View from around the state: Keep biofuel benefits flowing

January 2, 2018 12:33 pm Leave a comment

Twelve years ago the United States began a program to support the production of biofuels. The goals were to decrease dependence on foreign oil, create renewable sources of energy, combat global climate change and boost rural economies.

Tagged with: biofuels

EPA watchdog says government fails to study ethanol’s impact

August 19, 2016 8:42 am Leave a comment

An ethanol plant stands next to a cornfield near Nevada, Iowa, in 2013. The Obama administration has failed to study as legally required the impact of requiring ethanol in gasoline and ensuring that new regulations intended to address one problem do not actually make other problems worse, the Environmental Protection Agency inspector general said Thursday. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

The Obama administration has failed to study as legally required the impact of requiring ethanol in gasoline and ensuring that new regulations intended to address one problem do not actually make other problems worse, the Environmental Protection Agency inspector general said Thursday.

Tagged with: biofuels EPA ethanol

EPA proposes reducing biofuel mandate

November 15, 2013 2:49 pm Leave a comment

The Obama administration on Friday proposed to reduce the amount of ethanol in the nation's fuel supply for the first time, acknowledging that the biofuel law championed by both parties in 2007 is not working as well as expected.

Tagged with: biofuels EPA ethanol

Next generation of biofuels still years away

November 14, 2013 3:40 pm Leave a comment

A dump wagon adds freshly gathered corn cobs to a pile Oct. 30, 2007, on a farm near Hurley, S.D. The first trickle of fuels made from agricultural waste, including corn cobs, is winding its way into the nation's energy supply. As refineries produce cellulosic fuel, it has become clear that the benefits remain years away. (AP file photo by Dirk Lammers)

The first trickle of fuels made from agricultural waste is finally winding its way into the nation's energy supply, after years of broken promises and hype promoting a next-generation fuel source cleaner than oil.

Tagged with: biofuels

Renewable energy growing fast, agency says

June 26, 2013 3:12 pm Leave a comment

Renewable energy, such as wind, is growing fast around the world and will be the second biggest source of electricity, after coal, by 2016, according to a five-year outlook published Wednesday by the International Energy Agency. (AP file photo by Rick Bowmer)

Renewable energy is growing fast around the world and will edge out natural gas as the second biggest source of electricity, after coal, by 2016, according to a five-year outlook published Wednesday by the International Energy Agency.

Tagged with: biofuels ethanol hydropower renewable energy solar power Wind power

Ethanol industry turns to plant residue

February 6, 2013 4:11 pm Leave a comment

A combine gathers corn and cobs while blowing stover back into the field on a farm near Hurley, S.D. The ethanol industry is building refineries in several states that will convert corn plant residue, wood scraps and garbage into the fuel additive. (AP file photo by Dirk Lammers)

After decades of talk, the ethanol industry is building multimillion dollar refineries in several states that will use corn plant residue, wood scraps and even garbage to produce the fuel additive.

Tagged with: biofuels EPA ethanol

EPA raises biofuel estimate

February 1, 2013 2:55 pm Leave a comment

A dump wagon operator adds freshly gathered corn cobs to a pile on a farm Oct. 30, 2007, near Hurley, S.D. The Obama administration is requiring the production of 14 million gallons of biofuels made from grasses and wood materials. (AP file photo by Dirk Lammers)

Days after a federal appeals court said the Obama administration is setting overly optimistic production quotas for the struggling biofuels industry, the government issued new standards that raise production estimates for 2013.

Tagged with: biofuels EPA oil

Court says EPA overestimates biofuels production (UPDATE)

January 25, 2013 3:06 pm Leave a comment

This Oct. 13, 2009 photo shows an official at Flambeau River Papers LLC in Park Falls, Wisc., holding a pellet made with wood waste and a small amount of plastic binder. Operators burn the pellets instead of coal to reduce air emissions. Their new venture, Flambeau River BioFuels, will use this type of woody biomass to produce diesel fuel and waxes while supplying heat for the paper mill. (AP Photo/John Flesher)

A federal appeals court has ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency is overestimating the amount of fuel that can be produced from grasses, wood and other nonfood plants in an effort to promote a fledgling biofuels industry.

Tagged with: biofuels EPA oil

China, U.S. launch biofuel venture

May 26, 2010 4:04 pm Leave a comment

Beijing (AP) — The United States and China launched a research venture Wednesday to develop biofuels for use by Chinese airlines based on algae or oily nuts and announced an inaugural flight could come as early as this year. The ...

Tagged with: algae biofuels China United States

Biofuels bill targets struggling market

September 1, 2009 1:38 pm Leave a comment

Paul Snyder paul.snyder@dailyreporter.com More state money will do little to fix a biofuels market littered with stalled plans and shuttered windows, according to a former biodiesel company president who gave up on the industry. “The folks that invested in our ...

Tagged with: bill biodiesel biofuels development