A bill that would establish a set of production incentives for commercial deployment of advanced biofuels, renewable chemicals and biomass heat was heard and passed out of two committees in the Minnesota legislatures on February 18th. HF 536/SF 517 is a legislative proposal supported by the Bioeconomy Coalition of Minnesota, which Great Plains Institute facilities and coordinates. Continue reading »
Developing Pathways for a Sustainable Biomass Supply
January 6, 2015 in Transportation & Fuels Authors: Amanda Bilek, Brendan Jordan
The sustainability of biomass supplies for energy and fuel production has been a topic of ongoing discussion for decades. The completion and commissioning of commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol facilities in 2014 is giving this discussion a renewed sense of urgency. 2014 was the year that cellulosic ethanol moved from something that was five years away to reality due to the commissioning of commercial-scale facilities. Continue reading »
Cellulosic ethanol from corn residue worse than Gasoline? NOT…SO…FAST…
April 22, 2014 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Brendan Jordan
A new academic paper on biofuels was released this week, and some media outlets have reached sweeping conclusions. “Fuels from corn waste not better than gas,” claimed the AP. The Daily Caller one-upped them with “Study: Corn Ethanol is Nature’s Enemy”. A careful reading of the paper doesn’t in any way support these conclusions. Continue reading »
Bioeconomy Bill Introduced in the Minnesota Legislature
March 5, 2014 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Brendan Jordan
Senator Tom Saxhaug, and Representative Jeanne Poppe have introduced a bill in the Minnesota legislature to help establish an advanced biofuel and renewable chemicals industry in Minnesota. The Bioeconomy Coalition of Minnesota, a multi-stakeholder partnership, is strongly supportive and will be working closely with Sen. Saxhaug and Rep. Poppe to advance the bill during the 2014 legislative session.