Domestic Fuel

A Massachusetts Bioheat dealer believes there’s no better way to show patriotism this 4th of July than parading his newly wrapped truck proclaiming the goodness of the green heating fuel. Cleghorn Oil, a Bioheat dealer based in Fitchburg will have his truck, complete with the Bioheat wrap courtesy of the National Biodiesel Board’s Bioheat outreach program, in his town’s Independence Day parade:

“I’ve never seen a more beautiful truck,” said Ryan Roy, the company’s director of operations. “This is the crown jewel, the showpiece of our fleet. I almost want to put it on a pedestal and keep it as a trophy. People see it and say ‘wow, I’ve never seen anything like that.’”

Cleghorn, which changed its oilheat line exclusively to Bioheat this year, won the wrap at the New England Bioheat Symposium in Boston in March. The application of the wrap was paid for thanks to funding from the Nebraska Soybean Board and the United Soybean Board through the soybean checkoff, but the artwork is available to all registered Bioheat dealers.

Roy’s company first learned of Bioheat from Paul Nazzaro, NBB’s petroleum industry liaison.

“We jumped on board because it seemed like the right thing to do,” Roy said. “Bioheat is better for the country, better for the burner, and cleaner. It’s working for us.”

Cleghorn gets post cards, door hangers, and other literature from the NBB’s Bioheat program to educate its customers on the cleaner heating fuel.

For years, the folks at the National Biodiesel Board have been emphasizing how their green fuel is on the fast track to more jobs and American energy independence. Now, in a new web and television campaign, they’re also talking about how biodiesel is also part of the literal fast track of vehicle land speed records. Check it out:

The ad features the roar of a stock Ford SuperDuty™ diesel truck running on 20 percent biodiesel driven by Oklahoma soybean farmer and land speed record holder Brent Hajek. He set the record at 182 miles an hour… truly showing just how good biodiesel performs. But, the high performance is no surprise to out friends at NBB:

“A billion gallons. That’s how much imported diesel biodiesel replaced last year,” said Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board. “This is not just an idea. Biodiesel is working today to meet renewable fuel demands, and we can do more.”

“This ad campaign tells people that advanced biofuel is here now,” said Jobe. “Biodiesel creates jobs, is better for the environment, and supports energy security. AND it breaks land speed records too. There’s no doubt this is a great alternative fuel success story.”

You’ll see the ads debut on television on this coming Sunday morning’s network news public affairs shows. You can also check out the ads now at www.AmericasAdvancedBiofuel.com.

A man well-known to the biodiesel community will be taking his seat on a top-level, federal government committee looking at helping the rural economy, while making the country more energy secure.

Alan Weber, who has served as a consultant on new resources for biodiesel for the National Biodiesel Board and vice president of Missouri-based MARC-IV Consulting, has been tapped to serve on the USDA’s and U.S. Department of Energy’s Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee.

The prestigious committee helps USDA and DOE in meeting important goals of a healthier rural economy and improved national energy security. Weber will advise the agencies on overcoming technical challenges through research and development that will lead to a greatly expanded biobased industry.

Weber has been involved with biodiesel for more than 20 years, helping establish the NBB’s Washington, DC office. He’s a master’s graduate of the Agricultural Economics program at the University of Missouri, where he served as a program director for industrial uses from renewable resources.

More than 120 biodiesel leaders are in Washington D.C. this week to call on Congress to extend the expired biodiesel tax incentive and to urge the Obama Administration to quickly finalize the EPA’s proposal to grow biodiesel volumes under the Renewable Fuel Standard next year.

Industry leaders met with White House officials and members of Congress. They will specifically be calling for the Obama Administration to follow through with the EPA’s proposal to increase the biodiesel volume requirement under the RFS to 1.28 billion gallons in 2013 – up from 1 billion gallons this year. Late last year, the Obama Administration delayed the decision.

“Washington’s failure to act on these two issues has effectively halted the momentum our industry built last year in producing a record of nearly 1.1 billion gallons,” said Anne Steckel, vice president of federal affairs at the National Biodiesel Board. “It is locking up millions of dollars in investments that could be creating jobs, purchasing equipment and feedstock, and driving economic growth.”

The Administration’s delay on the RFS rule has come as Congress allowed the biodiesel tax incentive to expire on Dec. 31. The tax incentive has broad bipartisan support, and biodiesel leaders will be urging lawmakers on Capitol Hill to pass an extension as soon as possible.

