Biodiesel News Blog @newzblogz.com

DECATUR - Demand for biodiesel is on the rise, but an American Soybean Association executive says efforts should be made to protect farmers and consumers from unproven sources of alternative fuels.Dwain Ford, chairman of the association and a producer from Kinmundy, told attendees at the Macon County Farm Agriculture Day breakfast Wednesday at Richland Community College that the association supports creating a renewable fuel standard.Such a standard would protect against fuels that are called bi...

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WILLMAR ? A new policy will require Kandiyohi County vehicles to use a 20 percent blend of biodiesel fuel.

Using biodiesel, which is made primarily from soybeans, will benefit the environment and county farmers who raise 5 million bushels of soybeans, said Bruce Ruess, a member of the agribusiness and renewable energy committee that?s part of the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission.

Using biodiesel will also help the county meet its goal of using 20 percent renewable energy by the year 2020.

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Fuel for the future. Weaning ourselves away from oil. Cause for the nation's farmers to keep on growing.

Regardless of the argument for more production and consumption of alternative fuel and energy, there's movement afoot to bring Ashland into the fold.

One company is hoping to secure enough land to eventually sustain a crushing and refining plant for biodiesel and a consortium of companies and individuals are exploring the possibility of a biomass energy facility in the city's industrial park.

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EDWARDSVILLE - The Madison County Board voted Wednesday to expand the Southwestern Madison County Enterprise Zone to include three alternative fuel plants.

Two of the proposed plants would be in the industrial transportation park at the Tri-City Regional Port District in Granite City.

"There are three proposed plants," said Bob Wydra, executive director of the district. "One of them, a biodiesel, is already in an enterprise zone and has been for some time. The other two were not. They were on the edge of an enterprise zone."

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When Gov. Jim Doyle revealed his 2007-09 biennual budget, it kicked off one of the best times for government writers - budget analysis time.

What is hidden in the hundreds of pages of technical, bureaucratic jargon that will effect your tax bill, fees paid by businesses and possibly change public policies of our state?

And will the taxpayer, the ultimate payer of the bill, have a part in the budget process?

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The senior vice president and chief financial officer of Frontier Airlines said Wednesday the low-cost carrier is looking into ways to combat high fuel prices.

Canton native Paul Tate assured a Canton Forum audience that rising fuel costs will not be passed to customers.

Tate spoke in downtown Canton on whether oil-affected industries should surrender to high energy prices or fight back.

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Lawmakers lay out ambitious plan to fund renewable energy

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DENVER ? State lawmakers laid out an ambitious plan Wednesday to fund renewable energy development through a new Clean Energy Development Authority with the power to issue bonds.

"We'd love to see this become the Silicon Valley of renewable energy," said Lawrence Murphy, manager of enterprise development programs for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden. Murphy said 20 other states want the same projects and warned that Colorado needs to move fast if it wants to be a player.

The Senate State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee approved the plan (House Bill 1150) and sent it to the full Senate for debate.

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Sierra VistaThe Greater Sierra Vista Area Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for its “Business of the Year” award. The award recognizes businesses that are members of the chamber which demonstrate exemplary business practices and provide outstanding service to the community. Chamber members should have received nomination forms via e-mail. The deadline for nominations is Friday. Submit nominations by e-mail to membership3@sierravistachamber.org, by mail to 21 E. Wilcox Drive, Sierra Vista AZ 85635 or fax to 452-0878.

It’s not too late to register to exhibit your cultural heritage at the Sierra Vista Diversity Fair. The fair, in its second year, is dubbed Greet Yourself, Sierra Vista! and is an opportunity to not only meet people from the many cultures that make our city so vibrant, but also an opportunity to ask questions and learn about the cultures. Exhibitors from the Republic of South Korea, the Philippines, Croatia, Ireland and Japan have already signed up. It is not too late to add your country o...

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A Hawbaker facility has been a benefit to a community near Williasmport, but its different from the proposed Barkeyville plant.

