But this article from Biofuels Digest says officials warn that won’t be enough to be the sole driver in the market:

Mark Iden of the Defense Logistics Agency confirmed that the US government proposed to purchase several hundred million gallons of drop-in advanced biofuels by 2016, citing an expected demand of 336 million gallons from the Navy and 587 million gallons from the Air Force.

But Iden, likened the government, although a large customer, to a large commercial airline in terms of purchasing power, and cautioned biofuels producers that the Department of Defense would be a large buyer but not in enough quantity to “singlehandedly drive a market.”

Meanwhile, Navy officials say they will be undertaking a “biorefinery development analysis” to gauge the Navy’s participation in green fuels development.

According to this article from the school, the I-BOS (the Interactive Biorefinery Operations Simulator) will help students in Iowa State’s biorenewable resources and technology program learn about biofuel production, as well as helping the biofuel industry train employees:

“This could be the major component of a curriculum for teaching biofuels operators how to run a plant,” [David Grewell, an associate professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering] said. “It’s like a flight simulator for pilots.”

The virtual control room is now written to simulate the operation of ethanol and biodiesel plants. It keeps track of energy consumption, production efficiency and fuel quality. It also features interactive video clips from real biofuel plants that give students a good look at the entire production process.

Grewell says the simulator will also help operators in case of an emergency at the plant.

This post from Biodiesel Magazine says Matt Horton, CEO of Propel Fuels, told the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources how important it is for consumers to have access to renewable fuels and how S. 187, the Biofuels Expansion Act of 2011 would help that:

“With the primary location of the existing E85 and biodiesel fueling sites in the upper Midwest, much of the balance of the nation remains without such fueling facilities while Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford continue to produce almost 50 percent of their entire production as Flexible Fuel Vehicles,” Horton said.

“According to the DOE Alternative Fuel Data Center, there are approximately 2,350 public E85 fueling stations across the entire nation. This small number of sites serves an E85 vehicle population exceeding 9 million vehicles,” said Horton. “While it is not the government’s role to choose the fuel of the future, government can and should assist the private sector with offsetting the costs of such new infrastructure. We believe that the establishment of an infrastructure income tax credit represents the most appropriate role of government in this effort.”

Horton recommended a 50 percent tax credit (up to $100,000 per site) for putting in infrastructure with the ability to transfer that credit to third parties to help pay for the equipment, among other recommendations.

“USDA and President Obama are committed to producing clean energy right here at home, to not only break our dependence on foreign oil, but also boost rural economies,” said Agriculture Secretary Vilsack. “These projects will give us the scientific information needed to support biofuel production and create co-products that will enhance the overall value of a biobased economy. This will propel us to out-educate, out-innovate and out-build in the field of renewable energy and help America win the future.”

Some highlights include projects in California and Michigan that focus on biomass feedstocks and some South Dakota projects that design ecologically optimized feedstock production systems and develop biochar.

The full list of award winners is available here.

Consumption of all major fuels declined between 2008 and 2009, except for renewables. Coal dropped the most, falling 12 percent, while petroleum consumption fell nearly 5 percent, and natural gas consumption fell 2 percent. Even nuclear fuel consumption fell by nearly 1 percent…

Hydropower consumption grew 6.3 percent in 2009…

The report goes on to say that wind went from a “relatively minor renewable energy source” to making up nearly 10 percent of total renewable energy consumption. In addition, biodiesel and ethanol got good boosts from various financial incentives and mandates.

This story from Ethanol Producer Magazine says the National Agriculture Statistics Service will be taking comments until March 28, 2011 with plans to release the results by next January:

NASS expects to contact 70,000 various livestock and poultry operations in early January to gain information related to their distillers co-products use during 2011. The survey will attempt to determine the rate of use of distillers co-products and various aspects contributing to their decision to use the feed, including nutrient values, product consistency, product form, product testing, inclusion rates, economics, shelf life, storage and transportation. The survey has been named the Distiller’s By-Products Survey in order to encompass all by-products, but Olbert said that focus could be narrowed to concentrate only on distillers grains. “That’s another reason why we need some input from the public and from stakeholders on what kinds of information they need from a survey,” he added.

