Domestic Fuel

During the 2011 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop attendees got a chance to see the new documentary from Josh & Rebecca Tickell. I first met Josh during a National Biodiesel Conference before he produced his award winning film, “Fuel.” Together with Rebecca they have now produced a film that should open a lot of people’s eyes about the myths surrounding ethanol. It is called “FREEDOM.”

FREEDOM is a one-hour documentary that takes a hard look at America’s perilous and unsustainable addiction to foreign oil. It explores the role that Ethanol plays as a homegrown alternative that will boost the domestic economy, create jobs and reduce our need to rely on dangerous and unstable parts of the world for our fuel. Filmmakers Josh Tickell and his wife Rebecca set out on a journey to take a fresh look at Ethanol and try to separate the myth from the hyperbole.

Following the screening which was viewed in a packed room at the FEW, I spoke with them about their latest project.

Rebecca says the devastation in the Gulf of Mexico last year spurred them to look into more alternatives to oil. So they did some checking to find out the truths about our main alternative fuel source, ethanol, and had their eyes opened when they looked into the myths surrounding the industry and the fuel. They spoke to experts on all sides of the debate including the authors of anti-ethanol studies.

They chose the title, “FREEDOM,” because event though we were promised by our current President in his election campaign that he would bring our troops home from the Middle East, we have actually increased the number of our soldiers there. Developing our own renewable fuel choices would give us freedom from that situation. They also point out the complete lack of a fuel choice at the pump and say that’s not freedom either.

The couple is embarking on a 30-city FREEDOM bus tour to promote their new film and you can see the schedule and find out more about the project on their website. You can watch and purchase the film there. They are producing a 90 minute theatrical version of the film too.

You may want to consider purchasing the film to show to your neighbors and friends or your favorite skeptic. How about sending a copy to your elected leaders? It’s great for generating conversation!

2011 FEW Photo Album

Our coverage of the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop is being made possible by the Renewable Fuels Association.

Pioneer was demonstrating the new mobile app for their Dynamic Pricing Platform during the just concluded 2011 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop. I spoke with Steve Crowe, Pioneer Business Manager, Biofuels about the new method of interacting with your DPP account. That’s his iPhone in the photo in front of the monitor showing the desktop version.

Steve says that smartphones have become so prevalent that they created both iPhone and Android versions of the app. You’ll need a DPP account to use the app but the app is free. He says producer feedback has been great. It allows ethanol plants a way to reach out directly to local farmers to purchase grain. No seed purchase is necessary btw. Steve Crowe Interview

2011 FEW Photo Album

Our coverage of the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop is made possible by the Renewable Fuels Association.

The mood was very upbeat at the 27th International Fuel Ethanol Workshop. I spoke with Tom Bryan, BBI International, about how he would characterize this year’s event which concluded yesterday.

Tom says the technical sessions were extremely well attended. In fact, chairs had to be added to some of them due to the attendance in them. He says there were over 2,000 in attendance this year. That may not be as high as several years ago but shows that the industry is resilient and upbeat for the future. Tom Bryan Interview

I have several more interviews from this year’s event that I will be posting over the coming days. Thanks a lot to BBI International for allowing me to attend and for all the support they provide us. Their crew is top notch and a joy to work with.

2011 FEW Photo Album

Our coverage of the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop is being made possible by the Renewable Fuels Association.

At the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop the Reverend of Renewable Fuels, Bob Dinneen, CEO, Renewable Fuels Association took the stage as a keynote speaker. Bob started his presentation with a report on several policy issues and then moved to a “conversation” with attendees in which he took questions.

Bob first touched on yesterday’s EPA announcement of a label for E15. He says it’s not everything they hoped for but it’s not as bad as had been feared. It does show that the EPA considers E15 a viable fuel. Hopefully we’ll see the fuel in the market soon. Bob then moved on to the latest votes in Congress and what was really going on in the background and what those votes really mean. You can listen to Bob’s presentation here: Bob Dinneen Keynote

You can also watch Bob on stage with the first part of his presentation before he took questions and answers:

2011 FEW Photo Album

Our coverage of the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop is being made possible by the Renewable Fuels Association.

This morning at the 2011 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop, the 2011 Award of Excellence was presented to Dr. Bruce Dale, Michigan State University, by BBI International VP, Tom Bryan.

Dale, professor of chemical engineering and associate director of the office of biobased technologies at Michigan State University, received the award for his extensive research in the areas of indirect land use change (ILUC) and the production of cellulosic ethanol. Earlier this year, he co-authored an analysis of ILUC which found no correlation between U.S. biofuel production and land use change in other countries.

In accepting the award, Dr. Dale recounted how he was the son of a mining engineer and that the towns where he grew up are now ghost towns because the ore has been depleted. “Because the industry on which they were based is not a renewable industry,” he said. When he became a chemical engineer and realized that he was most likely to end up working for the oil industry, he committed himself instead to develop large-scale renewable fuels.

