IFB Ethanol Blog

Visit our new location

The IFB Ethanol Blog is moving to FarmWeekNow.com.  Go to the website and click on "Commentary" and look for "Renewable Energy."   We are now following updates in the ethanol and renewable energy industries affecting Illinois.

You can also follow our new RSS feed:  http://www.farmweeknow.com/blogsRss.aspx?b=18

Thanks.

EWG doesn't like E15 blend proposal

EWG's review of available scientific data finds that such an increase in fuel ethanol content may involve multiple human health and safety hazards and a risk of increased air pollution. EPA cannot legally grant the waiver because there are far too many unresolved scientific questions about the impacts of E15 on engines, emission systems and air quality.

EWG's review has found that:

• A higher ethanol blend may damage non-road engines and emission control systems.
• Emissions from higher ethanol fuels may worsen health risks from air pollution.
• Extensive distribution of higher-ethanol fuel blends may pose new safety risks and higher fuel costs.
• Higher-ethanol fuel blends may compromise lifetime performance of non-flex fuel vehicles.

New look coming

The IFB Ethanol Blog will be getting a new name and look later this month.  Stay tuned for details.

Conoco Idles Biofuels Joint Venture with Tyson

ConocoPhillips said Wednesday it has halted its collaboration with Tyson Foods Inc. to make diesel fuel from animal fat.

The company said it idled the project in the fall after federal tax credits that helped fund the project were cut in half. Tyson supplied ConocoPhillips with animal fat from its meat processing operations, which the energy company processed into biofuel at its Borger, Texas, refinery.

Speaking to reporters after the ConocoPhillips's shareholder meeting in Houston, Chief Operating Officer John Carrig said production could resume if government incentives are reinstated.

(Source: WSJ)

USDA Report Highlights 2009-10 Ethanol Use

Ethanol makers will use 4.1 billion bushels of corn to make the renewable motor fuel during 2009/10, up from 3.75 billion bushels this marketing year, the U.S. Agriculture Department projected on Tuesday.

"Ethanol use, at 4.1 billion bushels, reflects the rising federal biofuels mandate and improved blending incentives as higher gasoline prices increase demand for ethanol," said USDA in a monthly update. "Ethanol producer returns, however, will remain under pressure as excess production capacity weighs on
producer margins."

NYT: UL Will Not Certify E15 Pumps

Groups representing the nation’s service station operators say they fear the possible legal and economic consequences of increasing the amount of ethanol in gasoline.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/automobiles/10PUMP.html

USEPA Unveils New Rules for Ethanol

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday proposed a new alternative fuel standard that will likely prohibit some corn ethanol production processes based on their greenhouse gas emissions and encourage other advanced biofuels.

The EPA decision walks a fine political line that attempts to placate a very large ethanol voter base - especially in the Midwest - and carves out a pathway to biofuels that emit fewer greenhouse gases over the production life-cycle. The new rule was required under the Energy Independence and Security Act, setting a standard for greenhouse gas reductions compared to conventional gasoline.

Although existing corn ethanol facilities will be grandfathered in, the EPA has proposed a rule that would prohibit some corn ethanol production processes such as the "dry gas mill" and "coal dry mill" methods. But by restricting some ethanol production processes, it provides a greater market incentive for advanced biofuel technologies.

USDA announcement

WSJ: Ethanol's Problems

When it comes to U.S. energy policy, farmers say: "Distill, baby, distill." Legislation demands refiners blend ever-larger volumes of ethanol -- alcohol derived mostly from corn -- into gasoline. But the ethanol industry is still on the defensive. Several large producers have gone bust and Californian regulators have thrown doubt on ethanol's perceived low-carbon content, a key selling point. The bigger problem, however, is the economy. Ethanol mandates were set before 2008's oil price spike and recession cut fuel demand. And they didn't factor in the current drive towards greater fuel-efficiency.

WSJ Online