“This is a proposal that has strong support from the EPA and USDA, and yet it has been caught up in a bureaucratic delay for nearly a year, without any explanation or justification,” Steckel said. “It is blocking significant investment and hiring, so we are pleading with the Obama Administration to follow through with its ‘all of the above’ energy rhetoric by finalizing this proposal. It is something the Administration can do tomorrow, without waiting on Congress.”

The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry was urged to reauthorize Farm Bill energy programs and provide them with mandatory funding during a hearing on “Formulation of the 2012 Farm Bill: Energy and Forestry Programs” on Friday.

“American agriculture is the key to the successful development and commercialization of clean, abundant, renewable, domestic energy and biobased products in this country, and the ‘core’ Farm Bill energy programs provide American farmers, ranchers and entrepreneurs with the tools they need to make it happen,” testified Ryan Stroschein, co-director of the Agriculture Energy Coalition (AgEC).

“Although relatively new, the Farm Bill energy programs already have had a tremendous positive impact on economic and job growth in rural America, and they can do so much more,” said Stroschein. “USDA estimates that the BCAP and Biorefinery Assistance programs alone have the potential to create more than 700,000 new jobs as a result of increased cellulosic feedstock production and the construction and operation of new biorefineries.”

National Biodiesel Board chairman Gary Haer with the Renewable Energy Group highlighted the biodiesel industry’s growth and diversity, pointing out that more than half of the lawmakers on the panel have at least one biodiesel production plant in their districts.

“NBB estimates that those plants and others like them across the country supported more than 39,000 jobs in all sectors of the U.S. economy in 2011,” Haer testified. “Most of the more than 200 biodiesel production facilities in the U.S. are located in rural areas, and a majority of the feedstock used to produce biodiesel is grown or originates in rural areas.”

Haer specifically called for the committee to continue funding for the Biodiesel Fuel Education Program and the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels, programs that are critical to raising awareness of biodiesel and stimulating new production. The programs are succeeding, he noted, pointing out that they helped the industry produce a record of nearly 1.1 billion gallons of fuel last year.

The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) called on Congress this week to reinstate the biodiesel tax incentive “to avoid further disruption to an emerging American industry that is creating jobs across the country while diversifying U.S. energy supplies.”

In written testimony submitted to the House Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures for a hearing on expiring tax provisions, NBB Vice President Anne Steckel emphasized that the biodiesel industry achieved record production of nearly 1.1 billion gallons last year before the $1-per-gallon tax incentive expired on Dec. 31. She urged lawmakers to pass an extension as quickly as possible to prevent a drop in production and potential layoffs.

“This is a bipartisan tax provision that is a proven job-creator and has strong support in Congress,” Steckel said. “With petroleum prices where they are now, we shouldn’t need any reminders about how important it is to continue developing new American energy sources.”

If you’re cruising the information superhighway and need the latest biodiesel news or information, check out the redesigned web site of the National Biodiesel Board.

The freshly updated, super-powered biodiesel.org was unveiled in conjunction with National Biodiesel Day, the perfect time to unveil the premier website in the world for the inquisitive on renewable, cleaner burning, job-stimulating biodiesel. A quarter of a million people visit biodiesel.org each year.
One of the most visited sections of the website is the Retail Biodiesel section. NBB contracted with a national leader in mapping technology to make the interface real-time and easy to use for consumers looking for biodiesel stations nationwide.

Other new features include reorganized drop down menus, a streamlined tabbing structure, and prominent social media links.

“Modern web design involves constant upgrades to stay relevant,” said Scott Tremain, IT director for NBB, who designed the new site. “Last time we did a major upgrade was 10 years ago. There are things we’re doing today that would have been cost-prohibitive or impossible 10 years ago, so it was really exciting to delve into this while setting the stage for future transformations of the site.”

From clean typography to updated color schemes, Tremain noted the new site reflects high level trends in web design, moving beyond web 2.0 and featuring a more simplistic design approach with fewer unnecessary design elements.

“It’s uncluttered and visually pleasing while maintaining the rich content throughout the site,” said Doug Whitehead, NBB director of operations. “This website is not about us. It’s about our industry and our members, and most importantly, about the people who use it.”

U.S. biodiesel production has dropped from the late 2011 records when the industry exceeded 100 million gallons per month for five consecutive months and reached a peak of 160 million gallons in December.