In an attempt to abate criticism of the proposed Hawbaker asphalt plant in the Barkeyville Industrial Complex, local economic development leader Randy Seitz has sought testimony from a township manager in Lycoming County, where a Hawbaker asphalt facility has been operating since 2000.

Bill Burdett of Loyalsock Township, a suburb of Williamsport, said the Hawbaker facility has been a considerable benefit to the township of 10,800 residents.

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Soil scientist Gary Ba?uelos evaluates canola plants grown for cleaning selenium-rich soils. In studies on livestock, he is testing the potential use of high-selenium canola forage as feed. (USDA photo by Hanna Castle)

?  Could become profitable crop in Central Valley

?  'A huge buzz in the bioenergy area' about canola

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Resident sent to hospital with 'substantial' burns

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Photo Gallery

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CLAYCOMO, Mo. President Bush, driven to get his energy plan going, said Tuesday that Congress should approve his ideas before the peak travel season hits this summer.

That would be a good sign that we recognize that weve got a problem here in America, and we aim to solve it together, Bush said at a Ford Motor Co. assembly plant outside Kansas City.

The Democratic-led Congress shares the goals of reducing reliance on foreign oil, raising fuel efficiency and minimizing emissions that contribute to global warming. But lawmakers have their own ideas about how to do it, with some suggesting Bushs plan lacks teeth and urgency.

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Claycomo, Mo. ?- President Bush, driven to get his energy plan going, said Tuesday that Congress should approve it before the peak travel season hits this summer.

"That would be a good sign that we recognize that we've got a problem here in America, and we aim to solve it together," Bush said at a Ford Motor Co. assembly plant outside Kansas City.

The Democratic-led Congress shares the goals of reducing reliance on foreign oil, raising fuel efficiency and minimizing emissions that contribute to global warming. But lawmakers have their own ideas about how to do it, with some suggesting Bush's plan lacks teeth and urgency.

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Liskey family found ways to profit from geothermal water

Mateusz Perkowski

Capital Press Staff Writer

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Talk to the experts and this much quickly becomes clear: There is no status quo when it comes to Michigan and electricity. Things are changing, no matter what.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm talked about the issue in this year's state of the state address. The Michigan Legislature will soon debate the merits of at least two bills that would set minimum benchmarks for the amount of energy provided by renewable resources such as solar, biomass and wind energy.

And the group Environment Michigan recently released a provocative report that makes the case for pursuing an even more aggressive approach to mandating both the use of green power sources and conservation measures. The way activists see it, such a stepped-up approach makes sense on both environmental and economic grounds.

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The research, from a Middleton biotech company, could pump billions of dollars into the nation's soybean farms, which already are prolific suppliers of food products, livestock feed and soy oil used for biodiesel fuel.

"It's cutting-edge technology. There's nothing else like it," said Bob Karls, executive director of the Wisconsin Soybean Program.

Making ethanol from soybeans also could relieve some of the pressure on corn, the current most popular U.S. biofuel feedstock.

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GREENTOWN — “Will it bite us if we pet it?” Ethan MacLeod asks, as he reaches out to touch a chicken.

Behind him, some of his Western Intermediate School classmates are petting rabbits, digging their hands into the wool of a sheep and feeling the horn on a dairy goat, at the annual Howard County Ag Day, on the 4-H fairground.

In addition to the petting zoo, supplied by Western High School’s FFA, more than 500 students rotated through stations about ATV safety, Red Gold tomatoes, erosion, biodiesel fuel, soybeans, corn, beef, swine and farmer’s view.

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Thirty-percent of the nations energy portfolio will come from renewable energy by 2030, the executive director of the External Affairs National Renewable Energy Laboratory told the Denver City Club yesterday.

That goal falls right in line with the centerpiece of Gov. Bill Ritters agenda for developing Colorados New Energy Economy. Last week Ritter applauded the passage of House Bill 1281 that would double Colorados renewable energy portfolio to 20 percent by 2020.