Listen to the rest of his remarks here: Dr. Bruce Dale Remarks

2011 FEW Photo Album

Our coverage of the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop is being made possible by the Renewable Fuels Association.

Following this morning’s opening plenary session at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop, Tom Buis, CEO, Growth Energy, met with members of the press. He gave us an overview of where things stand on a number of issues facing the ethanol industry before taking questions. I’ve posted the overview for you to listen to.

Tom’s farm is right down the road from Indianapolis so he was very happy to come to FEW this year. He says that even with all the challenges facing the industry there are a lot of opportunities. He started out discussing the most recent political maneuvering on ethanol policy. He says they will continue to work on policy issues like infrastructure, tax credit extensions and Federal investment into flex fuel technology. He says the big question is “Where do we find a legislative vehicle that actually is going to get enacted into law?” You can listen to or download Tom’s remarks on this and other issues here. Growth Energy Press Conference

2011 FEW Photo Album

Our coverage of the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop is being made possible by the Renewable Fuels Association.

Our “Keynote Conversation” this morning at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop was between Brian France, NASCAR CEO (left) and Tom Buis, Growth Energy, CEO. These two CEO’s talked about the relationship between the racing league and American Ethanol and what it means for ethanol producers and the general public. As we have seen with the Indy Racing League starting several years ago and continuing today, the high performance race cars of NASCAR are now proving that they can run just fine on a fifteen percent blend. At the beginning of the conversation you’ll hear Brian talk about how well ethanol performs in their cars. “Our industry with a lot of testing in the most difficult circumstances, 500 miles at 200MPH . . . this fuel has been a great fuel for NASCAR and we’re happy to be your partner.” He says it has been a step in the direction of going green since the fuel reduces emissions. I think you’ll find the conversation very enlightening, especially if you’re one of the critics out there who for some reason refuse to believe the facts on performance and why we should all be supporting an American made biofuel.

You can listen to or download the conversation here. A NASCAR Conversation at FEW

2011 FEW Photo Album

Our coverage of the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop is being made possible by the Renewable Fuels Association.

At the beginning of this morning’s opening session of the Fuel Ethanol Workshop, Rick Tolman, CEO, National Corn Growers Association, was presented the High Octane Award by Tom Bryan, BBI International. I will post Rick’s comments later this morning after this plenary session.

Our morning session includes a conversation between NASCAR CEO Brian France and Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis. That’s taking place now. I will also have that posted later today as well.

Post Update: Here are Rick’s comments from this morning’s award presentation. Rick Tolman Award Remarks

2011 FEW Photo Album

Our coverage of the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop is being made possible by the Renewable Fuels Association.

The 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop is underway in Indianapolis, IN. The program gets underway tomorrow. I’ll be providing photos and interviews during the next several days.

I got in during the opening reception which was held in the trade show. It was a nice relaxing time to catch up with friends in the industry.

The program is fully packed with simultaneous workshops and general sessions that will cover some of the most current issues in the industry. I’m collecting photos in an online photo album which you can find here: 2011 FEW Photo Album

Our coverage of the 2011 Fuel Ethanol Workshop is being made possible by the Renewable Fuels Association.

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) has teamed up with BBI International to better serve the ethanol industry as part of the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo (FEW).

In recent years, ACE paired its annual conference with a trade show. This year, to better serve ACE members, ACE will partner with BBI as a Supporting Organization for the FEW, allowing ethanol industry suppliers and plant operators to concentrate on one trade show, and giving ACE the opportunity to focus its efforts on continuing to provide a valuable conference event. ACE will continue to hold its annual conference separate from FEW.

“ACE is proud to partner with BBI and pleased to support one industry exposition at the FEW,” said Brian Jennings, Executive Vice President of ACE. “Both organizations have a longstanding history of offering first-class events to the ethanol industry, and we believe this partnership will continue to strengthen the industry as a whole.”

The International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo will take place June 27-30, 2011 in Indianapolis, IN and the ACE Conference will be held August 22-24, 2011 in Des Moines, IA.

There are many key priorities for the ethanol industry right now and so I spent some time with Growth Energy’s CEO, Tom Buis to learn more about the political priorities the association is currently working on. Buis began by explaining that a lot depends on what actions Congress will take on the energy front. He mentioned that our country has recently come off the highest gas prices in 2008 the country has ever witnessed and that Congress has taken no steps to address this problem. “We feel they need to address the fuel issues,” said Buis.

There are many elements involved in addressing fuel issues and here are some of Growth Energy’s top priorities.

