December 28, 2009
The new greenhouse gas reporting requirements set by the U.S. EPA are scheduled to begin next week, but there appears to still be some confusion as to ethanol's participation in the program. As late as last week, I received inquiries from ethanol-related companies concerning the specifics of the reporting rule.
December 21, 2009
Is it just me, or has this year gone by too quickly? It seems that every conversation at this time of year will inevitably include a similar sentiment as people reflect on all that has happened throughout the course of the year. For many of us, the holiday season offers a chance to say "goodbye, and good riddance" to 2009. It's been a difficult year for everyone, but the good news is: we made it! And conditions are primed to improve in 2010.
December 14, 2009
A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I, with our two small children in tow, made the annual pilgrimage from our home in North Dakota to visit his family in Napa, Calif. For our travels, I took along the recently released book, "Power Trip - From Oil Wells to Solar Cells—Our Ride to the Renewable Future" by Amanda Little. Written to provide an entertaining yet educational look at the power/fuel struggles facing the U.S., Little offers an historical perspective of oil use and how the U.S. came to become the world's predominant oil-producing nation, followed by the Middle East's overtaking of global oil production and the subsequent alternatives being explored by the U.S. to wean the nation off of oil. It's a review for those of us in the renewable fuels industry, but entertaining nonetheless.
Representatives of the ethanol industry often list an increase of domestic jobs as one of the many reasons why ethanol production would benefit the United States. While these jobs are often thought to be new jobs, ethanol could also play a significant role in replenishing jobs that have been lost in other industries.
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