fuel.

Terry Angstadt, president of the commercial division of the Indy Racing League, said they made the deal with Brazil because “No one from any other part of the American-based ethanol community stepped forward with a substantial proposal” although several other producers reportedly offered their services as suppliers last week.

Angstadt says opportunities still exist for American ethanol companies and organizations to continue involvement in the IndyCar Series. “We look forward to working with American producers and Brazilian producers of ethanol to promote ethanol as a renewable energy source and part of the solution to lessen the United States’ reliance on Middle Eastern oil,” he said.

The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council is joining with the newly-formed Growth Energy group.

EPIC Executive Director Toni Nuernberg made the official announcement today that the organization’s board of directors is recommending a transition plan to the membership for the two groups to combine.

“The mission of EPIC’s formation— growing ethanol awareness through public relations, marketing and promotions — will continue as a core platform of Growth Energy’s initiatives,” said Nuernberg in a statement. EPIC’s programs and staff will be transitioning into Growth Energy over the next few months.

Growth Energy was announced earlier this month as a new ethanol organization formed by the same principals who started EPIC in 2005, “committed to the promise of agriculture and growing America’s economy through cleaner, greener energy.”

The newly formed ethanol advocacy group, Growth Energy, has aggressive plans for attacking some of the major issues impacting the growth of biofuels.

During an interview at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting annual meeting, Growth Energy board member Greg Krissek of ICM said they want to “especially focus on the federal work being done on mid-level and higher level blends (of ethanol) but accelerate that.”

The new organization will be “working very closely together” with the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC). “As the industry gets bigger, it’s an opportunity for coalitions to be built of groups of producers,” said Krissek.

Growth Energy will also be aggressively fighting back against food companies that have been blaming ethanol production for higher food prices. “The question is simple – are food prices going to fall? Or was it really a disingenuous statement that was made,” Krissek said. The organization is requesting that Congress to hold hearings with food companies to ask them the question.

Listen an interview with Greg Krissek here: nafb-08-krissek.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (3.4MB)

Biofuels top the list as the most acceptable avenue to long term energy security in the nation, according to a national consumer survey commissioned by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC).

EPIC Executive Director Toni Nuernberg said they interviewed over 1,000 consumers nationwide for the survey. “About 73 percent of them responded that they want to see domestically produced biofuels such as ethanol to replace oil,” she said.

In addition, 62 percent of the consumers surveyed cited conservation as a solution to long-term energy independence, 58 percent favored increased domestic drilling, 55 percent support mandated manufacturing of environmentally friendly vehicles and 24 percent cited drilling in environmentally friendly areas as an option.

EPIC’s national poll also reveals consumer support for biofuels such as ethanol keeps growing. Nearly 62 percent of respondents have a favorable view of ethanol. And Nuernberg says consumers are very interested in flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) that can run on either pure gasoline or any blend of gas and up to 85 percent ethanol.

“What was somewhat surprising to us is that they also expressed some interest in purchasing a hybrid flex-fuel vehicle,” said Nuernberg. “Over 64 percent of respondents said they would consider purchasing such a vehicle and it was even a higher acceptance than FFV without the hybrid feature.” Nuernberg says the main reason cited for the purchase of a hybrid FFV was the environmental benefits of ethanol.

View survey results here.

The executive director of the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) recently unveiled her new blog, Ethanol Conversations.

Toni Nuernberg’s site focuses on spurring conversations and debates on the continued growth of ethanol in the United States and around the world.

EPIC is also utilizing new media in other ways, including a page on Facebook, and a YouTube channel featuring seven videos.

The Renewable Fuels Association wasted no time today in congratulating Barack Obama on his victory.

“Throughout this campaign, President-elect Obama has reiterated that American farmers and ethanol producers are a critical component of our national strategy to help reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil,” RFA said in a news release. “We look forward to working with an Obama Administration and members of Congress from both sides of the aisle to ensure the full potential of America’s home grown ethanol industry is realized.”

The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council is pleased with “the role energy independence played in the 2008 presidential election.” Executive director Toni Nuernberg says that in this time of great uncertainty, it is time for the country to work together. “Our fight for Energy Independence should rival the efforts and sacrifices expended at other critical moments in our nation’s history; times when Americans pulled together not only by rationing and conserving, but thinking creatively, experimenting to develop new innovations and efficiencies, abandoning tradition, and working side‐by‐side to get the job done,” Nuernberg said.