1. 1) Our country needs to mandate flex-fuel vehicles and blender pumps at every gas station across the country.
2. 2) On the market access side, they want to see an ethanol pipeline built. This will lower transportation costs, lower the industry’s carbon footprint and ultimately help consumers save more money at the pump.
3. 3) The association would like to see some previous legislation re-visited specifically as part of the 2007 Energy Bill. First, they want to see indirect land use change removed. Second, they would like to see the corn discrimination clause reviewed. This clause states that under no circumstance can corn (or starch-based) ethanol, ever be considered an advanced fuel.
4. 4) VETC, or the blender’s credit, is set to expire soon and Buis noted that they would like to see this extended for multiple years.
5. 5) The ethanol tariff is under review. The sets a “fee” on ethanol imported from other countries that offsets the blender’s tax credit. It is designed, explained, Buis, to keep American’s from subsidizing foreign ethanol.

There are several more issues that the association is working on and you can learn about them by listening to the full interview with Tom, who is joined by Steve McNich, the CEO of Western Plains Energy in Oakley, Kansas.

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Two current ethanol industry leaders and two potential leaders of the future received recognition at the 2010 Fuel Ethanol Workshop in St. Louis this week.

The High Octane Award for helping the ethanol industry mature and progress over the years was presented this year to Jeff Broin, CEO of Poet (pictured), while the research and technology Award of Excellence was given to Gunter Brodl, president of Vogelbusch USA. (The photo is courtesy of POET and you can see a video of Broin receiving his award on the POET blog, Rhapsody in Green.)

Two 2010 Kathy Bryan Memorial Scholarships were awarded this year to the children of ethanol plant employees, selected from more than 100 applicants representing 52 ethanol plants. The $2500 scholarships went to Mary Krull, the daughter of Peter Krull, a plant manager at Valero Renewables-Albert City, Iowa, and Nicholas Ballard, the son of Kim Ballard, a process operator at Big River Resources LLC, Galva, Ill.

Nearly 400 exhibitors were on the floor of the 2010 Fuel Ethanol Workshop and Expo this week in St. Louis, many of them introducing new technologies and products for ethanol producers.

One of those was Lallemand Ethanol Technology, a global provider of fermentation ingredients to the fuel ethanol industry, which announced the introduction of Thermosacc® GOLD, a new yeast product for the fuel ethanol industry.

Thermosacc GOLD is a fresh-cake yeast of Saccharomyces cerevisiae specially selected to better withstand the rigors of fermentation. A crumble yeast that has not been dried, it produces a shorter lag phase. The increased budding rates and vitality of Thermosacc GOLD result in quicker starting fermentations compared to dry yeast.

“Lallemand Ethanol Technology is continually striving for product improvement,” says Bill Nankervis, General Manager. “Thermosacc GOLD is another example of understanding our customers’ needs and delivering on them. Thermosacc GOLD allows plants to achieve incremental steps toward more efficient and profitable operations.”

2010 Fuel Ethanol Workshop Photo Album

This edition of “The Ethanol Report” comes from the 26th annual Fuel Ethanol Workshop in St. Louis where Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen gave the keynote address on major issues facing the industry.

In this interview, Dinneen discusses those issues, including increasing the blend rate and renewing ethanol tax incentives, with a message to the industry of the critical need to work together. He also talks about the Global Rebound Effect theory that is being used to challenge EPA on the Renewable Fuels Standard, and he responds to an Environmental Working Group report out this week opposing incentives for ethanol.

Bob was also interviewed live by AgriTalk host Mike Adams, broadcasting live from FEW on Tuesday.

Fuel Ethanol Workshop photo album

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A new independent lifecycle analysis released today by ethanol producer POET finds that cellulosic ethanol could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 111 percent over gasoline.

POET CEO Jeff Broin presented the results of the analysis at the 2010 Fuel Ethanol Workshop in St. Louis on Tuesday. The analysis specifically studied ethanol produced by Project LIBERTY, POET’s first planned commercial cellulosic ethanol plant, and shows that it actually has negative emissions by offsetting more greenhouse gas emissions than it produces.

“Not only is cellulosic ethanol a clean and safe alternative fuel, in cases such as Project LIBERTY, it can literally reverse some of the effects of our nation’s dependence on fossil energy such as oil,” POET CEO Jeff Broin said. “By expanding the number of sources for ethanol production, the entire nation can contribute to helping our nation’s economy, security and environment through alternative fuel production.”

The lifecycle analysis tracks the emissions of ethanol production from “field to tank.” It includes emissions from planting and harvest, feedstock transportation, conversion to ethanol, waste products, co-products and transportation of the ethanol. It also includes Environmental Protection Agency calculations for changes in land use and effects on agriculture inputs.

Read more about the announcement here.

Domestic Fuel reporter Joanna Schroeder interviewed Broin immediately after he made his announcement – listen to or download that interview below.

Fuel Ethanol Workshop photo album

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