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July 25, 2008 1:35:20 PM CDT

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Stories related to: ethanol

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Stories 1 - 20 of 43

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  • July 2008

    • Gas From Garbage Finally Gets Momentum

      newser  |  New York Times  |  Jul 24, 08 9:18 AM CDT

      Gas From Garbage Finally Gets Momentum

      After decades of dreaming, schemes to turn waste into fuel are finally getting traction in the US, with some 28 plants in the works and a handful even up and running, the New York Times reports. They consume everything from wood chips to garbage, as once-prohibitively expensive processes become competitive with $4-a-gallon gasoline. “American innovation is going to come up with the solution,” one researcher tells the Times. More »

      Tags

      biofuel  • ethanol  • energy dependence  • alternative fuels  • algae biofuel

    • Corn-Hungry Texas Calls for Cuts in Biofuel Mandates

      newser  |  New York Times  |  Jul 23, 08 2:32 AM CDT

      Corn-Hungry Texas Calls for Cuts in Biofuel Mandates

      The EPA is considering a proposal from the governor of Texas to slash the amount of ethanol that oil companies are required to blend into gasoline to meet quotas, the New York Times reports. Gov. Rick Perry is calling for the EPA to cut the ethanol mandate in half, from 9 billion to 4.5 billion gallons, arguing that billions of bushels of corn should be used to feed livestock instead. More »

      Tags

      gas prices  • biofuel  • Environmental Protection Agency  • ethanol  • corn  • oil companies  • livestock

    • Gas Crunch Steers Soaring Hybrid Sales

      newser  |  Wired  |  Jul 17, 08 10:45 AM CDT

      Gas Crunch Steers Soaring Hybrid Sales

      Sales of hybrid cars could soar to 2 million a year by 2013 as higher gas prices and concerns about global warming spark surging interest in fuel efficient vehicles, Wired reports. Well over half—62%—of new car buyers are already considering a hybrid, according to a recent survey. Consumers who aren't satisfied with the current hybrid options will have as many as 88 models to choose from in the next few years. More »

      Tags

      Toyota  • ethanol  • hybrid car  • diesel  • Prius  • J.D. Power & Associates

    • Farmers Aim to Plow Over Conserved Land

      newser  |  Washington Post  |  Jul 11, 08 4:40 AM CDT

      Farmers Aim to Plow Over Conserved Land

      Millions of acres set aside as grasslands and wetlands could soon be plowed under if farmers and livestock producers have their way, reports the Washington Post.   As food prices soar, the Department of Agriculture is under pressure to release acreage from the Conservation Reserve Program that pays farmers not to grow crops on some land. The program was intended to hold down production and boost prices, but a major beneficiary has been the environment. More »

      Tags

      ethanol  • corn  • Department of Agriculture  • American Meat Institute  • farmers

    • Biofuel Caused Food Crisis: Secret Report

      newser  |  Guardian (UK)  |  Jul 4, 08 3:45 PM CDT

      Biofuel Caused Food Crisis: Secret Report

      Biofuel production has been the driving force behind the growing food crisis, pushing prices up 75%, according to a confidential World Bank report obtained by the Guardian . The most detailed research ever conducted on the issue emphatically contradicts the US position that biofuels are responsible for a mere 3% price bump. It hasn’t been published, sources say, for fear of embarrassing President Bush. More »

      Tags

      George W. Bush  • Bush administration  • food prices  • World Bank  • biofuel  • ethanol  • hunger

    • Algae: Lean, Green Biofuel?

      newser  |  Portfolio  |  Jul 2, 08 2:47 PM CDT

      Algae: Lean, Green Biofuel?

      The steam engine wasn’t invented in the eighteenth century—it was invented in AD 60. But Romans instead stuck to their old standby technology: slaves. Now, we’re in danger of repeating that mistake with biofuels, writes David Ewing Duncan for Portfolio . While Congress is pumping subsidies into corn-based ethanol, better solutions—such as algae—are begging for attention. More »

      Tags

      biofuel  • ethanol  • innovation  • biodiesel  • algae biofuel

    • McCain's Energy Record Reveals Muddled Mess

      newser  |  Los Angeles Times  |  Jul 1, 08 4:38 PM CDT

      McCain's Energy Record Reveals Muddled Mess

      John McCain can’t seem to settle on a comprehensible energy policy, Noam Levey writes in the Los Angeles Times , noting that the Republican has been on both sides of issues from oil drilling to ethanol. He favors fuel-efficiency standards while rejecting renewable-sources guidelines and rejects tax breaks on renewables while supporting nuclear subsidies. “There is a very sporadic pattern here,” said one environmentalist. More »

