The Department of Energy announced 6 recipients of cellulosic ethanol grants to help accelerate the development of the cellulosic ethanol industry. The grants are a public/private partnership between the DOE and the award recipients. The total investment from both sectors totals $1.2 billion.
“Cellulosic ethanol production is a must if we truly aspire to move this country toward a more diverse energy future,†said Renewable Fuels Association President Bob Dinneen. “While corn will remain a key component of our ethanol industry, the kind of production necessary to greatly reduce gasoline consumption in this country can only be realized from the addition of cellulosic material as a feedstock. These grants are critical to bringing cellulosic ethanol to the commercial market and underscore the important partnership the federal government must have with the U.S. ethanol industry to achieve both our short-term and long-term energy goals.â€
Those recipients include:
- Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas, LLC
- ALICO, Inc.
- BlueFire Ethanol, Inc.
- Broin CompaniesÂ
- Iogen Biorefinery Partners, LLC
- Range Fuels
 Visit the RFA website or the Department of Energy for more information.Â
Now that the 2007 National Ethanol Conference is over you can scroll back through my posts and review what took place here over the last few days. You’ll find plenty of pictures, audio to listen to and even a few video clips.
Speaking of pictures, I’ve uploaded all mine to an online photo album. You can look at them individually or watch them as a slide show. I’ve got 336 pictures in there for you to enjoy. Here’s where you’ll find them:
2007 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album
It has been my pleasure to serve as your Conference blogger. I hope you like it. Feel free to email me your comments, ideas and suggestions as I’m always looking at ways to improve this service. Thank you Bob & Matt for this opportunity.
The Conference is now over and saying goodbye was RFA President/CEO, Bob Dinneen.
Next year’s Conference will be held in Orlando, FL so be sure to plan ahead early to make sure you participate in this industry-leading event.
The Ethanol Song was posted here but removed by request.
We all know there are challenges for cellulosic ethanol but lots of potential.
The final panel of the Conference focused on this issue. It was a lively and provocative discussion that was moderated by Anna Ruth, Director of Business Development, Ceres, Inc.
Joining her on the panel were:
Corey Radtke, Scientist, Biological Sciences Department, Idaho National Laboratory
Nathanael Greene, Senior Policy Analyst, Natural Resources Defense Council
Dr. Daniel De La Torre Ugarte, Associate Professor, University of Tennessee
To try to answer questions about feedstock the Conference featured a panel today on this subject.
Roger Conway, Director, Office of Energy Policy & New Uses, USDA, was the moderator. The panel’s goal was to provide context to the food vs. fuel debate.
Joining him were:
Rick Tolman, CEO, National Corn Growers Association
Robb Fraley, VP and Chief Technologies Officer, Monsanto
To get a complete understanding about the Ethanol Tax Incentive, attendees heard this morning from Dr. John Urbanchuk, Director, LECG, LLC.
He started out talking about how work needs to be done to renew the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) in a couple years. He talks about how the ethanol industry is in its infant stage still and this type of incentive is very important. He also reminded attendees about how many incentives are offered to the mature oil industry.
You can listen to his remarks here: 
John Urbanchuk Remarks (16 min MP3)
Dr. Urbanchuk is also the author of a new economic analysis on the impact of the U.S. ethanol industry. The report shows that in 2006 the industry is providing the federal government with a sound return on its investment. According to the analysis, ‘Contribution of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of the United States,’ (pdf file) the federal government received tax revenues of $2.7 billion simply from the construction and operation of ethanol biorefineries. The tax revenue generated exceeded the amount of money the federal government provided in tax incentives to oil refiners who use ethanol.
One of the panel discussions this morning focused on “Building Upon Ethanol’s Virtual Pipeline.”
This was a discussion of the infrastructure and transportation issues facing a rapidly growing ethanol industry.
The panel was moderated by Robert Reynolds, President, Downstream Alternatives, Inc. and included:
Bruce Blaise, VP Sales and Marketing, The Kenan Advantage Group
Dan Jaworski, VP of Liquids, American Commercial Lines
Kyle Hancock, VP, Industrial & Agricultural Products, CSX
Congressman from Missouri, Kenny Hulshof, (R-MO) was next up on stage today as part of the session on how things look on Capitol Hill for the 110th Congress.
Hulshof said that he might get in trouble as a Republican by saying it, but he said that he thinks agriculture will fare well with Rep. Peterson at the helm of the House Agriculture Committee.
Hulshof urged attendees to make their voice known and take advantage of the accessibility of their elected leaders. He’s excited about a resurgence in rural America.
You can listen to his remarks here: Rep. Kenny Hulshof Remarks (14 min MP3)
This morning we got the view from Capitol Hill as two of our Congressmen provided their thoughts on the legislative agenda for the 110th Congress.
First up was Representative Collin Peterson (D-MN). He serves as Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.
Peterson started out mentioning the farm bill and the challenges presented by the successes in agriculture, especially in crops like corn. He also talks about how the livestock industry is making its concerns known on the Hill regarding feed costs.
You can listen to his remarks here: Rep. Collin Peterson Remarks (16 min MP3)
Today’s program kicked off early with a 7am panel discussion on “The Future is Now for Cellulose Ethanol.”
Panels like this make the National Ethanol Conference a must place to be to hear what the experts have to say.
The panel included:
Moderator: Samantha Slater, Renewable Fuels Association
Jeff Passmore, Executive VP, Iogen Corp.
Mike Muston, Executive VP of Corporate Development, Broin Companies
Chuck Corr, Manager, Ethanol Technical Services, Archer Daniels Midland Co.
Gerson Santos-Leon, Executive VP, Agengoa Bioenergy R&D, Inc.
Carlos Riva, President/CEO, Celunol Corporation
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