Wind, solar, biodiesel technology

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* First-time writer: Respect the president, even if you disagree

* War supporters need to pony up

* Former mayor Gibbs seeks 1st Ward seat

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AGCO's SisuDiesel engines approved for biodiesel blends

Manufacturer approves using biofuel at rates up to 100 percent

DULUTH, Ga. - In an effort to improve emissions from farm machinery, AGCO Corp., a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment, has approved a broad range of biodiesel mixtures for its SisuDiesel engines.

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PLAINFIELD, Ind. Where could someone go to purchase barrels of biodiesel, travel certificates or even a meal with Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman?

On March 24, these items and many more will be part of the Indiana Agricultural Leadership Institutes annual benefit dinner and auction held at Primo West banquet facilities in Plainfield.

We have a whole range of items. From gift certificates and memorabilia type of things to gallons of biodiesel, travel certificates, a number of different gift baskets, Pacer tickets, getaway packages and more, said Beth Archer, Indiana Agricultural Leadership Institute executive director. Theres a little bit for everybody at every price range that they can support us at.

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The NW Ag Show schedule of events and NHC seminar schedule are available on line at www.nwagshow.com.

Expo Center will be loaded with attractions

Amy Patrick appointed assistant manager

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Colorado government and business leaders made a major announcement Monday about a venture called “C2B2” - which has no relationship to the robot R2-D2 from “Star Wars” but is futuristic in its own right.C2B2 is an acronym for the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels, a research venture that will bring state research institutions such as CU-Boulder and the private sector together in an effort to develop new biofuels and biorefining technologies - ...

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GUATEMALA CITY -- A pioneering, biodiesel-fueled powerboat trying to set a speed record for circling the globe collided with a fishing skiff off Guatemala's Pacific coast, leaving one fisherman missing and another seriously injured, the military said Monday.

The 78-foot trimaran's captain, Peter Bethune, said he dove into the water after the accident to try to rescue the fisherman who is now missing. "The crew is unhurt, but we are all very upset," he said.

Army spokesman Daniel Dominguez said authorities were looking for the fisherman, Julio David Galiano Contreras, 51.

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In a March 16 story about presidential candidate Christopher Dodd discussing subprime lending, The Associated Press misidentified the company that has said it would no longer buy subprime mortgages highly vulnerable to foreclosure. It is Freddie Mac, not Fannie Mae.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) - Republican presidential contender John McCain on Friday used the term "tar baby," considered by some a racial epithet, and later said he regretted it.

Answering questions at a town hall meeting, the Arizona senator was discussing federal involvement in custody cases when he said, "For me to stand here and ... say I'm going to declare divorces invalid because of someone who feels they weren't treated fairly in court, we are getting into a tar baby of enormous proportions and I don't know how you get out of that."

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DENVER - Researchers at Colorado State University will play an integral role as the state continues its push for more renewable energy innovation, Gov. Bill Ritter said Monday.

Joined by Democrats Sen. Ken Salazar and Reps. Mark Udall and Ed Perlmutter, Ritter announced the formation of the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels, dubbed C2B2, at a news conference at the Capitol.

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Could Be a Solid Bet as Textiles Market Spurs Demand

March 20, 2007; Page C1

Pity King Cotton.

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/* a {color: black; } */

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Colorados biofuels research coalition announced its first major project yesterday, a public-private partnership that will work to create new transportation fuels and other products from crops.

Gov. Bill Ritter said the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels, or C2B2, will create a partnership between businesses and the newly formed Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory.

The collaboratory is partnership with the federal National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Colorado School of Mines, the University of Colorado at Boulder and Colorado State University.

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DENVER ? A world-class bioenergy research center two University of Colorado assistant professors dreamed up a year ago was announced with fanfare on the Capitol steps Wednesday.

The Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels, or C2B2, is the first concrete initiative of the Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory, formed in February and including the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, the Colorado School of Mines and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden.

The C2B2 is a research venture aimed at harnessing research in bioufuels and biorefining technologies at the four Collaboratory institutions and transferring them quickly to the private sector. Eleven companies, including four of the nation?s largest industrial firms, have signed up.

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State Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Yablonsky, second from left, speaks with Rotarians Monday after offering remarks at the Acacia Club.