You can submit comments to the USDA through email to ombofficer@nass.usda.gov. Reference docket number 0535-0247 in the subject line of the email.

BlueFire Renewables, Inc. announced that Joe Sparano, a former President and, subsequently, Executive Advisor to the Chairman of the Board of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), as well as former president of Tesoro Petroleum’s West Coast Regional Business Unit, joined the California-based renewable fuels maker:

“We are excited to have Joe Sparano serve on our Board of Directors,” stated Arnold Klann, CEO of BlueFire Renewables, Inc. “Having a well-respected petroleum industry executive, such as Joe, agree to join our board provides BlueFire with strategic guidance as we seek to embark on new projects and solidify new and existing partnerships.”

Sparano is retiring from WSPA at the end of March, after completing a fifteen month term as Executive Advisor to the Chairman of the Board of theAssociation, where he advised the Chairman and supported WSPA’s President on matters related to the trade organization’s operations and advocacy in six Western states – California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii.

Sparano has held several positions with several different petroleum companies, including Exxon.

During the recent Commodity Classic, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack took on the food vs. fuel debate head-on.

“It is irritating to me that we have to read about this all the time, because what it is basically is saying is that the folks advancing this argument either do not understand or do not accept the notion that our farmers are as productive and smart and innovative and creative enough to meet the needs of food and fuel and feed and export.”

And Vilsack took the blame for food price increases off the American farmers and biofuels industry and put it on a more likely culprit.

“I think OPEC has more to do with food price increases than farmers,” pointing out that even if you doubled the price of commodities, farmers, with their paltry 20 cents of every food dollar share, wouldn’t see much of an increase in their pocketbooks.

Vilsack said that those who are trying to stop the opportunity for the nation to be more energy secure, while creating good-paying jobs in the biofuels industry, don’t understand what is at stake.

“First and foremost, it is about national security. We import 60 percent of our oil. Sixty percent of the resources we spend on energy are traveling somewhere overseas probably to countries we don’t agree with or don’t like us. It makes far more sense to me to continue to provide opportunities for investment here in the United States.”

Listen to more of Vilsack’s comments on biofuels at Commodity Classic here: Vilsack on Biofuels at Commodity Classic

In this edition of the Domestic Fuel Cast, we listen in to part of the presentation by Ricardo, an internationally recognized automotive and engineering firm, at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit, where the company made the case that E15 is OK for vehicles made between 1994 and 2000.

We hear from Ricardo’s Rod Beazley, who explains why they looked at this group of cars and trucks, the challenges involved in the testing, and why the fuel tanks were actually more likely to corrode from the outside and not from the E15 on the inside (the picture on the right is quite telling).

It’s an interesting presentation, and you can see the slide show here and hear what Beazley has to say here: Domestic Fuel Cast

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This MFA press release says the new company, MFA Oil Biomass LLC, will pay about 1,700 family farmers to grow miscanthus for use as a biomass fuel and possibly ethanol in the future:

[T]he 2008 Federal Farm Bill created the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), a federally‐funded initiative that encourages the development of renewable energy sources. MFA Oil Biomass will synergistically combine the benefits of growing miscanthus as a renewable energy source with the BCAP incentives that encourage farmers to grow a biomass crop.

The first priority for MFA Oil Biomass is to secure BCAP funding. Under current guidelines, BCAP will reimburse farmers up to 75 percent of planting costs and pay an annual rent payment while farmers wait for their crops to mature. Once the crops mature, farmers will be eligible to receive two years of matching payments for their tonnage, up to $45 per ton beyond the selling price. Land that is currently in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is excluded from the program.

So far, MFA has signed up about 250 farmers to grow more than 12,000 acres of miscanthus and hopes to eventually have that number up to 150,000 acres.

In this edition of the Domestic Fuel Cast, we talk to some of the leaders of the green fuels’ industries, as well as the head of the nation’s largest farm organization, to get their takes on what should be coming from Washington, D.C. as far as ethanol and biodiesel legislation is involved.

