Alternative Transportation Fuels Today articles from February 2007

Alternative Transportation Fuels Today archives from February 2007

Johanns unveils farm bill proposals.(Industry Report)
February 1, 2007... Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced 65 proposals for the 2007 farm bill. Several items were directly aimed atdeveloping a cellulosic ethanol industry. One proposal called for initiating a new, temporary program to provide $100...

Tennessee Governor announces $73 million for state ethanol project.(Industry Report)
February 1, 2007... Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen announced today that his proposed 2007-2008 budget will include $61 million for acomprehensive alternative fuels strategy. Combined with $11.6 million in existing funding for an ongoing related project at...

Indian bus fleet switching to ethanol-diesel blend.(International Report)
February 1, 2007... The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation of Karnataka, India is switching 2,500 buses of its 5,162 fleet toO2Diesel, an ethanol-diesel blend comprising 7.7% ethanol. The decision came after a successful trial of the fuel. The...

Weekly update.(Conferences)(Calendar)
February 1, 2007... National Ethanol Conference, Tucson, Feb. 19-21. Effective Fuel Management for Fleets Conference, Miami, Feb. 20-21 Ethanol Finance & Investment Summit, Marriott Financial Center, New York, March 19-21

BP selects Berkley for strategic partnership.(Industry Report)
February 2, 2007... BP has selected the University of California to join in a $500 million research program that will explore how bioscience can be used to increase energy production and reduce the impact of energy consumption on the environment. The Energy...

ED&F Man revitalizes dormant Idaho ethanol plant.(Industry Report)
February 2, 2007... A dormant fuel ethanol facility near Caldwell, Idaho, is expected to begin production this month. London-based ED&F Man Holdings plans to operate the facility under its subsidiary, Idaho Ethanol Processing, according to CFO Tony Watts. ...

House passes bio-fuels bill.(Legislative)
February 2, 2007... The House Committee on Science and Technology has passed HR 547, the Advanced Fuels Infrastructure Research and Development Act. The bill initiates a research, development and demonstration program to make bio-fuels more compatible with...

Modified golf passes emissions tests.(Industry Report)
February 5, 2007... At the National Center for Vehicle Emissions Control and Safety, a 2002 Volkswagen Golf TDi modified to run on straight Canola oil produced emissions below standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Albuquerque Alternative...

Ethanol production record set in November.(Industry Report)
February 5, 2007... The latest statistics from the Energy Information Administration indicate that November 2006 ethanol production reached a record 343,000 barrels per day. November production tallied approximately 431 million gallons, which on an annual...

Cornell uses $10 million grant to develop bio-fuels research.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
February 5, 2007... Cornell professor of biological and environmental engineering Larry Walker will use a $10 million grant from the Empire State Development Corp. to upgrade Cornell's industrial biotechnology laboratories. "The future development, success and...

California Secure Transportation Energy Partnership unveils radical action plan.(Industry Report)
February 6, 2007... The California Secure Transportation Energy Partnership has unveiled an action plan to achieve the state's overall goals of reducing petroleum use by 15% and increasing alternative fuel use to 20% by 2020. The multi-year Action Plan...

DaimlerChrysler encourages alternative fuels research.(Industry Report)
February 6, 2007... In a speech at the National Biodiesel Board Annual Conference, Deb Morrissett, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for the Chrysler Group, encouraged the biodiesel industry to continue their development of a national standard for B20. "To...

Alternative fuels funding less than expected.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
February 6, 2007... President Bush's $2.9 trillion federal budget proposal offers automakers less than they hoped on plug-in hybrid battery research. Bush proposed spending $309 million on hydrogen fuel cells, up from $289 million in fiscal 2007, which ends...

Governments urged to take swift action against bio-fuel trade.(Industry Report)(Brief article)
February 7, 2007... A coalition of civil society organizations on Tuesday urged governments to immediately suspend all subsidies and other forms of inequitable support for the import and export of bio-fuels. The organizations, which included Global Forest...

US BioEnergy plans partnership in Nebraska.(Industry Report)
February 7, 2007... US BioEnergy Corporation, the nation's largest pure-play ethanol producer, said they are considering purchasing land near Hayland, Nebraska. The company plans to build a 100 million gallon a year ethanol plant on the land. If the...

EU sets legally binding average CO2 emissions.(International Report)
February 7, 2007... The EU Commission has proposed a legally binding fleet-average CO2 emission of 130 grams per kilometer from 2012 for class M1 vehicles. Originally, the EU was planning to require an average of 120 grams per kilometer. To make up the...

