GoodFuels

IN Gov signs bill to provide cash for biofuel stations

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has signed a measure that will provide grants to schools and universities to install E85 pumps on their campuses.

The measure was passed with a majority in both houses of the Indiana legislature. In fact, some businesses have already applied and received some of the grants:

Businesses like Crystal Flash Petroleum in Marion County and Family Express Corp. in LaPorte County have already taken advantage of the grants which became available last year and have since provided more than $135,000 for E85 sales, according to Alting

State Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette), the sponsor of the bill, hopes that increasing the availability of biofuel on campuses will encourage more biofuel usage by both the schools and students.

“There is a growing opportunity for our state to be one of the nation’s leaders in promoting the use of renewable fuels,” Alting said. “Hoosiers are some of the country’s largest producers of corn and soybeans – products used to create biofuels.”

Congratulations Indiana!

Afternoon blog round-up

Here’s a look at what’s going on elsewhere in the ethanol blogosphere:

Corn Commentary has a look at why ethanol is an economic engine for small-town America.

Domestic Fuel reports on the grand opening of VeraSun’s newest plant in Dyersville, Iowa.

Wal-Mart has donated $369,000 to ethanol research. Full report over at Ethanol Business.

Finally, The Big Biofuels Blog talks about a recent article that points to Africa as the next big battleground for biofuels.

Be sure to visit our friends and join in the discussion!

Economist John Urbanchuk on E&E TV

E&E TV has a video up on their site of an interview they conducted recently with John Urbanchuk, an economist and director of the Agriculture and Biofuels Practice at the global consulting firm LECG.

Urbanchuk talks about the relief ethanol is giving consumers at the pump and what effect an RFS waiver would have on the U.S. economy.

Click below to view the video:

$500 rebate at the pump?

American households are saving between $100 and $510 a year at the pump thanks to the growing use of ethanol.  A recent analysis calculated the savings based on reports from Merrill Lynch, Iowa State University, and the Energy Information Administration to determine the range.

By comparison, biofuels are responsible for just $15 of the year over year increase in food prices, based on government statistics.  Now, that’s a fact the spin doctors at the Grocery Manufacturers Association are unlikely to use.

Read the report here.
Download it.