Rural and Urban Economic Revitalization Workshops, July 6-7, MATC

Friday, June 26, 2009

From a news release posted on Business Wire:

The International Institute for Ecological Agriculture (IIEA) announced today that it is working with the Wisconsin Farmers Union and the Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence along with agencies and groups across the region to present its next series of educational workshop programs. The two-day Intensive workshops, (June 27 and 28 in Osseo, WI and July 6 and 7 in Madison, WI) promote rural and urban economic revitalization and non-exportable job creation through the optimized production of food and fuel source crops and related by-products.

The workshops will be led by David Blume, renowned Permaculture and Biofuels expert and author of Alcohol Can Be A Gas. Mr. Blume, is the recent author recipient of the American Corn Growers Association’s Truth in Agricultural Journalism award, and will teach attendees how they can:

•Earn federal and state renewable energy tax incentives that can offset as much as 80% of the startup costs for a small-scale alcohol fuel business.
•Beat the fuel and food price increases predicted for 2009.
•Produce clean alcohol fuel for less than a dollar per gallon from waste, toxic and spoiled food, common weeds, as well as high-return crops.

“Because of our current economic climate, farmers everywhere are struggling,” said Sue Beitlich, President of the Wisconsin Farmers Union. “At WFU we are working diligently to help provide our members and community with the knowledge and means to improve our local and regional economic outlook. David Blume’s workshop provides proven systems based on agriculture science that will enhance and optimize food and fuel source crop production. That knowledge can help Wisconsin farmers build new businesses and become leaders in the sustainable energy movement.”

The two day workshops will be held . . . Monday and Tuesday July 6 and 7 at the Madison Area Technical College, (Truax Campus) in Madison WI. The open-to-the-public programs present an ideal launch pad for green business entrepreneurs, activists, farmers, and people everywhere who are interested in developing their own energy independence and taking control of their economic future. For more information on the workshop program and schedule please visit http://www.alcoholcanbeagas.com/store/alcohol_workshops

Weather risks cloud promise of biofuel

Friday, July 11, 2008

From an article by Jad Mouawad in The New York Times:

The record storms and floods that swept through the Midwest last month struck at the heart of America’s corn region, drowning fields and dashing hopes of a bumper crop.

They also brought into sharp relief a new economic hazard. As America grows more reliant on corn for its fuel supply, it is becoming vulnerable to the many hazards that can damage crops, ranging from droughts to plagues to storms.

The floods have helped send the price of ethanol up 19 percent in a month. They appear to have had little effect on the price of gasoline at the pump, as ethanol represents only about 6 percent of the nation’s transport fuel today.

But that share is expected to rise to at least 20 percent in coming decades. Experts fear that a future crop failure could take so much fuel out of the market that it would send prices soaring at the pump. Eventually, the cost of filling Americans’ gas tanks could be influenced as much by hail in Iowa as by the bombing of an oil pipeline in Nigeria.

“We are holding ourselves hostage to the weather,” said John M. Reilly, a senior lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an ethanol expert. “Agricultural markets are subject to wide variability and big price spikes, just like oil markets.”

Three years ago, Americans discovered that the vicissitudes of the weather could have a powerful effect on energy prices when two hurricanes struck the Gulf Coast. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita interrupted a quarter of the nation’s oil production and closed dozens of refineries for weeks. Lines formed for the first time since the 1970s as gasoline spiked above $3 a gallon, a record at the time. The nation’s increasing dependence on crops for motor fuel adds another level of vulnerability from the weather.

Full speed ahead on biofuels

Thursday, July 10, 2008

From an editorial in the Wisconsin State Journal:

The average gasoline price in Madison set a daily high this week, topping $4.02 a gallon on Tuesday.

On the same day a federal forecast warned that gas prices nationwide are likely to remain above $4 a gallon for the rest of the year and into 2009.

The higher cost of gas is a costly problem that underscores the importance of proceeding full speed ahead with efforts to develop biofuels as an alternative to gasoline.