Subaru unveils boxer turbo diesel engine.(International Report)
February 8, 2007... Subaru will introduce a 4-cylinder horizontally-opposed (boxer) turbo diesel engine at the Geneva International Motor Show next month. This is not only Subaru's first diesel, but the first boxer turbo diesel. Subaru will unveil both...

National ethanol fuel station directory to be released.(Industry Report)
February 8, 2007... USA Energy Independence Publications recently announced publication of a directory covering both E85 ethanol fuel and bio-diesel fuel retail stations nationwide. Designed to help the flex-fuel vehicle and diesel-powered vehicle owners find...

Wood chip ethanol plant in works for Georgia.(Industry Report)
February 8, 2007... A Broomfield company is expected to unveil plans for the nation's first commercial-scale plant to make ethanol fuel from wood chips. The project could be a significant breakthrough in order to begin weaning the US from imported petroleum,...

Weekly update.(Conferences)(Calendar)
February 8, 2007... National Ethanol Conference, Tucson, Feb. 19-21. Effective Fuel Management for Fleets Conference, Miami, Feb. 20-21 Ethanol Finance & Investment Summit, Marriott Financial Center, New York, March 19-21 (EIN STAFF: 2/8)

Eaton produces hybrid system for medium-duty trucks.(Industry Report)
February 9, 2007... Eaton will begin full production this year of its hybrid electric drive system for medium-duty trucks. The Hybrid Electric System, which was seven years in development, is currently deployed in 167 pre-production field units: 93 with FedEx,...

US and Brazil seek ethanol partnership.(Industry Report)
February 9, 2007... The US and Brazil are meeting this week to discuss a new energy partnership that they hope will encourage ethanol use to diminish the regional influence of oil-rich Venezuela. US officials said they expect to sign accords within a year that...

Ted Turner speaks on behalf of alternative fuels.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
February 9, 2007... Billionaire media mogul Ted Turner is asked energy executives and policy leaders to reconsider the future of energy in the United States by urging them to embrace powerful alternative fuels. Speaking before the Houston World Affairs...

Michigan congressional delegation supports ethanol shipping bill.(Industry Report)
February 12, 2007... Michigan's congressional delegation supported a bill that aims to expedite the shipping of ethanol and other alternative fuels from the refinery to the gas pump. The bill, approved Thursday, asks the Environmental Protection Agency to...

Sud-Chemie to invest $30 million to increase lithium iron phosphate production.(Industry Report)
February 12, 2007... Sud-Chemie will invest $30 million in one of its Canadian affiliates to increase lithium iron phosphate production capacity for use in new generations of lithium-ion batteries to 1,500 metric tons per year. Phostech Lithium Inc., an...

Former Biofuels Corporation CEO raising money for biobutanol plant in Ireland. (International Report).
February 12, 2007... John Nichols, the co-founder and former chief executive of UK-based Biofuels Corporation, is trying to raise $156 million to design and to build a biobutanol plant in the south of Ireland. In 2006, BP and DuPont created a partnership to...

Ciba introduces biodiesel stabilizer.(Industry Report)
February 13, 2007... Ciba Specialty Chemicals has introduced Ciba IRGASTAB BD 100, a stabilizer designed to give biodiesel fuel long-term protection against oxidative degradation through the fuel's life cycle. Degradation of biodiesel leads to the formation of...

US Ethanol Holdings plans ethanol plant for Illinois.(Industry Report)
February 13, 2007... The Kern County Economic Development Corporation announced that US Ethanol Holdings plans to build a $200 million plant in Wasco, IL. The plant will have a 100 million gallon capacity and will create about 65 jobs. Building the site could...

Diversa and Celunol form new alternative fuels company.(Industry Report)
February 13, 2007... Diversa Corp. and Celunol Corp. announced Monday a merger agreement to create a new biofuels company. The company will have capabilities in pre-treatment, novel enzyme development, fermentation, engineering, and project development, and...

Vilsack says ethanol will not meet us alternative fuel needs.(Industry Report)
February 14, 2007... Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack said today that corn-based ethanol will fail to meet the nation's renewable-fuel needs. "The reality is corn-based ethanol will never be enough to reach our long-term goals," he said. The candidate for the...

California Air Resource Board accepting $25 million in funding.(Industry Report)
February 14, 2007... The California Air Resources Board is now accepting grant proposals of $25 million in available funding for encouraging biofuels and high efficiency, low-emitting vehicle technology. The funds, available from the Alternative Fuels...