Business and home owners will be facing a train wreck if something isnt done soon about the rising cost of energy, state Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Yablonsky said Monday.

Federal deregulation of the electricity-generating industry, which could create substantial volatility in electricity prices, is one reason why a comprehensive energy plan is needed, Yablonsky said during a Williamsport Rotary Club luncheon at the Acacia Club.

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DENVER - Colorado’s biofuels research coalition announced its first major

project Monday, a public-private partnership to create new transportation fuels and other

products from crops.

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GUATEMALA CITY - A pioneering, biodiesel-fueled powerboat trying to set a speed record for circling the globe collided with a fishing skiff off Guatemala's Pacific coast, leaving one fisherman missing and another seriously injured, the military said Monday.

The 78-foot trimaran's captain, Peter Bethune, said he dove into the water after the accident to try to rescue the fisherman who is now missing. "The crew is unhurt, but we are all very upset," he told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

Army spokesman Daniel Dominguez said authorities were searching for the 51-year-old fisherman, Julio David Galiano Contreras.

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Blagojevich announced $270,000 in grants on March 14 to promote the

development of innovative farming practices that are profitable and

conserve natural resources. The grants, which are part of the

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GUATEMALA CITY A pioneering, biodiesel-fueled powerboat trying to set a speed record for circling the globe collided with a fishing skiff off Guatemala's Pacific coast, leaving one fisherman missing and another seriously injured, the Guatemalan military said today.

The needle-nosed trimaran with the name "Earthrace" painted on its hull was docked at a naval base in Puerto San Jose today. Earthrace spokeswoman Devann Yata told The Associated Press by telephone that the vessel was involved in the collision.

The four crewmembers, from the United States and New Zealand, were taken to a navy base for questioning, said army spokesman Daniel Dominguez.

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GUATEMALA --El Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) anunció el lunes que será "neutro en sus emisiones de carbono" y encaró por primera vez la resistencia abierta de Venezuela para el desarrollo del etanol como fuente energética alternativa.

Luis Alberto Moreno, presidente del BID, dijo que "los estimados de emisiones de carbono derivados de nuestras actividades serán compensados mediante la adquisición de créditos en la región, ya sean en energía renovable o en la reducción de deforestación".

En el plan entrarán las emisiones que se produzcan en su actual reunión de gobernadores en Guatemala, como parte de su política de promover una energía limpia y más fuentes energéticas.

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City Commissioner Randy Leonard stumps across Oregon to pump up Portland as a regional biodiesel hub.

Leonard says biodiesel can disconnect this liberal bastion from foreign oil, offering a green alternative that's good for Oregon farmers.

And Portland has competitive advantages for biofuel makers and politicians. Oregon has just one biodiesel plant, a small one in Salem, but 20 biodiesel or ethanol firms have poked around Portland for a site.

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Near a cluster of purple petunias in a Thousand Oaks greenhouse sprouts a key weapon in the nation?s ambitious push into biofuels.

The plants don?t look like much. They?re just tall, spiky shoots of prairie grass. But these stalks are souped-up samples of switch grass, part of an urgent drive toward a new kind of ethanol using plant fibers instead of corn kernels or sugar cane.

Ceres Inc., the biotechnology company nurturing this batch of switch grass, is betting that the plant has a big future as an energy crop. It?s a strong candidate because it can be grown year-round in poor soil, then harvested and converted to fuel ethanol without displacing traditional food crops.

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One of these days, someone will find a commercially practical method for turning forest slash and grass-seed straw into fuel. When that happens, Oregon must be poised to lead in the biofuels business.One key to that readiness lies with House Bill 2210, part of Gov. Ted Kulongoski's energy package. It would expand incentives for biofuel-production facilities and require that biodiesel and ethanol be added to fuels sold in Oregon when this state produces enough of them.Right now, this sounds almos...

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DENVER - Two regional lawmakers are very close to reaching a compromise with a

Denver lawmaker over their measure to help rural Colorado build new power lines.

