From wrenchwench at blast.com Mon Mar 3 21:11:40 2008 From: wrenchwench at blast.com (Rachel Burton) Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2008 21:11:40 -0500 Subject: [Sustainable-biodiesel] Growing Sustainable Biofuels: Common Sense on Biofuels References: <00c09f986bcc044792d2ec3b4a9c3bd@google.com> Message-ID: http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/007868.html Biofuels received a fresh surge of bad publicity with recent publication of two studies in Science that looked at the greenhouse gas releases caused by land use changes connected to biofuels production. The studies make complex and nuanced statements that were predictably mangled by the press, with headlines easily interpreted as a general condemnation of biofuels. Typical was the New York Times, ?Biofuels Deemed a Greenhouse Threat,? The studies were creating new uncertainties even among biofuels supporters and tipping others toward a skeptical position. At very least the studies add to substantial public perception problems facing biofuels. > From baysailor at covad.net Tue Mar 11 08:21:53 2008 From: baysailor at covad.net (Joe Kirby) Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:21:53 -0400 Subject: [Sustainable-biodiesel] GLYCERIN: Pollution Is Called a Byproduct of a 'Clean' Fuel Message-ID: <002d01c8837a$e05bf1f0$c830a8c0@acere692717cc7> Here's a disturbing trend we would do well to lobby against! http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/us/11biofuel.html?ex=1205899200&en=ab92912 3583ae710&ei=5070&emc=eta-1 -- Joe K. -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 11biofuel.url Type: application/octet-stream Size: 155 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.emji.net/pipermail/sustainable-biodiesel/attachments/20080311/804efd6f/attachment.obj From bonitz at cleanenergy.org Wed Mar 19 11:31:06 2008 From: bonitz at cleanenergy.org (John Bonitz) Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:31:06 -0400 Subject: [Sustainable-biodiesel] On-Farm Energy Grants In-Reply-To: Message-ID: USDA Invites Applications for Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Grants and Loan Guarantees to Farmers and Small Rural Businesses Please be aware that the long-awaited announcement has arrived, formally opening the applications process for USDA-RD grants and loan-guarantees for renewable energy and energy efficiency investments (press release below). Feel free to forward this information to interested farmers, woodland owners, and rural businesses. For more details and contact info please see the following link: http://www.cleanenergy.org/pdf/9006Flyer.pdf (158 KB file with USDA contact information for GA, FL, NC, SC, TN.) Also, I have a list of Professional Engineers for those needing assistance in grant-writing, energy audits, or renewable energy assessments. Here are some important changes in the program for 2008: Grants: For grants, the USDA is making $15.9 million available for 2008 (though more may come later from unused loan guarantee allocations). The USDA has established two grant cycles this year, with application deadlines of April 16th and June 16th. 50% of the grant funding will be set aside for each cycle. Applications not funded in the first cycle will be reconsidered in the second cycle. Loan Guarantees: USDA will review and decide applications for loan guarantees on a continuous basis, but must be received by USDA no later than June 16th. Applications for combined loan guarantee-grants will be reviewed bi-weekly and USDA also must receive those applications no later than June 16th. The USDA has provided funding resulting in $205 million in loan guarantees (leveraging $19.9 million from original Congressional funding). On-Line Applications: Grant applicants have the option to submit applications online from www.grants.gov and submit their application electronically. (At the time of this writing, the application is not yet available). Loan guarantee applications can only be submitted in paper form. Further Information: Further information on the program including frequently asked questions, official application forms and templates, checklists, tips, case studies, application instructions and regulations can be found at www.farmenergy.org . Sincerely, John Bonitz, Farm Outreach & Policy Advocate Southern Alliance for Clean Energy PO Box 1833, Pittsboro, NC 27312 Phone: 919-545-2920 Mobile: 919-360-2492 Email: bonitz at cleanenergy.org Web: http://www.cleanenergy.org USDA RURAL DEVELOPMENT INVITES APPLICATIONS FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY LOANS AND GRANTS WASHINGTON, March 6, 2008 - Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced during an international renewable energy conference that USDA will accept $220.9 million in loan and grant applications within USDA?s Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program. ?As demand for energy rises, these renewable energy loans and grants help farms and rural small businesses increase their investment in renewable energy initiatives,? said Schafer, speaking at the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC). ?Energy efficiency wisely applies our resources, and energizes wealth-creation opportunities with more jobs throughout rural America.? Loan guarantees and grants are available to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to purchase and install renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Eligible applicants may seek loan guarantees to cover up to 50 percent of a project?s cost, not to exceed $10 million. Grants are available for up to 25 percent of a project?s cost, not to exceed $250,000 for energy efficiency improvements and $500,000 for renewable energy systems. USDA Rural Development has invested $674 million in more than 1,763 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects since 2001. These investments include ethanol, biodiesel, wind, solar, geothermal, methane