Grist | Topics | 267 Results

RESULTS		Results 101 – 125 of 267
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Headline	Author	Published	Section
WTF happened to a 'new direction'? Obama condemns mining reform package as too hard on the mining industry	David Roberts	08 Nov 2007	Gristmill
Barack Obama is ticking me off. First he opportunistically attacks Clinton for not being enthusiastic enough in her support for corn ethanol -- which he knows perfectly well is an environmental dead end. Then ... this: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said he does not support mining reform legislation that recently passed the House of Representatives and would work to find a compromise that is more friendly to the mining industry. 'T ...
Topics: Barack Obama, biofuels, elections, energy, ethanol, mining, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics)

Who are you calling sensible, punk? Hillary Clinton struggles to explain away her previous opposition to corn ethanol	David Roberts	07 Nov 2007	Gristmill
Over the years, Hillary Clinton has voted against subsidies and mandates for corn ethanol in the Senate a number of times. If you know anything about corn ethanol, you know that's a good thing. When Clinton released her (otherwise excellent) energy plan this week, it contained a whole boatload of ... subsidies and mandates for corn ethanol. That is, conversely, a bad thing. Obama's campaign took the opportunity to bash Clinton for it -- not for switching from a sensi ...
Topics: biofuels, elections, energy, ethanol, Hillary Clinton, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics)

Monbiot lays it on the line Politicians here and abroad are refusing to listen to arguments against biofuels	biodiversivist	07 Nov 2007	Gristmill
Gristmill reader KO has directed me to George Monbiot's latest article in the Guardian. You folks out there with 'biodiesel / no war for oil' stickers are accused of perpetuating a crime against humanity. The article is a (concise and articulate) compilation of my most recent rants against biofuels. Some money quotes: ... the superior purchasing power of drivers in the rich world means that they will snatch food from people's mouths. Run your car on virgin biofuel, ...
Topics: biofuels, energy (all these topics)

Clinton's climate and energy plan Some reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of Hillary's new proposal	David Roberts	05 Nov 2007	Gristmill
Efficiency and permit auctions and R&D, oh my! Hillary Clinton released her comprehensive energy and climate plan today. It is thoughtful, comprehensive, and though disappointingly conventional in a few areas, inspiringly bold in others. With the release of Clinton's plan, all three Democratic frontrunners for the presidency now have visionary, far-reaching energy plans that would fundamentally reorient the country away from carbon-intensive energy ...
Topics: biofuels, business, carbon trading, climate, climate equity, coal, elections, energy, energy efficiency, Hillary Clinton, politics, presidential race 08, public transportation (all these topics)

'Mideast Oil Forever?': Part III Abandoning the solution	Joseph Romm	04 Nov 2007	Gristmill
After the introduction and an explanation of 'The Coming Oil Crisis,' the next part of 'MidEast Oil Forever?' (subs. req'd) begins the discussion of the technology-based solution -- and how the Congress is working to block it. Yes, long before Shellenberger & Nordhaus claim to have pioneered the positive technology message that everyone else supposedly never tried, many of us were waging a public death-match (without their help) to save those technologies -- espe ...
Topics: biofuels, cars, energy, fuel efficiency, hydrogen, oil (all these topics)

High crop prices, more chemicals All hail the biofuel boom	Tom Philpott	01 Nov 2007	Gristmill
A UN official recently declared biofuels a "crime against humanity," because they leach agricultural resources from feeding people and direct them to feeding cars. But one man's crime is another's boon. Surging biofuel use encourages farmers to maximize yield over all other considerations -- and they do so by lashing the earth with all manner of chemicals. That's why shareholders in agrochemical companies are celebrating the explosive growth of biofuel ...
Topics: industrial ag, energy, biofuels, business, agriculture (all these topics)

Get your industrial agrodiesel here Profit motive is eating the planet	biodiversivist	18 Oct 2007	Gristmill
The opening of the Propel Biofuels public pump was a smallish affair. The crowd of about thirty people appeared to consist mostly of investors, public relations personnel, some alternative energy enthusiasts, lots of press, and at least one lawyer. Because of the twelve-hour notice, and because it was in the middle of the week, only two protesters made it. There is going to be a bigger protest this Saturday (October 20), same place, same time (high noon, at the p ...
Topics: biofuels, energy, grassroots activism, local politics, politics, Seattle (all these topics)

Kill King Corn Nature on ethanol	David Roberts	16 Oct 2007	Gristmill
The editors at Nature discover that corn ethanol sucks:Biofuels are unlikely ever to be more than bit-players in the great task of weaning civilization from Earth's coal-mine and oil-well teats. But they may yet have valuable niches -- including some that allow them to serve some of the world's poor, both as fuels for their own use and as exports. Provided, that is, that someone kills king corn.
Topics: biofuels, energy, ethanol (all these topics)