Sen. Ken Kester, R-Las Animas, and Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, said they have been in

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The Auto Show in Minneapolis is over and a lot of car makers were selling their cars aimed at a new energy future.

As part of Project Energy, Don Shelby sat down with General Motors Director of Environment and Energy, Mary Beth Stanek to talk about what fuels our cars going green.

Shelby: Is morality part of the sell?

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STATELINE, Nev. - Mammoth Mountain urges its visitors to park their cars and take advantage of an extensive bus network. The Vail resorts, including nearby Heavenly at Lake Tahoe, run their lifts with wind power. In Colorado, the Sunshine Express high-speed quad at Steamboat operates on sunlight.

The ski industry is going green to help offset the pollution that feeds global warming -- a phenomenon that challenges the resorts' very existence with the threat of later snowfalls and earlier snow melts.

Fifty-five resorts in 14 states are buying renewable energy to offset part or all of their power needs, according to the National Ski Areas Association. Of these, 26 are operating 100 percent on green energy.

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STATELINE, Nev. -- Mammoth Mountain urges its visitors to park their cars and take advantage of an extensive bus network. The Vail resorts, including nearby Heavenly at Lake Tahoe, run their lifts with wind power. In Colorado, the Sunshine Express high-speed quad at Steamboat operates on sunlight.

The ski industry is going green to help offset the pollution that feeds global warming -- a phenomenon that challenges the resorts' very existence with the threat of later snowfalls and earlier snow melts.

Fifty-five resorts in 14 states are buying renewable energy to offset part or all of their power needs, according to the National Ski Areas Association. Of these, 26 are operating 100 percent on green energy.

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. Leaders of the United Soybean Board and soybean checkoff met recently to review the state of their industry and set funding priorities for the 2008 fiscal year.

USB directors from across the nation reviewed soybean checkoff programs, discussed strategic approaches for their programs and set funding levels to protect their investments well into the future.

Every checkoff dollar invested is done with forward thinking and its obvious that our board has been effective and efficient in the way we do business, said Eric Niemann, the USB chairman and a soybean farmer from Nortonville, Kan.

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Rapid changes in science and technology "came to roost on the farm," said Bill Rohrs, a retired Defiance County Ohio State University Extension agriculture agent.

"The wheel was invented in 3500 BC. We really didn't do much in the way of technology except in the last century. Someone who's about 80 years old probably saw it 'all.'

"I remember coming home telling my brothers I heard about this thing. It's like radio but it has a picture with it. They thought I was nuts."

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OAK RIDGE NORTH ? Chicken fat and a $3.5 million investment are behind a breakthrough in the way Texans heat, cool and light their homes and offices.

Using the slimy, light-colored tallow as the source for clean-burning biodiesel, Biofuels Power Corp. flipped the switch on three 2,000-horsepower diesel engines a couple of weeks ago, adding a bit more energy to the massive grid that powers much of the Lone Star State.

Privately held Biofuels Power and others in the renewable energy business say the plant is the first of its kind to produce power for sale on the open market using only biodiesel, a petroleum-free alternative fuel made from plant oils such as cottonseed and animal fat ? in this case, chicken fat.

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AUSTIN Democrat Chris Bell, the former Houston congressman who lost a bid for governor last year, will again roam the halls of Congress and the Texas Capitol, but not as a public official.

Bell, who filed the ethics complaint that started the chain of public misfortune for former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and made ethics reform part of his campaign against GOP Gov. Rick Perry, will lobby with the Washington, D.C.-based Patton Boggs firm.

His home remains in Houston but he'll travel to Washington and Austin as needed for the job, which starts today.) Bell, 47, already is registered as a lobbyist in Texas, where he has represented a biodiesel company.

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AUSTIN — Chris Bell, the former Democratic congressman who lost a bid for governor last year, will again roam the halls of Congress and the Texas Capitol — but not as a public official.

Bell, who filed the ethics complaint that started the chain of public misfortune for former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Republican, and made ethics reform part of his campaign against GOP Gov. Rick Perry, will lobby with the Washington, D.C.-based Patton Boggs firm.