gas recovery systems and biomass. The Bush administration?s Farm Bill proposal recommends a $1.6 billion increase in renewable energy funding. Were Congress to agree, cellulosic ethanol development proposals would receive a $2.1 billion loan guarantee program, while $500 million would be available for bioenergy and bioproducts research programs, as well as another $500 million for renewable energy development and energy efficiency grants. Details are available at www.usda.gov/farmbill . USDA will issue one grant solicitation for two separate competitions in FY 2008. For the first competitive window, grant-only applications must be submitted no later than April 15, 2008. For the second competitive window, grant-only applications must be submitted no earlier than April 16, 2008, and no later than June 16, 2008. Applications for loan guarantees, as well as those for loan/grant combinations must be completed and submitted to the appropriate USDA Rural Development State Office no later than June 16, 2008. Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA?s web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov . USDA Rural Development?s mission is to increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life for rural residents. Rural Development has invested nearly $91 billion since 2001 for equity and technical assistance to finance and foster growth in homeownership, business development, and critical community and technology infrastructure. More than 1.7 million jobs have been created or saved through these investments. Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA's web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov. # From ehoffner at yahoo.com Sat Mar 22 19:53:46 2008 From: ehoffner at yahoo.com (Erik Hoffner) Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2008 17:53:46 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Sustainable-biodiesel] "biodiesel in the dumps" Message-ID: <278200.74270.qm@web52102.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Here's an opinion piece on the US biodiesel industry at Grist of interest linked below. A couple of the comments attached to the post are noteworthy including Sam Wells' and Ron Steeblik's on the US-Europe biodiesel market - a view from the other side of the pond: http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/3/21/81937/3097 The U.S.-Europe biodiesel nexus Thanks for the continued coverage on this issue, Tom. The Atlanta Constitution does not get it exactly right, however, when they say that "cheaper soy and palm oil from Asia, Africa, and Latin America increasingly replace domestically grown soy oil." Soy and palm oil may be less expensive to produce in Asia, Africa, and Latin America than in the United States, but all producers are selling into a global market, at global-market prices. If foreign-produced vegetable oil is cheaper, it is only marginally cheaper. That means that it may be more profitable for investors to establish farms producing soybeans outside the USA, but it does not mean that imported vegetable oils are likely to prove to be a huge bargain for biodiesel producers. Here are some figures from the FAO: two years ago palm oil was selling for $450 per ton, versus $540 per ton for soya oil (both prices north-west Europe). Today the two are selling for, respectively, around $1160 and $1400 per ton. That makes palm-oil methyl ester (POME) look cheaper on paper, but palm-oil makes a biodiesel that is inferior (because it tends to become more viscous at cold temperatures) to soy-oil methyl ester. Rapeseed (i.e., canola) oil -- the main feedstock for European producers, and the highest-grade oil for cooking -- was selling at $720/ton two years ago; today the price is almost exactly double: $1434. In short: the relative price gaps of palm oil and soya oil have narrowed considerably vis-a-vis that of rapeseed oil, and soya oil is now selling at almost the same price as rapeseed oil. I don't know where the Atlanta Constitution gets the idea that it is an "environmentally conscious Europe" that takes most of the U.S.-produced fuel. Demand for biodiesel here in Europe is as artificial as it is in the USA, increasingly driven by government blending requirements and generous tax exemptions. It is the combination of blenders' tax credits in the USA, and the much higher price for biodiesel in Europe (because petroleum diesel is taxed at rates that are so much higher than those applied in the United States), as well as the weakening of the U.S. dollar against the euro, that is driving this crazy and costly trade. Finally, don't forget that the $1.00 per gallon federal excise tax credit for biodiesel is only one of several forms of support given to U.S. producers. Most producers using virgin oils or tallow as feedstock also benefit from the $0.10 per gallon Small Agri-Biodiesel Producer Credit, as well as state-level subsidies (an additional $1.00 per gallon in Kentucky, for example), and various ad-hoc investment incentives provided by local and state governments. It all totals up, according to Doug Koplow ("Biofuels -- At What Cost? 2007 Update on the United States"), to between $2.10 and $2.60 per gallon. by Ron Steenblik at 4:12 AM on 22 Mar 2008 -- Listen to Jenny Goodspeed's startling new record today, here: http://www.jennygoodspeed.com ____________________________________________________________________________________ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs From sgsull at gmail.com Tue Mar 25 13:54:57 2008 From: sgsull at gmail.com (Garrett Sullivan) Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:54:57 -0600 Subject: [Sustainable-biodiesel] Sustainable-biodiesel Digest, Vol 7, Issue 1 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: SB forum, Is it possible to obtain the conference presentation is a power point format? Will all the speakers be submitting their presentations? Garrett Sullivan