Domestic Fuel

I didn’t get my own photo of Nebraska Lt. Governor Rick Sheehy today so I borrowed this one from his website. However, I did get to speak with him after our Omaha press conference.

He’s a real ethanol supporter as you’ll hear in our interview. Sheehy says that in just a few years Nebraska will be producing over 1 billion gallons of ethanol.

Listen to Lt. Governor Sheehy’s interview here: Lt. Governor Rick Sheehy Interview (2 min MP3)

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

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I think it’s fascinating that I’m not the only blogger on this trip. There are several of us and you ought to check them out. Here’s a list of them which you can find on the AASHTO website.

We met the Commissioner of Tailgating, Joe Cahn, the other day. He was out in the sun tailgating again today.

This time we were treated to some excellent jambalaya and bratwurst.

If you ever have a chance to attend a Joe Cahn tailgate party I highly recommend it. He’s a great guy with an awesome perspective and outlook on life and I’m glad to have met him.

Before saying goodbye to Joe I got this little video clip to share with you. Joe says corn is hard to find in Nebraska to cook with and explains why: Commissioner Cahn on Ethanol (1 min WMV)

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

At the end of our Omaha press conference at Werner Enterprises, we had a little fun when a remote controlled truck made the rounds.

It’s the little guy in the bottom of the picture.

Of course this was a video moment and I got it for you: Mini Semi (1 min WMV)

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

Todd Sneller, Administrator of the Nebraska Ethanol Board (right of NE Gov. Dave Heineman) says that the board was created to help consumers understand and know that ethanol is safe to put in their vehicles. He says they conducted a 2.2 million mile test of ethanol blends in the mid 1970′s to get EPA certification.

Listen to Todd’s interview here: Todd Sneller Interview (3 min MP3)

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.7MB)

I got some support here in Omaha from the Nebraska Ethanol Board. Administrator, Todd Sneller came out in the Governor’s E85 Avalanche.

Later on I’ll add an interview with Todd in which he explains what the Nebraska Ethanol Board does. They have some interesting programs that include research I think you’ll want to know more about.

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

Nebraska Governor, Dave Heineman spoke at our press conference here in Omaha this morning. Afterward I got to meet and interview him.

Nebraska is the 3rd largest ethanol producing state. Heineman describes how important ethanol and the highway system is economically to his state.

Here’s my interview with the Governor: Governor Dave Heineman Interview (1 min MP3)

You can hear Governor Heineman’s remarks to the AASHTO group here: Governor Dave Heineman’s Remarks (5 min MP3)

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (541.6KB)

To our pleasant surprise today, the Governor of Nebraska attended our press conference here in Omaha. Right now I’m in the parking lot of the QWest Center where we have a traffic mobility showcase taking place. The Ethanol Truck is on display here with materials to hand out to the public.

Since I’m only connected by my Sprint card I’ll upload and add some audio to this and the next couple posts later this evening.

Our press conference this morning was held at the Werner Enterprises headquarters. They have a beautiful facility and it’s their 50 year anniversary so that coincided well with the AASHTO Celebrate the Interstate Convoy trip.

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

The Grand Island/Hall County Convention & Visitors Bureau welcomed us to our fuel stop yesterday with bottled water and candy bars. Thank you.

I interviewed the Travel Center of America shop manager, Bill Buettner (left) and found out that he’s also a corn grower and ethanol enthusiast.

Bill says that since they’ve labelled their pumps and blended ethanol he hasn’t really had much feedback from customers. He assumes that’s because consumers accept it more now than they used to.

Here’s my interview with Bill: Bill Buettner Interview (2 min MP3)

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.1MB)

The first pumps we found on our trip so far that contained a blend of ethanol were at our Travel Centers of America fuel stop in Grand Island, NE.

Here you can see that they have 10% ethanol in all their grades of gas.

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

Our first stop on the highway Wednesday was North Platte, NE. Here’s our stage at the press conference at the truck weigh station.

One of the speakers was local transportation enthusiast, Eric Seacrest. Eric describes the original convoy trip in 1919 by Lt. Col. Eisenhower. He also talks about the challenges and opportunities presented by the interstate system in Nebraska. One of those challenges is related to the truck traffic and the strain they put on the highway.

Listen to Eric here: Eric Seacrest Remarks (8 min MP3)

When I met Eric after the press conference he said he was glad to see ethanol represented since he’s an investor in a local ethanol plant.

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (3.8MB)

It has been a long day on the interstate. I have some more to post for you but it’s too late at this point. This picture shows how we follow the leader in the convoy. The truck I’m driving is in the reflection of the truck in front of me.

A group of us broke away today to swing through Denver and Kansas City before re-joining us in Iowa.

Tomorrow we’ll be at events in Omaha before heading on over to Des Moines on Friday.
Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

Just before we got to Cheyenne this afternoon a group of old model cars joined our caravan.

Here’s the GM flex fuel E85 Avalanche next to a 1928 Leatherback Model A Ford. Quite a contrast on this convoy stop.

Pictured are Bill Newman, Wyoming Ethanol and Lloyd Harris, Oak Spokes Antique Auto Club.

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

Travelling with the convoy is Merrill Eisenhower Atwater (right), great grandson of President Dwight Eisenhower. Here he’s talking with transportation author, Dan McNichol.

Getting to know Merrill, a fellow Missourian, has been one of the treats on this trip. I finally got to interview him this evening. He’ll be taking a “swing” route with a small group from the convoy through Denver and Kansas City tomorrow while the main convoy moves into Nebraska.

Merrill has political aspirations and judging by what I’ve seen and heard he’s going to be a very successful politician. He’s here not just because of his connection to the man who is credited with creating the Interstate Highway System but because he believes more attention needs to be placed on it and that too many people take it for granted.

Hear more from Merrill: Merrill Eisenhower Atwater Interview (5 min MP3)

Merrill is one of the people blogging the convoy trip. You can find a link to his blog here.

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (2.3MB)

At the Interstate Perspectives symposium in Cheyenne, noted transportation author, Dan McNichol, who is a convoy participant and driver, spoke to the crowd.

Dan talked about President Eisenhower and how and why he worked so hard to create a cross country highway system. To find out how entertaining Dan can be you can watch a portion of his presentation here: Dan McNichol Speaks (3 min WMV)

Domestic Fuel coverage and participation in the AASHTO Interstate 50th Convoy is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.