GoodFuels

ARB voting on carbon rule Thursday

The California Air Resources Board is voting on a proposed rule Thursday that would limit the carbon content of transportation fuels. For the first time, carbon emissions would be determined by every step of the process, not just the production of fuel itself.

If ARB voted the rule into law, it would discourage investment in the ethanol industry, effectively undermining the important role renewable fuels can and should play in our energy plan.

According to the San Diego Tribune:

“To put this burden on biofuels threatens to slow down or even preclude development of the biofuels industry precisely at the time we need to make the transition to the next generation of fuels,” said John Howe, a spokesman for Verenium, a Massachusetts-based company that operates San Diego-area labs exploring new sources of biofuels other than crops.

Land-use change science is faulty at best, and probably shouldn’t be the basis of a new rule like this. It would be a setback of the ethanol industry and the country at large.

We’ll report here ARB’s ruling as soon as we know. Keep tuned here for new information.

John Urbanchuk op-ed

The Philadelphia Inquirer has published a great op-ed today courtesy of economist John Urbanchuk.

The article muses on the state of the ethanol industry and why all the death knells sounded by the media are premature.

The ethanol industry has survived four recessions over the past 30 years, as well as the dramatic increase in corn prices in 1995. In the near future, the beginning of an economic recovery, reduced corn prices, increased oil prices, and policies favorable to renewable fuels can be expected to contribute to the growth of this remarkably resilient industry.

Most of all, the U.S. ethanol industry will expand because our nation has no alternative to developing alternative energy sources. With oil contributing to climate change and dependent on overseas dictators, a renewable, non-polluting, American-made energy source is well worth developing.

Urbanchuk also stresses that the ethanol industry has continued to expand even during tough economic times.

Last year, in the midst of the worst economic news in a generation, the U.S. ethanol industry continued to expand its production, selling a record nine billion gallons - a good performance in the worst of times.

As important, the ethanol industry continues to invest and innovate. The groundbreaking in Clearfield was part of a national trend: Last year, the industry opened 31 U.S. plants and added 240,000 jobs.

Definitely worth a read. Visit the Inquirer website here to read the whole op-ed.

Ethanol Report on Global Ethanol Policy

The need for renewable fuels to replace fossil fuels is becoming more and more of a global necessity.

This edition of the “Ethanol Report” features information about the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) and the organization’s goals for providing scientific information about life cycle assessment and greenhouse gas reduction, as well as the importance of expanding biofuels production for developing countries. Comments are from GRFA spokesman Bliss Baker, International Energy Agency (IEA) report author Don O’Connor, and Canadian Renewable Fuels Association president Gordon Quaiattini.

Read the entire report here.

You can listen to “The Ethanol Report” on-line here:

Or you can subscribe to this podcast by following this link.

Great Ethanol Ads in “Show Me” State

The Missouri Renewable Fuels Association (MoRFA) is running some very simple but provocative print ads in the “Show Me State” to show the importance of ethanol. MoRFA is a partnership between the Missouri Corn Growers Association and the state’s six farmer-owned ethanol plants.

This one is my favorite, but there are two others that focus on distillers grains and small engines. MoRFA is attempting to reach out to consumers - as well as state lawmakers - with an informational campaign to address common misconceptions and promote the benefits of ethanol. They have also unveiled a new website that contains research and information about ethanol, links to other renewable fuel articles and an overview of the state’s farmer-owned biorefineries.

This is pretty critical right now during the Missouri legislative session as a bill is being considered that would repeal the 10 percent ethanol mandate, which took effect January 1. MoRFA is working hard to point out the importance of ethanol to Missouri’s economy.

“According to a recent study by the Senate Appropriations Committee, a typical ethanol plant will maintain 928 Missouri jobs, provide $30.7 million in Missouri employment income, create $59.3 million annually in value-added income to Missouri’s economy and generate $130 million in economic activity in our state,” said Gene Millard, MoRFA president and chairman of Golden Triangle Energy Cooperative in Craig, Mo. “Those numbers translate to real lives, real jobs and real growth.”

If Missouri lawmakers are like Cuba Gooding Jr.’s character in “Jerry Maguire” shouting “Show me the money!” - those numbers really should do the job.