Still, 135 million gallons of biodiesel were produced in January and February of this year according to figures released by the EPA, an increase over the same months last year when production totaled less than 80 million gallons.

The drop-off reflects lost momentum since Congress has allowed the biodiesel tax incentive to expire and the Obama Administration delayed finalizing next year’s biodiesel volume requirement under the Renewable Fuel Standard, according to Anne Steckel, vice president of federal affairs for the National Biodiesel Board (NBB).

“These are solid numbers that show the biodiesel industry is on pace to meet the 1 billion gallon RFS requirement this year, but they also reflect some of the missed opportunities for growth and jobs that we’ve seen with the loss of the tax credit and the continued uncertainty about next year’s RFS volume,” Steckel said. “With the tax credit and clear RFS growth in place, we think these numbers would be better.”

Last year, the biodiesel industry produced a record of nearly 1.1 billion gallons, supporting more than 39,000 jobs across the country and helping to reduce U.S. dependence on skyrocketing global petroleum prices.

As work on the Transportation Bill progressed in the Senate Tuesday, two amendments that would have extended tax incentives for renewable energy sources were defeated.

An amendment offered by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) failed on a tie vote of 49-49, since 60 votes were needed for passage. The amendment would have extended a variety of incentives, including the Cellulosic Biofuels Producer Tax Credit (PTC) the Accelerated Depreciation Allowance for Cellulosic Biofuel Plant Property, and the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Tax Credit available to blender pumps and other ethanol fueling infrastructure, the Production Tax Credit (PTC) for wind and grants in lieu of tax credits to eligible solar projects, all of which are due to expire at the end of this year.

“Unfortunately the Senate missed an opportunity to put to bed the pressing need to extend expiring tax incentives for cellulosic biofuels and other sources of domestically produced clean energy,” said Advanced Ethanol Council Executive Director Brooke Coleman. “Echoing the 49 U.S. Senators who voted for the Stabenow amendment today, we cannot afford to miss any more opportunities to get this done.”

The measure would have also extended the $1 per gallon biodiesel tax incentive, which expired at the end of last year, through the end of this year. Another amendment offered by Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) that would have extended the biodiesel tax credit was also defeated. “We thank Sen. Stabenow and Sen. Roberts for including biodiesel in their amendments, and we urge Congress to break this partisan gridlock and find a way to enact policies like the biodiesel tax credit that have strong bipartisan support,” said Anne Steckel, vice president of federal affairs for the National Biodiesel Board.

While the extension amendments failed to pass, an amendment to repeal most of the same tax incentives by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) was also defeated in the Senate. DeMint’s amendment would have repealed tax credits for the wind, plug-in vehicles, and renewable fuels, but would have also addressed some taxes for fossil fuels. It failed by a much more resounding vote of 72-26.

The chairman of the National Biodiesel Board will be presenting an update on the U.S. industry during a global biofuels conference next week.

Renewable Energy Group Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Gary Haer will present during the “Global Biodiesel Production and Trading” panel at the World Biofuels Markets Congress & Exhibition on Wednesday, March 14 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

“The U.S. biodiesel industry experienced phenomenal growth in 2011 with the sound, stable federal policy in place,” explained Haer. “As the biodiesel industry prepares to grow our role as North America’s commercialized, domestically-produced Advanced Biofuel, it is critical to work with customers, vendors and potential partners on an international scale to expand sustainable biodiesel production and enhance trading and business opportunities.”

The conference is organized by Greenpower Conferences.

Dozens of lawmakers have sent letters to the White House calling for an increase in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for 2013.

A bipartisan group of 60 members of Congress on both the Senate side and the House signed letters urging the Obama Administration to follow through with the EPA’s proposal to increase the biodiesel volume requirement under the RFS next year.

“The skyrocketing gas prices we’re seeing should remind us all why Congress – with overwhelming bipartisan support – started the RFS in the first place, which was to diversify our energy supplies and limit our vulnerability to just these kinds of price spikes,” said Anne Steckel, vice president of federal affairs at the National Biodiesel Board. “This is strong energy policy and we shouldn’t shy away from it now.”

At issue is an EPA proposal to increase the biodiesel volume requirement under the RFS to 1.28 billion gallons in 2013. Late last year, the Obama Administration delayed the decision, saying it needs further review, and the EPA could issue a final rule within weeks. Biodiesel has been a highlight of the RFS so far, exceeding its volume requirement last year with record production of 1.1 billion gallons. An Administration decision to rescind the modest increase to 1.28 billion gallons would stunt the industry’s growth and likely lead to plant closures and thousands of lost jobs.