Comments include American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman explaining why his group wants to shift the public money away from the ethanol blender’s credit towards infrastructure, despite the fact that there are many Farm Bureau members who have ethanol interests. Retired General Wesley Clark, who serves as co-chairman of Growth Energy, a group representing ethanol interests, agrees with Stallman’s assessment of moving more money toward infrastructure. Meanwhile, Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen says the real focus needs to be on this nation’s energy policy and welcomes the debate. On the biodiesel side of the house, Chairman of the National Biodiesel Board and vice president of sales and marketing for the nation’s largest biodiesel producer, Renewable Energy Group, Gary Haer, says the green fuel enjoyed a Christmas gift with the renewal of the federal one-dollar-a-gallon biodiesel tax incentive, even though it’s set to expire again at the end of this year. And he says getting that incentive renewed is a big priority for the biodiesel industry in the coming year. Haer also talks about how the biodiesel industry needs to work on its image by making sure people know biodiesel is truly an advanced biofuel, available right now. Those efforts are helped by biodiesel’s partner, the United Soybean Board, whose chairman, Marc Curtis, a soybean grower from Mississippi, points out that biodiesel adds 25 cents to the price for every bushel of beans sold.

It’s an interesting conversation, and I’m sure we’ll hear even more during the biodiesel and ethanol industries respective conferences, both going on in Phoenix, Arizona in February. In the meantime, you can hear what these folks are saying about the legislative year to come in this edition of the Domestic Fuel Cast here. Domestic Fuel Cast

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Kimberly Clark will direct the board’s efforts to increase in-state demand for ethanol, improve and expand the infrastructure of blender pumps and ethanol movement within and outside Nebraska, as well as maintaining a working relationship with ethanol development staff in other corn-producing states, the National Corn Growers Association, ethanol industry groups and Nebraska’s ethanol plants:

“The ethanol industry is critical to Nebraska and Nebraska corn farmers, so having Kimberly on staff to coordinate our ethanol programs is significant,” said Don Hutchens, executive director of the Nebraska Corn Board. “Kimberly’s background and experience will help continue the success we’ve seen with ethanol, and her ability to connect with and educate consumers about ethanol will be a tremendous asset.”

Clark, a native Nebraskan from Leigh, comes to the board from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she served as the research project coordinator in dairy-related research projects.

Appearing before a joint session of Congress (and what seemed like a much more collegial environment), Obama outlined in very broad, non-specific terms, such as “clean energy,” “renewable energy,” and “biofuels,” his vision for the future of alternative energy:

We’ll invest in biomedical research, information technology, and especially clean energy technology – an investment that will strengthen our security, protect our planet, and create countless new jobs for our people.

At the California Institute of Technology, they’re developing a way to turn sunlight and water into fuel for our cars. At Oak Ridge National Laboratory, they’re using supercomputers to get a lot more power out of our nuclear facilities. With more research and incentives, we can break our dependence on oil with biofuels, and become the first country to have 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.

The President also set a new energy goal: getting 80 percent of this nation’s electricity from clean energy sources by the year 2035, and he proposes using wind, solar, nuclear, coal and natural gas … all renewable energy sources … to get to that number. He says we can pay for this by cutting the billions of taxpayer dollars now going to the big oil companies.

This article on CNET.com says the Accenture report, entitled “The US and China: The Race to Disruptive Transport Technologies,” says the Chinese have a decided edge in government commitment to electric vehicles ($10 billion over the next 10 years to the EV industry alone) and rich deposits of lithium, a key ingredient in EV batteries. But American biofuels could be the great equalizer:

So what does the U.S. have to compete against China’s lithium, money, and government control? To put it succinctly: brainpower, strong intellectual property laws, and agricultural expertise.

The U.S. also happens to be the largest producer of corn in the world with an estimated 30 percent of its yield going into ethanol production. Yield improvements and domestic surpluses are even expected to rise in coming years due to recent agricultural innovations.