Free e-book on biofuels and water	JMG	16 Oct 2007	Gristmill
I know -- let's use all our food and drinking water to make SUV fuel!
Topics: biofuels, books, energy (all these topics)

We'll Worry About This Later Boosting crops for fuel will hurt water supplies, says report		10 Oct 2007	News
Posted at 3:02 PM on 10 Oct 2007 Increased production of corn and other crops to fulfill America's biofuel gluttony could threaten both availability and quality of water supplies, according to a report released today by the National Research Council. Fulfilling President Bush's stated goal of producing 35 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2017 "would mean a lot more fertilizers and pesticides&quo ...
Topics: agriculture, biofuels, energy, ethanol, news, scientific research, water conflicts, water pollution (all these topics)

A slew of new reports on biofuel subsidies Evaluating U.S. and EU policies	Ron Steenblik	10 Oct 2007	Gristmill
The last couple of months I've been busy preparing two major reports on government support for biofuels, both for the Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). These reports follow on from our October 2006 report on support for biofuels in the United States, which we commissioned from Doug Koplow of Earth Track, and which has been cited numerous times on these pages. Last month, we issued what we call our ...
Topics: ag subsidies, agriculture, biofuels, energy (all these topics)

He's even lazy about pandering Fred Thompson half-heartedly justifies flip-flop on ethanol	David Roberts	05 Oct 2007	Gristmill
Ol' Fred Thompson has decided that ethanol's great after all, even though he voted against subsidies as an allegedly-small-government conservative in the Senate. Why, Fred? We know it can't be a craven pander to Iowa voters, so what's the explanation? 'I have voted against subsidies in the Senate,' said Thompson. 'But I think it's a matter now of national security and we've got to avail ourselves of a lot of different resources, and I think renewable has to be a par ...
Topics: biofuels, elections, energy, ethanol, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics)

The 'Exxon of corn' licks its chops Archer Daniels Midland sees glut as opportunity to consolidate the ethanol market	Tom Philpott	03 Oct 2007	Gristmill
Over the past year, ethanol production has exploded -- surpassing even the dramatically higher "alternative fuel requirement" in last year's energy bill. And now we have a glut of ethanol on the market, which has pushed prices down dramatically and caused many ethanol plants -- particularly independent farmer-owned ones -- to struggle. But Archer Daniels Midland, hailed on Wall Street as the Exxon of corn, is seeing the downturn in ethanol prices as an ...
Topics: agriculture, biofuels, business, energy, ethanol (all these topics)

Live green, go yellow U.S. conservation land may soon end up in your gas tank	David Roberts	27 Sep 2007	Gristmill
Well isn't this delightful (sub rqd): The Agriculture Department may allow farmers to plow up land in conservation agreements to plant row crops, despite a record corn crop this year, fueled by the ethanol industry's thirst for the feedstock. Acting Secretary Chuck Conner told reporters this week that USDA is considering releasing some land currently enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, which pays farmers to idle nearly 34 million acres of land for wildl ...
Topics: agriculture, biofuels, energy, ethanol (all these topics)

Biofuel: Is it a greenhouse gas, gas, gas? New study claims ethanol and biodiesel may actually boost GHG emissions	Tom Philpott	25 Sep 2007	Gristmill
Update [2007-9-25 15:12:2 by Tom Philpott]:In the 24-hour lag time between finishing this piece and its posting, I had an email exchange with Keith Smith of the University of Edinburgh, one of the authors of the study discussed below. I've modified the post to add information I got from Smith. By all accounts, biofuels deliver startlingly modest reductions in greenhouse gases. In a relatively generous assessment of the environmental benefits of ethanol and biodiesel ...
Topics: biofuels, climate, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics)

Dirty hippies at it again Another agrofuel protest hits City Hall	biodiversivist	21 Sep 2007	Gristmill
Candace Heckman, writing for the Seattle P-I Big Blog, put up a brief post about the protest yesterday by Duff Badgley and his rag-tag group against local biodiesel-refiner Imperium Renewables. Imperium is getting downright defensive: Imperium spokesman John Williams said this afternoon that the company is actively looking at 'feedstocks' other than palm oil, and that for the next year-and-a-half, the City of Seattle would not be buying biodiesel made from palm. ...
Topics: biofuels, business, energy, Seattle (all these topics)