That 's why Wisconsin policymakers and entrepreneurs should focus on making the state a leader in the next generation of biofuels, made from wood waste and other renewable plant material.

Reject backlash against biofuels

Monday, May 19, 2008

From an editorial in the Wisconsin State Journal:

In 1995, before the ethanol boom began, American farmers produced 162million metric tons of corn for food and export.

By 2007, ethanol production was taking 62 million metric tons of corn. So the corn left for food and export was — 308 million metric tons.

That's right, 308 million metric tons — 82 percent more than before the ethanol boom, thanks to higher yields and more land in cornfields.

But how can that be true when, according to the backlash against biofuels, a scarcity of corn — caused by America's diversion of corn into ethanol production — is to blame for world food shortages and skyrocketing prices?

It is true because the backlash against biofuels is based on myth, misrepresentation and myopia, adding up to a failure of reason.

That's why Wisconsin, and all of America, should stay on course with the development of biofuels.

Several posts follow the editorial on the State Journal's Web page, including one that says in part:

Problem: Reduce Pollution – a noble pursuit.

How Ethanol fails: When you factor in the carbon output of producing the crop (planting, fertilizing, cultivating, harvesting), transporting the crop to the ethanol production facility, actually producing the ethanol, transporting (via truck or train, since ethanol cannot be sent through a pipeline) the ethanol to a refinery to be blended with gasoline, and then transporting the finished product to a filling station for consumption, you have produced so much more additional pollution that you have significantly negated any potential gain in pollution reduction.

GOP group wants curbs on ethanol due to increases in food prices; others point to oil prices

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

From a story by Thomas Content and Joel Dresang in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Twenty-four Republican senators, including likely presidential nominee John McCain, on Monday called for a halt to the expansion of ethanol production as a response to rising food prices.

The senators urged the Environmental Protection Agency to restructure rules that would require greater production of ethanol from corn by 2022.

"This subsidized (ethanol) program - paid for by taxpayer dollars - has contributed to pain at the cash register, at the dining room table, and a devastating food crisis throughout the world," McCain said in a statement.

Critics of the proposal said that too much attention was being placed on ethanol as a reason for rising food prices, and that not enough attention was being placed on the role that rising crude oil prices - which surged to $120 a barrel Monday - have played in driving up the cost of food.

"It's the wrong medicine for the problem," Wisconsin Agriculture Secretary Rod Nilsestuen said. "If we hadn't had the significant increase in renewable fuels that we've seen in the last five years, we would have higher gas prices today, not lower ones."

Keep driving ethanol forward

Thursday, April 03, 2008

From an editorial in the Wisconsin State Journal:

In the debate over whether Wisconsin should encourage the development of ethanol, it 's time to pay attention to one of ethanol 's most prominent critics.
Because he has changed his mind.

Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens, who once scoffed at ethanol, recently told the CNBC financial news network that he now supports increased production of the homegrown, renewable fuel.

Pickens cited the $1 billion a day that America spends on imported oil.

"I 'd rather have ethanol and recirculate the money in the country than to have it go out the back door on us, " said Pickens, who is also promoting wind energy.

Pickens ' about-face should enlighten Wisconsin policymakers and the state 's private industry as they confront a continuing campaign to put the brakes on ethanol.

While biofuels are likely to hit a few potholes in the marketplace, the state should keep its foot on the accelerator to take the lead in biofuel development.

At stake is not only economic gain for Wisconsin but also a better fuel for the future.

Duck farm blames closing on ethanol-fueled cost increases

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

From an article by Michael Burke in The Journal Times (Racine):

YORKVILLE — Maple Leaf Farms blames ethanol production and soaring feed costs for its decision to permanently close most of its local duck-raising operations.

The Milford, Ind.-based company announced Friday that it will close the duck slaughtering and processing operations at 2319 Raymond Ave. (Highway U).

The move will eliminate about 175 of its 210 jobs in this area, the world’s largest producer of duck meat reported. Maple Leaf Farms spokeswoman Nora Macon said the 175 jobs lost will include one at the company feed mill in Burlington and one or two jobs at the hatchery at 24830 Washington Ave. in Dover.