The article goes on to say that the U.S. is more diverse in its biofuels package, including biodiesel made from diverse feedstocks, such as algae. China seems to be focusing on cellulosic ethanol to replace gasoline.

MGPUB joins the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and more than 30 national companies and organizations that are part of the FFV Awareness Campaign working in several other states across the country. The overall campaign has been developed and is coordinated by the Clean Fuels Foundation, a Maryland based non-profit organization. With 16 E85 stations in the state and another half dozen scheduled to open in 2011, Maryland is a prime location to increase the use of ethanol and continue to expand infrastructure.

According to Marion Wilson, the President of the MGPUB, the FFV Awareness Campaign is a perfect compliment to the recent investment they have made in refueling infrastructure. “This program is the next step in the evolution of the ethanol program. We are getting more refueling locations all the time and the cars are becoming increasingly available. We will make sure current FFV owners are aware their vehicles have this capability and then inform them that these fuels are available and where they can get them,” said Mr. Wilson. “We are sure that when drivers know this we will see an increase in the use of ethanol which provides a range of environmental, energy, and economic benefits,” he said.

“Maryland is a prime candidate to use our small grains like barley for the production of advanced biofuels like ethanol,” said Lynne Hoot, Executive Director of the MGPUB. “By increasing the use of ethanol right here in the state we would offer a great advantage to anyone developing a project in Maryland,” she said.

“This will not be the first Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit that Gov. Branstad has attended,” said IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw. “Before, he attended as an investor in Iowa renewable fuels refineries. Now as Governor, we’re excited to hear his vision for enhancing Iowa’s status as a leader in renewable fuels production and public policy.”

Governor-Elect Branstad is scheduled to address the Summit at 10:00 a.m. Other speakers include NASCAR Champion Rusty Wallace and Renewable Fuels Association’s Bob Dinneen. Program highlights for this year’s Summit include, “E15: Bringing More Fuel Choices to Iowa,” “Iowa Biodiesel Resurgence,” and “Advanced Biofuels – A Turing Point for Renewable Energy.”

The IRFA points out that Iowa has 41 ethanol refineries able to produce nearly 3.7 billion gallons annually and 12 biodiesel facilities with the capacity to produce 315 million gallons each year.

The free summit and trade show will be held at the Polk County Convention Complex in Des Moines. Pre-register online at www.IowaRFA.org.

This press release from biofuels company Mascoma Corporation says the deal through Mascoma’s operating subsidiary, Frontier Renewable Resources LLC, with Valero, the nation’s largest independent oil refiner, is a sign of just how viable cellulosic ethanol is and will help commercialize the green fuel:

As further support of the project, Valero would provide project development and construction oversight services. The biorefinery is planned to have an annual production of 40 million gallons of low-carbon cellulosic ethanol, to be covered by the off-take arrangement with Valero. Frontier will use hardwood pulpwood, which is selectively harvested, naturally regenerated, and is an underutilized, abundant resource in the area surrounding the Kinross biorefinery. Mascoma’s 200,000 gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year demonstration facility in Rome, New York, has demonstrated the viability of the technology over the past two years and sets the stage for the commercial facility.

“Valero’s proposed investment in our first commercial-scale production facility proves the economic practicality of Mascoma’s technology for the conversion of woody biomass into ethanol,” said Bill Brady, Chief Executive Officer of Mascoma. “We are also thrilled to have Valero as a shareholder in Mascoma Corporation as there are many synergies even beyond the Kinross facility, where the technologies we have developed could be helpful to Valero’s business.”

“Adding Valero as a partner is the perfect addition to complete this project,” said Steve Hicks, Chief Executive Officer of Frontier Renewable Resources and President & CEO of J.M. Longyear, LLC. “The culmination of Mascoma’s leading Consolidated Bioprocessing (CBP) technology, coupled with Longyear’s expertise in supplying the raw materials, is the perfect compliment for a leading oil company to come in as an equity and off-take partner.”

The release goes on to say that Mascoma recently acquired SunOpta BioProcess Inc. (SBI) to give the company the technology to convert non-food cellulose into ethanol.