Like hearing a Rolling Stones number during a chastity belt ad New book praising biofuels has an unexpected author	JMG	20 Sep 2007	Gristmill
There are combinations that are just too weird: chocolate cake and grape juice (to steal from an old Dick Van Dyke show), or hearing the Rolling Stones' music used to market chastity belts and abstinence pledges. Or like seeing the Worldwatch Institute's name on a book praising biofuels ... the very fuels Les Brown, WWI's founder, is crusading against. The gist of the book seems to be, 'We need a completely different kind of biofuels than we have or are likely to ever see, bu ...
Topics: biofuels, books, energy (all these topics)

On the Ball: Wild ride Freelance writer embarks on biodiesel tour of sporting events	Sarah K. Burkhalter	14 Sep 2007	Gristmill
Freelance sports writer Joe Connor is embarking this fall on a four-month-long Green Power Sports Tour (holy neon website!), visiting more than 100 football, hockey, and basketball venues -- in a biodiesel car, natch. Hey ladies ... he's self-described 'very, very single' ...
Topics: biofuels, cars, energy, fuel efficiency, sports (all these topics)

The lash is back Stratfor analysis of the backlash against ethanol	David Roberts	13 Sep 2007	Gristmill
Stratfor's Bart Mongoven on why the growing negative buzz around ethanol is having limited political effect:... the backlash against biofuels is in full swing. The critics, however, are running head on into the powerful agricultural lobbies in the United States and Europe that so successfully championed the issue in the first place. These advocates say that ethanol, biodiesel and other nonpetroleum-based transportation fuels reduce pollution, help fight climate change ...
Topics: biofuels, energy, ethanol, politics (all these topics)

The USDA goes all lukewarm on cellulosic ethanol In related news, the '07 corn harvest will break records	Tom Philpott	13 Sep 2007	Gristmill
For decades now, the USDA has been dumping cash into cellulosic ethanol research (most recently through a joint venture with the DOE). So the USDA's analysts should know something about the prospects for mass production of cellulosic ethanol, hailed by its boosters as a panacea that can wean us not only from oil, but also from corn as an ethanol feedstock. So what's the latest from USDA analysts on this miracle fuel? From a report released last week: Althou ...
Topics: agriculture, biofuels, cellulosic ethanol, Department of Agriculture, energy, ethanol (all these topics)

'OECD warns against biofuels subsidies' Biofuels subsidies will only lead to increased food costs and habitat destruction	Jason D Scorse	11 Sep 2007	Gristmill
This, courtesy of the Financial Times, is a welcome development. Hopefully, the Doha Round of the GATT will get restarted, and this can be addressed in addition to the more general discussion of agricultural subsidies.
Topics: ag subsidies, agriculture, biofuels, energy, food, habitat loss (all these topics)

Notable quotable	David Roberts	07 Sep 2007	Gristmill
From a Washington Post article about the transcendent potential of switchgrass: But such efforts [to persuade farmers to grow switchgrass] have hit a snag: Scientists haven't perfected the process that turns switchgrass into ethanol. So for today, the Crop That Could Change Virginia is just hay with better publicity.
Topics: biofuels, energy, ethanol, quotables (all these topics)

Poplar mechanics A closer look at producing ethanol from poplar trees	Clark Williams-Derry	06 Sep 2007	Gristmill
Oregon Public Broadcasting is reporting on the efforts of a WSU researcher to turn poplar trees into transportation fuel: [P]oplars [are] an on demand fuel source. Trees can be chopped down year round, chipped up and then fermented to create ethanol. According to the researcher, an acre of poplars could supply about one thousand gallons of ethanol per year -- which is about three times the per-acre yield of corn ethanol, with a lot less plowing and ferti ...
Topics: biofuels, energy, ethanol (all these topics)

Industrial agrodiesel 'Biodiesel' is looking worse and worse	biodiversivist	26 Aug 2007	Gristmill
An example of a long-lived and wildly successful marketing scheme is the station wagon with oversize tires and a four-wheel drive transmission, repackaged as the Sport Utility Vehicle. The only significant difference between these and the cars our parents drove is the mental image planted in our heads by marketing. And the real beauty is that you get to pick from two images: People envy you for having enough disposable income and leisure time to use your car ...
Topics: biofuels, energy (all these topics)

Big Ethanol Economists say that only the largest ethanol producers will survive	Tom Philpott	21 Aug 2007	Gristmill
Of all the arguments in favor of government backing for corn-based ethanol, only one seems even remotely reasonable to me: that it could lead to real economic development in depressed areas of the Midwest. The theory goes like this: When farmers pool resources and build their own ethanol plants, they'll capture much higher profits than by merely selling corn to big buyers like ADM and Cargill. According to an article in today's Wisconsin State Journal, that ratio ...
Topics: agriculture, biofuels, business, energy, industrial ag (all these topics)

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