Arkansas could become the 'next silicon valley' for alternative fuels.(Industry Report)
February 14, 2007... Arkansas could become a nationwide leader in alternative fuels development with passage of a $20 million plan for promotion and research. "This vote will put us in the 21st century," Rep. Benny Petrus said before the House approved the...

USDA releases 10-year projections.(Industry Report)(US Department of Agriculture)(Report)(Brief article)
February 15, 2007... Yesterday, the USDA released its newest 10-year agricultural projections. USDA Agricultural Projections to 2016 assumed that crude oil prices will fall from 2007 to 2010 as new crude supplies offset the rise in Asian demand. The report...

Cellulose ethanol plant on hold due to staffing shortage.(Industry Report)
February 15, 2007... A staffing shortage in a Washington, DC office is delaying the opening of the world's first cellulose ethanol plant. The office in the US Department of Energy opened last summer to provide federal loan guarantees for producing clean energy...

Africa researchers plan coal-to-liquids plant in China.(International Report)(Brief article)
February 15, 2007... Researchers from South Africa's University of the Witwatersrand' Center of Material and Process Synthesis are planning to build a pilot coal-to-liquids project in the Shaanxi province in China. The $10.5 million pilot project is expected...

Weekly update.(Conferences)(Calendar)
February 15, 2007... National Ethanol Conference, Tucson, Feb. 19-21. Effective Fuel Management for Fleets Conference, Miami, Feb. 20-21 Ethanol Finance & Investment Summit, Marriott Financial Center, New York, March 19-21 (EIN STAFF: 2/15)

Long Beach and LA Ports issue request for proposals for LNG truck fleet.(Industry Report)
February 16, 2007... The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach--the US's two leading container ports--have issued a joint Request for Proposals for a new liquefied natural gas truck program. The effort is a component of the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action...

Potential ethanol plant deal may fall short of expectations.(Industry Report)
February 16, 2007... A $215 million ethanol plant proposed for Hancock County, Iowa won't be built soon unless the local board of supervisors agrees to sweeten a tax-abatement proposal. Harvest BioFuels LLC of Addison, Texas, said that high corn prices and a...

Louis Dreyfus buys sugar and ethanol mills in Brazil.(International Report)
February 16, 2007... Louis Dreyfus & Cie said it agreed to buy four sugar and ethanol mills in Brazil to become the second-biggest sugarcane processor in the country. Paris-based Louis Dreyfus, which already owns four sugar and ethanol mills in Brazil, expects...

Celunol Corporation completes pilot-scale cellulosic facility.(Industry Report)(Brief article)
February 19, 2007... Massachusetts-based Celunol Corporation last week marked two milestones in the push to develop commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol production. The company announced completion of its pilot-scale cellulosic facility while simultaneously...

National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition may have difficulty funding E85 fueling infrastructure.(Industry Report)
February 19, 2007... In an update to its members, the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition noted that it has been advised that it is "unlikely" that the Department of Energy will make any grants during calendar year 2007 to build additional E85 stations. NEVC...

Maryland residents fight new ethanol plant.(Industry Report)
February 19, 2007... Residents of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, are fighting an application from Atlantic Ethanol LLC's for a $150 million manufacturing plant in the area. The Baltimore-based company plans to manufacture, store and distribute ethanol and its...

Volvo makes $1.1 billion bid for Nissan diesel.(Industry Report)
February 20, 2007... Volvo has made a $1.1 billion public offer to acquire the Japanese truck manufacturer Nissan Diesel. Volvo already owns a 19% holding in Nissan Diesel and preference shares which can be converted to an additional 27.5%, after full...

Aventine will market ethanol for Tennessee ethanol plant.(Industry Report)
February 20, 2007... Aventine Renewable Energy announced that it will market the ethanol for Ethanol Grain Processors LLC's proposed plant in Obion, TN. The Obion project's majority investor is VBV LLC, an entity majority owned by an affiliate of Virgin Group...

Ford Europe appoints new director to lead alternative fuels strategies.(International Report)
February 20, 2007... Ford Europe has appointed Jan Brentebraten to the newly-created position of director of flexifuel and alternative fuel vehicle strategies. Last year, Ford announced a $1.95 billion investment to develop a broad range of environmental...

Nissan leases new hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.(International Report)
February 21, 2007... Nissan Motor has leased the latest version of the X-TRAIL hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle to Kanagawa Toshi Kotsu to be used as part of their chauffeur-driven hired-car fleet. This is the first time that a fuel-cell vehicle has been made...