The company said it will shut down its slaughter/processing facility within two months “in an effort to respond to rising feed ingredient and operating costs.”

Macon said those other costs include rising fuel prices. However, the family-owned company primarily blamed ethanol production, spurred by government subsidies, for its decision. Ethanol production has competed for corn, driving up corn prices throughout the country.

“We struggled to make this decision because it is a difficult time to displace any employees,” company Co-President Scott Tucker stated in a news release.

“Unfortunately, we have analyzed the situation, and the only way we can cope with skyrocketing feed costs brought on by the government’s misguided ethanol policies is to cut our own production and consolidate some of our operations.”

Agreement settles Sparta ethanol plant controversy

Saturday, March 22, 2008

From an article by Steve Calahan in the La Crosse Tribune:

SPARTA, Wis. — Century Foods International will buy the proposed 83.7-acre Sparta ethanol plant site from Coulee Area Renewable Energy LLC.

CARE will not build an ethanol plant within three miles of Century Foods’ Sparta plants.

And all lawsuits filed during the yearlong fight over the proposed site will be dismissed.

Those are highlights of a 15-page settlement agreement the Sparta City Council approved Tuesday night.

Besides the city, Century Foods and parent company Hormel Foods Corp., CARE and Friends of Sparta — a citizens group that opposed the proposed Sparta ethanol plant — are parties to the agreement as well. All of the parties were plaintiffs and/or defendants in lawsuits over the site.

CARE President Dave Rundahl declined to comment Tuesday on the agreement, or on whether his group still plans to build an ethanol plant at another location. He did say CARE still has an option to buy land near Bangor, Wis.

In December, CARE filed a lawsuit in Monroe County Circuit Court that claimed Century Foods and Hormel breached terms of an October settlement that called for Century Foods to buy CARE’s Sparta site at an agreed price. The lawsuit said the two companies breached the agreement by insisting on a new condition — that CARE board members agree not to allow an ethanol plant on land they personally own.

In the December lawsuit, CARE asked that Century Foods be required to buy the Sparta site under the terms in the settlement agreement. The site is near Century Foods’ largest Sparta plant.

In its answer to the lawsuit, Century Foods said the October settlement memorandum was a non-binding “agreement to agree” and was subject to conditions that never occurred.

Under Tuesday’s agreement, Century Foods will pay $2.5 million for the Sparta land and for other rights.

Necedah Ethanol plant is running

Thursday, March 13, 2008

From a story by Amanda Becker in the Tomah Journal-News:

NECEDAH—The Castle Rock Renewable Fuels ethanol plant in Necedah had its official grand opening Friday after 14 months of preparation.

“I have been looking forward to this day for a long time,” plant manager Bernie Hoffman said.

The plant actually began producing ethanol Feb. 2 and is running efficiently, above capacity and under budget, Hoffman said, adding “that is something to be proud of.”

During the grand opening ceremony, Hoffman said home-grown renewable energy now is needed more than ever.

“It’s important to keep battling until we do something about Wisconsin’s dependence on foreign fuels,” said state Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center.

He added the ethanol plant has created a market for corn in Juneau County that previously did not exist.

Hoffman said the Castle Rock plant will grind more than 20 million bushels of corn per year, which equals about 56 bushels per day.

The corn used at the plant will be purchased within a 70-mile radius, Hoffman said.

Corn-based ethanol could worsen "dead zone"

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

From a Reuters story by Deborah Zabarenko posted on EEN.com:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Growing more corn to meet the projected U.S. demand for ethanol could worsen an expanding "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico that is bad for crawfish, shrimp and local fisheries, researchers reported on Monday.

The dead zone is a huge area of water -- some 7,700 square miles -- that forms above the continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico every summer. It contains very low levels of oxygen.

The dead zone starts in Midwestern corn country when farmers fertilize their fields with nitrogen. The fertilizer run-off flows down the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico, making algae bloom on the surface and cutting oxygen to creatures that live on the bottom.

