Grist | Topics | 166 Results

RESULTS		Results 51 – 75 of 166
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Headline	Author	Published	Section
Ethanol and E. coli, part II Use of distiller grains in livestock rations has exploded	Tom Philpott	05 Dec 2007	Gristmill
Yesterday, I posted about how feeding cattle distillers grains -- the leftover from the corn-based ethanol process -- seems to raise the incidence of E. coli 0157. I was a bit vague on precisely how much of the stuff was making it into the livestock-feed supply. Thanks to the indefatigable Ray Wallace, I now know. The answer is: a boatload, and growing. Ray pointed me to an account of a letter sent by the National Corn Growers Association to the USDA. In it, NCGA ...
Topics: agriculture, biofuels, energy, ethanol, waste (all these topics)

Maybe not such a great idea after all? Feeding ethanol waste to cows	Tom Philpott	04 Dec 2007	Gristmill
Perhaps the most persistent debate around corn ethanol involves its 'net energy balance' -- that is, whether it consumes more energy in production than it delivers as a fuel. Even the studies that credit the fuel with a robust energy balance, like this one from the USDA, acknowledge that it's pretty much a wash unless you account for the "co-product" of the ethanol-making process. The ethanol process consumes only the starch component of corn, leaving behi ...
Topics: agriculture, biofuels, energy, ethanol, food, waste (all these topics)

Gristmill community chastised! The global nature of global warming	biodiversivist	02 Dec 2007	Gristmill
This is my formal rebuttal to Brooke Coleman (director of the Renewable Energy Action Project), specifically to comments found in Tom Philpott's latest corn ethanol article. I'm using my access to the bully pulpit to pull it out of comments, like I did the last time a corn ethanol enthusiast joined the discussion. Welcome to the best environmental blog on the planet, Brooke. You don't seem to have a very high opinion of this community, but maybe you'll warm up t ...
Topics: agriculture, biofuels, climate, energy, ethanol, oil (all these topics)

Will the energy bill bail out ethanol? The corn industry hopes Congress will pull its fat out of the fire	Tom Philpott	28 Nov 2007	Gristmill
I used to love to start my writing day by taking a poke or two at the corn-based ethanol industry -- you know, the biggest greenwash ever. Photo: mrobenalt These days, the debunking of corn fuel almost seems like it's piling on. Today, two major newspapers -- the LA Times and The Wall Street Journal -- ran front-page stories that essentially say: everyone hates government support for corn-based ethanol, except for people with a direct financial (or polit ...
Topics: ag policy, ag subsidies, agriculture, biofuels, energy, ethanol, politics (all these topics)

French connections Is it something in the air?	Ron Steenblik	20 Nov 2007	Gristmill
Interesting things are happening in the francophone world. Last week I reported that the Quebec government had decided to stop supporting any new ethanol plants based on corn as a feedstock. Now the French government, perhaps flowing out of its broad social dialogue on the environment (known as 'Le Grenelle fran�ais de l'environnement'), is reported to be thinking of slashing subsidies benefiting the production of ethanol in the country. Ooh la la, what in the world ...
Topics: biofuels, cars, energy, ethanol, France (all these topics)

They Were Cobbed Busting ethanol market bad news for investors		19 Nov 2007	News
Posted at 11:02 AM on 19 Nov 2007 The U.S. ethanol boom has been brought up short by market glut, making corn-based fuel "2007's worst energy investment," a Bloomberg News Service article declared today. President Bush made ethanol a centerpiece of his energy plan and lavished it with subsidies; ethanol distilleries that went up quickly in anticipation are now having to shut down. Producer Pacific Ethanol Inc., backed by Mi ...
Topics: Big Ag, biofuels, business, energy, ethanol, news (all these topics)

Notable quotable	David Roberts	15 Nov 2007	Gristmill
'It certainly appeared a year ago that we were going to have a national push on ethanol, and we wanted to have the vehicles ready. But we always knew that food-based ethanol would not be the answer. The shift to cellulosic ethanol has been slower than we were led to believe. If we don't end up with cellulosic ethanol quickly, we are going to hit the wall on ethanol.' -- William Clay Ford, Jr., chairman of Ford Motor Co.
Topics: biofuels, cellulosic ethanol, energy, ethanol, quotables (all these topics)