Researchers develop new methane storage system from corncob waste.(Industry Report)
February 21, 2007... Using corncob waste, US researchers have created carbon briquettes capable of storing natural gas at a density of 180 times their own volume and at one seventh the pressure of conventional natural gas tanks. Announced Tuesday by...

Abengoa looks to build ethanol plant in Illinois.(Industry Report)
February 21, 2007... Abengoa Bioenergy, Europe's biggest producer of ethanol, says it wants to build a $200 million plant in Madison, Ill. A unit of Spain's Abengoa SA, Abengoa Bioenergy said the plant would employ 50 to 60 and produce 88 million gallons of...

Mazda RX-8 hydrogen RE in cold weather testing.(Industry Report)
February 22, 2007... Mazda Motor Corporation is joining forces with the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau to test the cold weather performance of its Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE. Employing a dual-fuel system, the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE can run on either...

Vice president of GM seeks help from NASCAR to promote alternative fuels.(Industry Report)
February 22, 2007... Brent Dewar, vice president of field sales for General Motors, is soliciting NASCAR to help encourage the switch from gasoline to ethanol across the nation. "We would embrace it," said Dewar. "We think it would be great on a lot of fronts,...

US official proposes ethanol push at industry trade meeting in Arizona.(Industry Report)
February 22, 2007... Addressing an ethanol industry trade group meeting in Tucson, AZ, a top Bush administration official pitched new proposals to dramatically boost the use of alternative fuels in the next decade. Stephen Johnson, US Environmental Protection...

Weekly update.(Conferences)(Calendar)
February 22, 2007... Ethanol Finance & Investment Summit, Marriott Financial Center, New York, March 19-21

Consolidated Biofuels purchases International Bio Fuels Corporation.(Industry Report)
February 23, 2007... Consolidated Biofuels, Inc. announced yesterday that they recently purchased 100% of the assets of privately-held International Bio Fuels Corporation headquartered in Vancouver, WA. The parties have executed a memorandum of understanding...

Florida International University and Florida Crystals Corp join forces to develop ethanol.(Industry Report)
February 23, 2007... Florida's Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp announced today the that the state will award Florida International University and Florida Crystals Corporation a $1 million grant to develop cellulosic ethanol technology. The grant will identify a...

Harvest Energy Technology supplies hydrogen generator to Chinese.(International Report)(Chinese Petroleum Corporation)(Brief article)
February 23, 2007... Harvest Energy Technology, Inc. has been awarded a contract to deliver a high-pressure steam methane reformer hydrogen generator to the Chinese Petroleum Corporation of Taiwan. The hydrogen generator will supply hydrogen for chemical...

Bush visits Novozyme cellulose ethanol plant.(Industry Report)
February 26, 2007... President George W. Bush last week toured Novozymes' Franklinton, NC, facility and hosted a panel discussion on cellulose ethanol. Bush touted cellulosic ethanol as part of the push in his "20 in 10" plan, which he announced in his 2007...

Chevron backs biodiesel plant.(Industry Report)
February 26, 2007... Next month a new Chevron-backed biodiesel plant will open in Galveston, Texas. The plant is expected to produce 20 million gallons a year of diesel fuel made from soybean oil and be one of the largest in the nation. Chevron is among...

Midwestern farmland rising sharply in value.(Asides & Reviews)(Editorial)(Brief article)
February 26, 2007... Because of the demand for ethanol, the value of farmland in the Midwest is rising sharply. The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's February 2007 Ag Letter reported last week that Indiana and Illinois farmland values jumped 6% last year. ...

Toyota, Hino and Nippon oil develop new renewable diesel.(Industry Report)
February 27, 2007... Toyota Motor Corporation, Hino Motors, The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Nippon Oil Corporation started a joint project aimed at commercializing what they are calling bio hydrofined diesel. Hydrofined diesel is a second-generation...

Oklahoma ethanol plant on hold because of market conditions.(Industry Report)
February 27, 2007... Plans for an ethanol plant in Enid, OK are being put on hold by what organizers say are market conditions. Orion Ethanol Vice President Tim Barker says the company is making a corporate decision not to build in the current economy. The...

Colorado Governor pushes renewable energy in Washington.(Editorials, Asides & Reviews)
February 27, 2007... Colorado Governor Bill Ritter took his push to develop renewable energy to Washington in meetings Monday with fellow governors. Ritter, in Washington for the National Governor's Association meeting, laid out his plan for developing wind,...