The low levels of oxygen in the zone make it difficult for crustaceans and bottom-feeding fish to survive, said Simon Donner, who worked on the study published the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Crustaceans will likely struggle to stay alive, Donner said by telephone. Fish will swim out of the zone, potentially devastating local fisheries, he said.

"We're already at a point where recommendations have been made that nitrogen levels in the Mississippi River have to decrease by up to ... 55 percent in order to shrink the dead zone," said Donner, of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

"And now with this incentive to produce more corn and use more fertilizer, we're pushing in the other direction," Donner said. "The two policies are just completely incongruous."

Researchers increase cellulosic ethanol production rates

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

From an article on the BusinessWire:

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Xethanol Corporation (AMEX: XNL), a renewable energy company, has announced that its latest laboratory research results show significant increases in the rate of cellulosic ethanol production.

Researchers working at the Forest Products Laboratory of the US Department of Agriculture in Madison, Wisconsin are developing technology to reduce the net cost of renewable fuel made from wood and agricultural residue. Dr. Thomas Jeffries leads that effort.

Dr. Jeffries reports that research sponsored by Xethanol “has improved the rate of ethanol production from xylose wood sugar by 22% and has increased the ethanol yield by 11% as compared to the control strain of yeast.”

David Ames, President and CEO of Xethanol, commented, “This is more evidence our research and technology strategy is taking the company in the right direction – potentially reducing the cost of making ethanol from non-corn sources, and helping our country cut its dependence on foreign oil”.

U.S. Forest Service Chief Abigail Kimbell said, “We are proud of the work of Dr. Jeffries at our Forest Products Laboratory. Improving production of biofuels from woody materials is an important goal for the Forest Service and continues a long tradition of biomass utilization research. Improved efficiency in converting woody biomass to energy provides additional opportunities for stewardship of both public and private forested lands by making more efficient use of materials generated from forest management activities.”

2007: a banner year for biofuels

Thursday, December 27, 2007

From a press release issued by Brett Hulsey of Better Environmental Solutions:

Madison, Wisconsin — 2007 was a banner year for biofuels as state and national leaders passed initiatives to expand and invest in biofuels to reduce energy costs, dependence and air pollution. A new Better Environmental Solutions study, Ethanol: A Convenient Solution to an Inconvenient Truth, showed that ethanol is one of the best ways to cut greenhouse gases, save drivers money, reduce oil imports and air pollution.

“This Better Enviro study shows that ethanol is a convenient solution to the ‘Inconvenient Truth’ of global warming. Governor Doyle, Wisconsin and federal legislators should be commended for expanding biofuel usage and investment,” said Brett Hulsey MNS, president of Better Environmental Solutions and study author. “Ethanol is a homegrown fuel, costs less than gasoline, and moderate ethanol blends can be delivered with existing pumps and vehicles with no modification.”

The Convenient Solutions study shows that the 7 billion gallons of ethanol that U.S. drivers used in 2007 year will reduce CO2 emissions by 14 million tons, which is equivalent to taking 2.75 million cars off the road or not burning 1.45 billion gallons of gasoline.

“Ethanol lowers CO2 emissions by 20% compared to gasoline, making it one of our most effective greenhouse gas reduction programs currently in place,” said Hulsey. “The Convenient Solutions study gives us hope in this holiday season that we can tackle climate change in a cost-effective way.”

The Convenient Solutions report also found moderate ethanol blends:

· Can increase mileage to help immediately address soaring gasoline prices and our record 66% oil imports in 2006.

· Increase auto efficiency by 1-15%, saving drivers at least $4.35 billion annually and help increase our energy security.

· Help reduce smog and soot pollution that plagues many areas of the state and country.

A 2007 USEPA study shows that more ethanol use is one of the quickest and most effective ways to reduce CO2 emissions from transportation, the U.S.’s single largest and fastest growing emissions sector.

The fuel of the future? Say 'cheese'

Monday, November 05, 2007

From a story in the Oshkosh Northwestern:

STRATFORD — What will the fuel of the future look like and where will it come from?