This press release from the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation says making denser plants allows farmers to increase the amount of biomass without increasing their agricultural footprint:

“This is a significant breakthrough for those developing improved plants to address pressing societal needs,” said Richard Dixon, D. Phil., director of the Noble Foundation’s Plant Biology Division. “This discovery opens up new possibilities for harnessing and increasing the potential of crops by expanding their ranges of use. These plants will be part of the next generation of agriculture which not only impacts food, but many other vital industries as well.”

“In switchgrass, as the plant matures, the stem becomes hollow like bamboo,” Dixon said. “Imagine if you use this discovery to fill that hollow portion with lignin. The potential increase in biomass in these new plants could be dramatic. This technology could make plants better suited to serve as renewable energy sources or as renewable feedstocks to produce advanced composite materials that consumers depend on every day.”

Research with the University of Georgia has also shown that removing that gene can increase the cellulosic ethanol and butanol potentials of a plant. Officials say the overall discovery is a significant breakthrough that will help redefine the research.

And this article from the Examiner.com says part of that drop is due to alternative-fueled vehicles, including those running on biodiesel and ethanol:

“A combination of demographic change and policy change means the heady days of gasoline growing in the U.S. are over,” said David Vergin, chairman of IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his history of the oil industry. Exxon-Mobil’s CEO Rex W. Tillerson acknowledged that U.S. gasoline demand peaked in 2006, anticipating future declines. While the country’s “Great Recession” and high gas prices have kept Americans off the roads, more fuel efficiency and alternative-fuel vehicles promise to keep demand down. Current and past administrations continue to press for alternatives to fossil fuels.

Now, while the article’s author makes a good point about the alternatives helping bring down overall gasoline demand, I think he makes some wrong assumptions that ethanol hurts the environment, especially the water supply. He does make some good points that more alternatives in public transportation, such as natural gas buses, electric subways and light-rail, will contribute greatly to the overall drop in petroleum-based gasoline demand.

E85 is a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent petroleum and can be used in over 8,000 FFVs across the area. The alternative fuel has been proven to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the nation’s dependency on foreign petroleum.

Mr. Pete’s used Protec Fuel’s turnkey program which included designing and managing the equipment conversion and fuel supply. “We are pleased to be assisting this station with their E85 infrastructure and supply of fuel,” said CEO of Protec Fuel, Todd Garner. “Mr. Pete’s is a prime location for Protec’s roll-out of new E85 dispenser imaging and we look forward to seeing additional sites with our specialized branding.”

The E85 site is also the first of its kind in the area. Located just north of Jacksonville and south of Savannah, the owner is excited to begin selling the product. “I’m looking forward to see how many green vehicles will use our new fuel,” noted owner of Mr. Pete’s, Al Coty. “I’m proud to carry the fuel – it’s keeping the money in this country and helping our economy.”

Mr. Pete’s and Protec Fuel have teamed up with the Clean Fuels Foundation through their National Flex Fuel Vehicle (FFV) Awareness Campaign to help market the station and gain additional exposure. “Support from the state government, a strong Clean Cities program, in-state 1st and 2nd generation ethanol production, and a strong existing refueling infrastructure placed Georgia on our key market list in this partnership,” said Burl Haigwood, Clean Fuels Foundation and Project Manager for the National FFV Awareness Campaign.

Mr. Pete’s is open seven days a week. The site offers a convenience store and pay at the pump option.

The FFV awareness effort is targeting several areas across the country to increase the use of ethanol blends in FlexFuel vehicles. “Breaking through the blend wall begins with the 8 million FlexFuel vehicles on the road today, and reaching these drivers to make sure they know they can use ethanol blends up to 85%,” said Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager. Tonsager also noted FFVs of any age can use E15 or any other gasoline ethanol blend up to E85 and can take advantage of favorable market pricing on these blends when offered.

According to Douglas A. Durante, Director of the Clean Fuels Foundation, a little effort goes a long way in terms of consumer education. “We have found when consumers realize their vehicles have this capability and we inform them where they can get the fuel, ethanol sales increase dramatically.”