The National Biodiesel Foundation raised nearly $22,000 at its 4th Annual Silent Auction and raffle. Funding benefits outreach, education, research and demonstration activities for the advancement of biodiesel.

“The event not only provides us the opportunity to generate funding but offers a forum to promote the Foundation and showcase current activities and goals,” said Tom Verry, executive director of The Foundation. “We are pleased to see participation of donors and bidders expand over the past years. This is a further indication of the events overall success. We thank all the companies and individuals who donated or participated in the event.”

Additional accomplishments for the National Biodiesel Foundation during 2011 included:

• • Conducted biodiesel education and training as a participant in the Alternative Fuel Trade Alliance. Specifically, this project (1) increased the number of states that enforce ASTM standards and biodiesel fuel quality; (2) achieved Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification for the National Biodiesel Board’s biodiesel technician training curriculum; and (3) trained Clean Cities Coordinators around the country on how to generate and capitalize on media to increase awareness of biodiesel sustainability;

• • Coordinated and administered the Department of Energy Clean Cities grant which established biodiesel terminals and stations across the US. The primary objective of this project is to displace approximately 86 million gallons of petroleum-based diesel;

• • Helped promote Bioheat® awareness campaign in New York City achieving significant inroads into a billion gallon heating oil market;

• • Co-hosted the 3rd Annual Biofuels Science and Sustainability Tour, designed to educate congressional members and their staff on the Iowa renewable fuels industry.

It’s everything you ever wanted to know about algae but were afraid to ask.

The Algal Biomass Organization (ABO) has a new website designed to showcase the potential of algae-based products to provide sustainable and scalable sources of food, energy and fuel.

AllAboutAlgae.com was developed in cooperation with the National Biodiesel Board and provides information, videos and photos all about algae-derived products such as biodiesel, aviation fuel, biochemicals, animal feed and nutritional supplements.

“Products made from algae have incredible potential to meet these needs, and this website is designed to inform and excite people about algae. Allaboutalgae.com is a one-stop shop of comprehensive, easy-to-understand information about this exciting industry,” said ABO Executive Director Mary Rosenthal.

The site includes the most basic to the more complex aspects of algae and answers questions about what algae are and their unique characteristics as a feedstock for fuels, food, feed and more. It includes reviews of the history of algae research, state-of-the-art technology and the latest efforts of the industry to begin large-scale production. Allaboutalgae.com was funded, in part, by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The big news today at the National Biodiesel Conference was the unveiling of the biodiesel bike built by Paul Teutul, Sr., Orange County Choppers. The bike was built in partnership with CIMA Green. Today the bike debuted on stage driven by former NBB Chairman, Ed Hegland. Then Paul Sr. himself drove it onto the biodiesel vehicle showcase floor where he talked about the project with attendees. CIMA Green actually had two bikes built and donated one to the National Biodiesel Board along with a check for $50,000 to use for transportation expenses to showcase the bike at various events around the country.

I spoke with Paul Sr. just prior to his entry into the exhibit hall and he says the bike was a tough one to build. He says it’s not a speed demon but it won’t break down, “It’s just made to go.” The bike has affectionately been named Susie, btw.

Listen to my interview with Paul Sr. here: Interview with Paul Sr.

Listen to Paul Sr. describe the biodiesel bike here: Paul Sr. Remarks

Here’s video of Paul, Sr. driving into the exhibit hall.

Remember that you can follow what the Twitterverse is saying about the conference using the hashtag #NBB12.

2012 National Biodiesel Conference Photo Album

Only a couple days now until the kick-off of the Super Bowl – and the 2012 National Biodiesel Conference.

We caught up with National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit to get a preview of what promises to be a great conference. “Attendance is up, exhibitors are up, sponsorship is up, which is really a reflection of the fact that the industry’s back,” Jobe says. “The industry has come back and it’s really one of the most exciting come back stories since maybe Harley-Davidson.”

Jobe says there’s enthusiasm and excitement, but also a lot of work that needs to be done. “We need to talk about how we think about the industry going forward through the lens of the RFS, which is going to be the cornerstone of the industry moving forward,” he noted.

The conference will be held February 5-8 at the Gaylord Palms Convention Center in Orlando and while on-line registration is closed, there will be on-site registration for last minute attendees.

Listen to an interview with Jobe here: Joe Jobe interview