Not Behind My Farm Farm Belt residents not gung-ho about ethanol plants		13 Nov 2007	News
Posted at 1:53 PM on 13 Nov 2007 One might expect that ethanol plants would be unconditionally embraced in the farm belt, but farm families are not immune to NIMBY-ism. When plans for an ethanol distillery were announced for the outskirts of Sparta, Wis., residents concerned about emissions, odor, and, yes, the view, printed up T-shirts: "Good idea. Bad location." Residents of New Castle, Ind., are also lobbying a ...
Topics: energy, ethanol, grassroots activism, news (all these topics)

Independent Qu�bec Backing away from corn ethanol	Ron Steenblik	13 Nov 2007	Gristmill
The big news north of the (U.S.) border is that Qu�bec's government has decided that there is no future in corn ethanol. As explained in an article posted on Canada's Cyberpresse website, back in May 2005 Qu�bec's then Minister for Agriculture, Yvon Valli�res, gave a green light, 'for obvious economic and ecological reasons,' to the construction of the first plant to manufacture ethanol from corn kernels, in the town of Varennes. However, during an emission o ...
Topics: biofuels, energy, ethanol, politics, Quebec (all these topics)

Toxic optimists vs. plaid shirts Delusional Beltway optimism about energy	Michael Tobis	12 Nov 2007	Gristmill
A couple of weeks ago, I attended a seminar hosted by several departments at the University of Texas on the topic of 'peak oil.' The occasion was the visit of David Sundalow of the Brookings Institution, who is hawking his new book Freedom from Oil. This was mutually convenient for him and the university, which is trying to carve out a position as an optimistic, rolled-up-sleeves, can-do problem-solver in the fields of energy and water. I have no objection to that ...
Topics: biofuels, ethanol, hybrids, cars, books, energy, climate (all these topics)

Masters of their domain Politicians and the art of deception	biodiversivist	08 Nov 2007	Gristmill
Compare this video (posted by David) of Hillary squirming while she tells a whopper with the video below of McCain being brutally honest (via a comment by greyflcn in same post). Refreshing. We human beings are masters of deception, and of detection of said deception -- the result of an evolutionary arms race: Update: I didn't realize that this is old footage before his flip flop. Update: Compare his demeanor in the above clip to his demeanor in the clip b ...
Topics: biofuels, elections, energy, ethanol, John McCain, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics)

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)

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)

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)

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)

Take Your Chertoff Federal officials claim ethanol, border fence green as can be		02 Oct 2007	News
Posted at 2:11 PM on 02 Oct 2007 Well, phew. Ethanol's not to blame for high food prices and a fence on the U.S.-Mexico border will actually benefit the environment. If we can't believe the top federal farm official and the top federal security official, whom can we believe? From the Archives McCormick and Quits. President of Nature Conservancy resigns. Happy Decouple. States adopt decoupl ...
Topics: agriculture, Department of Agriculture, Department of Homeland Security, energy, ethanol, food, lying liars, national security, news (all these topics)

Welcome to the Fuel World U.S. ethanol boom slowing due to market glut		01 Oct 2007	News
Posted at 6:16 AM on 01 Oct 2007 The ethanol boom in the United States, the political darling of presidential candidates, farm-state lawmakers, and others, has recently been showing signs of slowing due to a market glut that's exacerbated by infrastructure troubles. It seems everyone and their farmer have been constructing ethanol refineries to turn corn into fuel, but the means to get that fuel to gas stations hasn't been k ...
Topics: agriculture, ethanol, news, United States (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)

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)

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)

Regular oil cleaner than ethanol Saving and restoring forests better for climate than switching to biofuels	Glenn Hurowitz	20 Aug 2007	Gristmill
A new study in the journal Science ($ub req'd) validates what many have been saying here in Gristmill: Biofuels, especially those from the tropics, are far worse for the planet than regular old crude oil. The study finds that we could reduce global warming pollution two to nine times more by conserving or restoring forests and grasslands than by razing them and turning them into biofuels plantations -- even if we continue to use fossil fuels as our main source o ...
Topics: biofuels, climate, deforestation, energy, ethanol, greenhouse-gas emissions, oil, rainforests (all these topics)

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