Prepare for a variety of fuels from many sources, says Wisconsin entrepreneur Joe Van Groll whose start-up renewable energy company produces both ethanol and bio-diesel without a single corn kernel or soybean in sight.

The Grand Meadow Energy LLC near Stratford trucks in waste from surrounding cheese plants and raw canola oil from a nearby farm.

"There is no one silver bullet," Van Groll said in a press release. "The silver bullets are already out there — taking waste streams and turning them into profit centers."

Van Groll bought the Grand Meadow Coop cheese plant when it closed more than three years ago, converted it and with $29,000 from the state's Agricultural Development and Diversification grant program, began testing what is now a trade secret. Today, customers buy a license to use the yeast-based technology he developed with help from the grant.

As concerns about the environmental and societal impact of corn-based ethanol rise, he lists the advantages of his method.

"I don't use energy; I put it back on the grid. I don't slurp up water; I purify and recycle it. I don't push up food costs; I dispose of waste," he said.

Van Groll is a 13-year veteran of the state's cheese industry, and his process focuses on permeate, a by-product of cheese making. But Van Groll says the technology can be used on a variety of waste streams and he sees no end in sight to its application.

Lung Association Praises Doyle for Energy Summit

Friday, October 12, 2007

From the Wisconsin chapter of the American Lung Association:

Milwaukee--The American Lung Association of the Wisconsin (ALA-WI) thanked Governor Jim Doyle, chair of the Midwestern Governors Association (MGA), for hosting the Midwestern Governors Association Energy Security and Climate Change Summit on November 14-15, 2007. At the Summit, Governors and citizens from across the Midwest will pursue new regional initiatives to increase production and use of renewable energy, promote energy efficiency, and ensure a reliable electrical grid.

“We thank the Governor for his efforts and leadership on renewable energy, biofuels, and cleaner air,” said Dona Wininsky, Director of Public Policy and Communications for the ALA-WI. “This summit can highlight that energy security and global warming efforts like biofuels can reduce asthma and other respiratory diseases that threaten our health.”

Biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel reduce carbon emissions, increase energy security, and reduce soot particulate matter pollution that causes asthma and heart attacks.

“We hope this conference can show us how to save lives, energy, and keep jobs here in Wisconsin and the Midwest,” said Wininsky.

The Summit will be co-hosted by Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, immediate past chair of the MGA and current chair of the National Governors Association.

“Minnesota offers many programs we can learn from in Wisconsin like requiring more biofuels and investing in more clean, renewable energy,” said Wininsky. “Now is the time for the Legislature to pass measures to promote biofuels like the $30 million for the bioeconomy and money for biofuel pumps.”

Regional policy leaders from business, government, and non-profit arenas are invited to attend the Summit. To register or for more information visit the MGA website.

The Energy Security and Climate Stewardship Summit was organized by the Midwestern Governors Association. Working groups of public and private stakeholders, staffed by the Great Plains Institute, developed the agreements for the Summit.

Sparta ethanol controversy settled

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

From a story by Steve Cahalan in the La Crosse Tribune:

SPARTA, Wis. — Coulee Area Renewable Energy still plans to build an ethanol plant in the region, but it won’t be next to Century Foods International’s main plant in Sparta.

In a brief joint press release Tuesday, CARE and Century Foods said they have reached a tentative settlement on all claims related to CARE’s effort to build an ethanol refinery at that site. The rest of the terms of the settlement are confidential, the press release said.

Since February, Century Foods and many nearby residents have fought the ethanol plant project at Sparta City Planning Commission and Sparta City Council meetings, and by filing lawsuits.

Century Foods representatives argued emissions from the ethanol plant would contaminate its milk-based products, while some residents were concerned about potential odor problems. The farmers and other investors in CARE disputed those claims.

“I give credit to both sides for coming to an agreement,” state Sen. Dan Kapanke, R-La Crosse, said after hearing of the settlement. “Negotiation is always better than litigation.”