| The News Source for the Ethanol Industry |  |
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- Dinneen: Investing in U.S. biofuels helps economy, national security
The Senate Agriculture Committee's decision to authorize $800 million for energy programs in the next farm bill is a step in the right direction, writes Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association. "But the nation needs a broader, bolder approach -- a government-wide commitment" to developing homegrown biofuels and increasing their availability, Dinneen notes. "Promoting American biofuels is good for the economy, good for the environment, good for rural America and good for national security," Dinneen adds. National Journal/Energy Experts Blog
(5/7)     
| Market Update | | |
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- Marubeni is in talks to acquire Gavilon for $5.2B, source says
Marubeni is in the advanced stages of negotiations to acquire U.S. grain and energy trader Gavilon for about $5.2 billion including debt, a source said. The board of the Japanese trading firm is expected to meet as soon as this week to discuss the proposal, the source added. Meanwhile, Mitsubishi and Mitsui denied reports that they were in talks to purchase Gavilon. Reuters
(5/8)
- Ill. town OKs plan to expand enterprise zone for ethanol plant
 Officials of Normal, Ill., unanimously endorsed a plan to extend an enterprise zone to an industrial park in Ford County, Ill., where the One Earth Energy ethanol plant is located. Moving the boundaries of the enterprise zone would save One Earth Energy at least $350,000 annually in taxes, the company said. Expanding the enterprise zone would also benefit the area's farmers, who supply about 10 million bushels of corn annually to the ethanol plant, officials said. WJBC-AM/FM (Bloomington, Ill.)
(5/7)
- Mont. will have difficulty supplying E15, observers say
The lack of locally produced ethanol in Montana means the state will have difficulty supplying E15 to consumers on a consistent basis, according to officials and industry insiders. A barley-to-ethanol plant is under development in Fort Benton, Mont., but its progress has been slow and its production won't be enough to meet expected demand, officials said. "I think in Montana, we haven't even fully got to the E10 fuel standard," said Shirley Ball, president of Montana's Ethanol Producers and Consumers. Billings Gazette (Mont.)
(5/8)
| Technology & Trends | | |
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- N.C. startup develops multifuel portable generator
North Carolina-based startup INI Power has developed a portable generator that can use a variety of fuels, including ethanol. "If you can put a match to it and it'll burn, it'll run in this generator. It's fuel-agnostic," said Larry Markoski, the company's founder and president. INI's Trinity generator will be field tested by the U.S. Army this year at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
(5/7)
- Analysis: More scrutiny is expected for fermentation systems
There are signs in the market that advanced-biofuel developers, especially those using fermentation systems, need to communicate more clearly how they'll deal with potential contaminants in their scale-up process, according to Jim Lane. Concerns about fermentation-based systems apparently stemmed from investors' experience with Amyris, which reported readiness to scale up in February 2011 but struggled to meet throughput volumes by December, Lane adds. Because of Amyris, "scrutiny is going to increase on technology risks inherent in the last few scale-up steps for fermentation technologies," Lane notes. BiofuelsDigest.com
(5/7)
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