And this article from Corn and Soybean Digest says that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise from Alan Kemper, a fifth generation corn, soybean and cattle farmer from Lafayette, Indiana and the first person to hold both the ASA presidency and that of the National Corn Growers Association, a job he held in 1989-1990:

“We were pushing ethanol before it was cool,” he says, “and the need for expanded biofuels use – especially biodiesel– has never been more important than now. It’s essential that we receive a multi-year extension of the $1/gal. federal tax credit for biodiesel. This will be a net win for soybean growers, our country and our government.”

The article goes on to say that Kemper is also pushing free trade agreements to help American soybeans and wants to make sure there is profitability and sustainability in the oilseed market.

The Toronto Sun reports the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association wants to see the federal government double the ethanol-in-gasoline mandate from 5 percent to 10 percent and biodiesel from 2 percent to 5 percent:

Canada’s 5% ethanol requirement takes effect across Canada on Dec. 15 after the government passed federal renewable fuel regulations into law in September. Several provinces already have ethanol mandates in place.

“We are absolutely talking to government about wanting to expand those mandates,” Quaiattini told Reuters in an interview on the day the association released a report on the state of the fledgling industry.

The article goes on to say the CRFA would like to see the biodiesel requirement go into effect on April 1, 2011.

“We are very excited about the expansion of E85 fuel in our stores and are promotion its availability to raise consumer awareness on savings as well as educating consumers on protecting our environment,” said Matt Thornton, Chief Executive Officer of Thorntons. “We support the use of ethanol, wherever it is economically available”.

Thorntons will be holding their E85 promotion at the following locations:

401 W Court Ave in Jeffersonville, IN
2700 Fern Valley Rd. in Louisville, KY
2291 Elkhorn Drive in Lexington, KY
5760 Crawfordsville Rd. in Speedway, IN
6880 W Washington St. in Indianapolis, IN
4015 E 82nd St. in Indianapolis, IN
7020 Pendleton Pike in Lawrence, IN
3909 Hwy 31E in Clarksville, IN
12001 N US 31 in Edinburgh, IN

Thorntons Inc. is a leading independent gasoline/convenience chain retailer, marketing throughout the Midwest. They operate 165 gasoline/convenience stores and carry E85 at many locations.

This article from Biodiesel Magazine says that while the agency seems to have a handle on gasoline with more than 10 percent ethanol, there’s a bit more gray area when it comes to biodiesel:

While the draft guidance issued by the EPA would apply to USTs delivering gasoline containing more than 10 percent ethanol, no specific percentage threshold has yet been identified by the agency for biodiesel. According to the agency, it is aware that there may be compatibility issues with UST system equipment used to store biodiesel, but does not have any sufficient data on the compatibility of various biodiesel blends with UST system equipment that is currently in use. In other words, much of the research that has been carried out on this type of equipment for ethanol fuel blends has not addressed biodiesel fuel blends. For example, the agency notes that the U.S. DOE is currently testing the compatibility of UST systems with midlevel blends, but to the EPA’s knowledge no equivalent testing is being conducted for biodiesel-blended fuels.

The EPA also states that it acknowledges that no UST equipment has been listed by Underwriter Laboratories for use with biodiesel, but also notes that UL has issued a statement indicating that biodiesel blends of up to 5 percent will not require UL investigation. However, the UL statement cited by EPA also said that fuel blends containing higher percentages of biodiesel may have significant impacts on UST materials and components. For these reasons, the EPA said it will be seeking comments on what percentage of biodiesel in fuel blends should be included in the proposed guidance.

You can read the proposed guidance here.

“I think the lame duck session will be pretty lame,” said Mary Kay Thatcher, Director of Policy at AFBF, during an interview with our own Cindy Zimmerman during the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasters Trade Talk session in Kansas City, Mo.

While she says members of Congress will kick the budget to the next Congress coming in after the first of the year by passing a continuing resolution and will at least temporarily extend some of the Bush tax cuts before they expire on January 1st, she’s not as optimistic about the green fuels’ chances.