In his so-called “closing arguments” in the Wall Street Journal this week, Obama said he would “invest $15 billion a year over the next decade in renewable energy, creating five million new, green jobs that pay well, can’t be outsourced, and can help end our dependence on Middle East oil.” The ethanol industry is reading that as good news for the next four years.

Bartering musical talent will result in more than just entertainment for more than 3.2 million Americans; it will turn into free fuel.

On Saturday, October 11 at 11 am eastern time, the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC), along with 2020 Vision, 3 Kingdoms Entertainment, Exxon, Lehigh Gas, International Reciprocal Trade Association, Pennsylvania Gasoline Retailers and Allied Trades, will stand together at an Exxon gas station in Philadelphia to announce a revolutionary world tour and film titled, Music is Our Oil (MIO).

The MIO world tour is scheduled to kick off in June 2009, and will send America’s greatest hip-hop and rock artists to oil producing countries to barter their musical talent for 20 million barrels of oil. The 20 million oil barrels will transform into 125-gallon MIO gas cards, which will be distributed to 3.2 million Americans through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Family (TANF) program.

“The rising cost of energy has created a strain on all consumers across the country. Through the Music is Our Oil program we will not only be dispensing gas cards, but we’ll also be encouraging consumers to fill up with E10,” said Toni Nuernberg, executive director of EPIC.

Following the press conference a free concert titled BETA TEST will be held at 3 p.m. EST at the Exxon gas station, which is being dubbed Rock & Roll Exxon for the day. The free concert will feature 10 indie rock bands and hip-hop artists bartering for a full tank of gas that will be turned into a 25-gallon MIO gas card to be given to low-income families through the TANF program.

The Dirk Devries family of Albert Lea, Minnesota are not only the recipients of a new home, courtesy of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. They are also the proud owners of a new F150 crew cab flexible-fuel vehicle, courtesy of the ethanol industry.

Five Minnesota-based POET Biorefining facilities, in conjunction with the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) and Dave Syverson Ford, joined together to give the Devries family the new FFV valued at nearly $36,000 during filming of the show on Tuesday.

In addition, the biorefining facilities along with EPIC presented the family with a year’s worth of E85, valued at $6,000. The family will be able to use their E85 fuel card at the local Freeborn County Coop Oil Company.

“The community has really rallied around this event,” said Rick Mummert, general manager of POET Biorefining – Glenville. “Citizens and businesses have contributed to make this a great experience for all those involved. It’s an example of the true American spirit.”

No word yet on an air date for the show.

The Corvette Racing team of Johnny O’Connell, Jan Magnussen and Ron Fellows went down in history as the inaugural winners of the Green Racing Challenge. The 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans win also cinched the American Le Man Series GT1 championship for O’Connell and Magnussen.

The No. 3 Corvette C6.R also had the best score in the Green Challenge, securing the team award in the GT class for Corvette Racing and the manufacturer award for General Motors. Powered by cellulosic E85R ethanol made from waste wood, the winning Corvette had the best overall score in the competition based on based on performance, fuel efficiency and environmental impact.

“It’s not just about making the engine more efficient and more environmentally friendly,” explained GM Racing Group Manager, Steve Wesoloski. “We looked at things like reducing wheel bearing friction and aerodynamic drag to win the Green Challenge. Alternative renewable fuels are an important part of GM’s gas-friendly to gas-free program, and GM already has more E85-capable vehicles on the road than any other manufacturer. Green Racing ties in with what the corporation is doing in production vehicles.”

In partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC), and SAE International, the “Green Challenge” put the spotlight on emerging fuel technologies, including the international debut of a hybrid electric prototype race car utilizing E10. Cars were measured on performance, fuel efficiency and environmental impact.

“The Green Challenge is not only a revolutionary concept in motorsports, but it is also providing a valuable testing ground for new technology that will ultimately benefit the average motorist,” said Toni Nuernberg, executive director of EPIC. “This race demonstrates the performance and environmental benefits of using ethanol enriched fuels which is something we can all do today to make an impact.”