His home remains in Houston, but he'll travel to Washington and Austin as needed for the job, which starts today.

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Elie Makad isn't the only local business person who wants to capitalize on the growing interest in alternative fuel sources.

Besides Makad's proposed ethanol plant in Longview, competing plants are planned for Boardman in northeast Oregon and Clatskanie in northwest Oregon, and at Great Western Malting's site at the Port of Vancouver.

Seattle investors and the Port of Grays Harbor are also working to build a biodiesel plant near Aberdeen on Washington's coast.

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TALLAHASSEE ? Budgets may be tight but that isn?t stopping lawmakers from pushing tax breaks.

Despite a nearly $1 billion cut on estimated revenues over the next 18 months and talk of reducing local tax revenues by nearly $6 billion by rolling back property taxes, state lawmakers are nonetheless looking for ways to cut taxes more by targeting particular groups.

For example, lawmakers want to make it cheaper for individuals to own planes. A pair of measures calls for eliminating the sales tax for owners of aircraft. It?s called fractional ownership, a fancy phrase used to describe a group of people who pool their money and purchase a plane to be used by all. Think of it as a timeshare in the air.

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When San Francisco adopted Chicago as a mentor of urban green stewardship

last year, it confirmed how much these two great American cities had outgrown

their traditional images.

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In response to ?E85 a loser for reduced miles/gallon,? a March 4 Forum opinion piece written by two North Dakota State University plant professors, Jack F. Carter and John D. Nalewaja:

Like many critics of cleaner burning E85, Carter and Nalewaja have exaggerated the difference in miles per gallon a flexible fuel vehicle can achieve on E85 rather than gasoline. While this difference varies widely from vehicle to vehicle and with driving habits, road conditions and other variables, when fueled by E85 most FFVs will have a 16 to 20 percent lower fuel economy. They also missed the point that E85 is typically priced 20 to 50 cents per gallon less than gasoline in our region. In th...

The fact that ethanol has lower energy density (measured in British Thermal Units or BTUs) than gasoline is a scientific fact. Likewise, diesel fuel contains more BTUs than gasoline; gasoline contains more than propane ... so forth and so on. Carter and Nalewaja blurred the lines of accuracy several times. First, they compared the energy content of neat ethanol against gasoline. Neat or 100 percent ethanol is not sold as fuel. The blend sold here and at more than 1,100 stations nationwide is E85, a blend of

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STATELINE, Nev. - Mammoth Mountain urges its visitors to park their cars and take advantage of an extensive bus network. The Vail resorts, including nearby Heavenly at Lake Tahoe, run their lifts with wind power. In Colorado, the Sunshine Express high-speed quad at Steamboat operates on sunlight.

The ski industry is going green to help offset the pollution that feeds global warming - a phenomenon that challenges the resorts' very existence with the threat of later snowfalls and earlier snow melts.

Fifty-five resorts in 14 states are buying renewable energy to offset part or all of their power needs, according to the National Ski Areas Association. Of these, 26 are operating 100 percent on green energy.

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OAK RIDGE NORTH, Texas -- Chicken fat and a $3.5 million investment are behind a breakthrough in the way Texans heat, cool and light their homes and offices.

Using the slimy, light-colored tallow as the source for clean-burning biodiesel, Biofuels Power Corp. flipped the switch on three, 2,000-horsepower diesel engines a couple of weeks ago, adding a bit more energy to the massive grid that powers much of the Lone Star State.

Privately held Biofuels Power and others in the renewable energy business say the plant is the first of its kind to produce power for sale on the open market using only biodiesel, a petroleum-free alternative fuel made from plant oils like cotton seed and animal fat -- in this case, chicken fat.

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OAK RIDGE NORTH, Texas -- Chicken fat and a $3.5 million investment are behind a breakthrough in the way Texans heat, cool and light their homes andoffices.

Using the slimy, light-colored tallow as the source for clean-burning biodiesel, Biofuels Power Corp. flipped the switch on three, 2,000-horsepower diesel engines a couple of we