“I hope we add on ethanol and biodiesel as part of [those expiring credits], [but] I’m probably less optimistic that happens than I am the others because of the economy. But I think we can get those [biodiesel and ethanol] credits extended. It’ll be short term … six months, maybe a year … and then the new Congress will have to figure out where do you get the money to pay for that stuff.”

Thatcher says the biofuels tax credits will be a big topic of discussion when the AFBF holds its 92nd Annual Meeting, Jan. 9-12, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia … just as the new Congress comes into session in Washington. She admits the ethanol tax credit could end up taking a hit from some of the new fiscal hawks elected this year. Thatcher does believe that farmers and biofuel producers will be helped by the fact that Republicans have taken control of Congress, and thus, taken control of the purse strings of the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies that have put up roadblocks. And that could ease some of the restrictions the government has put on the two industries in the past few years.

Listen to more of Cindy’s interview with Mary Kay here: Mary Kay Thatcher, AFBF

“That bodes well for the future of agriculture in the country,” King said. “We will have people in Congress who know something about agriculture.”

“I’ll be pushing hard on that,” King said.

We’ve heard lots of promises on this before. Let’s see what happens.

This article from Ethanol Producer Magazine says the online trading platform from U.S. Biofuels Exchange, www.us-bx.com, uses “cloud computing” and requires no software for purchase, downloading or installation to post, buy, sell and make offers on biofuels for sale or biofuels wanted:

“We offer biofuels producers, brokers, blenders, distributors, importers, exporters and marketers the ability to anonymously buy and sell ethanol and biodiesel as well as the ability to make, receive and choose between multiple offers on listings,” said James Kaufman, US-BX vice president.

Having a web-based system moves biofuels trading from small regional deals to much greater possibilities. For example, it will help connect producers with overseas buyers, particularly in China. “This opens up the capacity and availability across the country and the world,” he said.

The article says US-BX has already signed up more than a dozen companies since opening for business at the end of October. The site is offering free trades through January 1st.

“On Saturday, November 6, 2010 I was proud to be at the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk event while Jerry Kachenko, of Arizona Petroleum, stood on the stage at the Reid Park Bandshell and presented the Desert Southwest Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association with a check for $2,000,” noted Colleen Crowninshield, Manager, Clean Cities/Solar Partnership Programs. “We should all be very proud that we are giving back to our community by using biofuels, and I want to extend a warm thank you to Arizona Petroleum, for giving their time and dollars to this very worthwhile event.”

Other retailers who participated in the event in Arizona were:
Coolidge Chevron, 295 S. Arizona Blvd., Coolidge
C & T Alvernon & Pima, Tucson
Fastlane Chevron Ajo & I-10, Tucson
Gas City Houghton & Alvernon, Tucson
Gas City Fry Blvd., Sierra Vista
Gas City Buffalo Soldier Tr., Sierra Vista
Loma Catalina Ruthraff and La Cholla, Tucson
Loma Catalina Dove Mtn., Tucson
Pioneer Fuel 22nd & Kolb, Tucson
Quik Mart Irvington & Houghton, Tucson
Quick Pik #3 Pantano & Golf Links, Tucson
R & D Conoco Magee & Thornydale, Tucson
Super Stop Sahuarita

The Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk® is the nation’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research. This event calls on volunteers of all ages to become champions in the fight against Alzheimer’s.

In this edition of the Domestic Fuel Cast, we hear from EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation Gina McCarthy, who says the agency needs input on what the E15 pump labels should look like. We also hear from Renewable Fuels Association President Bob Dinneen, who is pleased with seeing the rise in the percentage of ethanol allowed in gasoline but is concerned that it is unnecessarily limited to 2007 model year vehicles and newer. He also worries that a “warning” label about E15 at the pumps could confuse consumers and scare them away from using the green fuel. Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy and ethanol producer POET’s president Jeff Broin believe the comment process will weed out any problems, and consumers, and in turn, retailers will end up embracing E15.

More information, including how you can give your input on the label is available at the EPA’s E15 website.

It’s an important conversation, and you can hear more of it in the Domestic Fuel Cast here. Domestic Fuel Cast

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