      Tags

      John McCain  • ethanol  • renewable energy  • tax breaks  • energy markets  • nuclear fuel  • contradiction

    • Floods Cloud Biofuel Future

      newser  |  New York Times  |  Jul 1, 08 4:09 AM CDT

      Floods Cloud Biofuel Future

      The floods that swamped the corn belt last month have raised fresh fears about the future of biofuels, the New York Times reports. The ruined corn crop has sent the price of ethanol soaring, and experts worry that unpredictable weather could lead to future spikes in the price of energy as destabilizing as those caused by turmoil in oil-producing countries. More »

      Tags

      biofuel  • ethanol  • corn  • crops  • Midwest floods  • energy policy  • corn belt

  • June 2008

    • Ties to Corn Industry Shape Obama's Policy

      newser  |  New York Times  |  Jun 23, 08 5:41 AM CDT

      Ties to Corn Industry Shape Obama's Policy

      Barack Obama trumpets corn-derived ethanol as an alternative energy source and has endorsed tariffs that benefit the industry. But the Times reports that many in the Obama campaign, from Tom Daschle to the candidate's top environmental adviser, have close ties to the corn industry—a kernel of the surprise victory in Iowa. More »

      Tags

      Barack Obama  • agriculture  • ethanol  • corn  • tariffs  • Tom Daschle

    • Midwest Floods May Seep Into Gas Prices

      newser  |  Wall Street Journal  |  Jun 18, 08 11:29 AM CDT

      Midwest Floods May Seep Into Gas Prices

      Gas prices could be going up even more as Midwest floods put acres of corn underwater, causing its price—and that of ethanol—to spike, the Wall Street Journal reports. Relatively low ethanol prices have helped keep gasoline in check, but ethanol refiners paying more for corn could be forced to pass the added costs along to consumers. More »

      Tags

      gas prices  • Iowa  • ethanol  • corn  • Midwest floods

    • Grain Prices Surge With Midwest Floods

      newser  |  Wall Street Journal  |  Jun 14, 08 9:45 AM CDT

      Grain Prices Surge With Midwest Floods

      The floods inundating the Midwest are pushing grain prices to new highs, the Wall Street Journal reports. Corn prices jumped 10% to a record high last week as farmland flooded. The domino effects will hit the ethanol industry, hog farmers, and even owners of catfish ponds who rely on corn to feed the fish. Food prices are now forecast to keep climbing for years. More »

      Tags

      Iowa  • flood  • ethanol  • flooding  • Midwest  • commodities  • corn  • crops  • farm  • grain  • farmland

    • Food vs. Fuel Battle Flares at UN Summit

      newser  |  BBC  |  Jun 4, 08 10:57 AM CDT

      Food vs. Fuel Battle Flares at UN Summit

      The battle over biofuels is raging at the UN’s food summit in Rome, with nations bitterly divided over whether growing corn and sugar cane for ethanol production is pushing food prices up and helping create disastrous global food shortages. On one side: Food experts who call diversion of crops to fill the fuel tanks of wealthy nations immoral. On the other: the US, Brazil, and the EU, the main players on the biofuel stage. More »

      Tags

      United Nations  • food prices  • biofuel  • ethanol  • food shortage  • food aid  • food production

  • May 2008

    • Is There a Solar Bubble?

      newser  |  Wall Street Journal  |  May 22, 08 4:01 PM CDT

      Is There a Solar Bubble?

      Stocks in solar-energy outfits are enjoying a sustained rally, but investors should remember the lesson of ethanol, Mark Gongloff writes in the Wall Street Journal . Once-loved ethanol stocks are now widely scorned—mainly because the energy source will never be viable without government subsidies. Still, despite solar’s advantages, shares are far from a sure bet. More »

      Tags

      ethanol  • alternative energy  • solar energy  • solar power  • speculation  • solar cells  • stock price

    • Shoppers Give Up Organics as Food Prices Soar

      newser  |  Newsweek  |  May 9, 08 3:25 AM CDT

      Shoppers Give Up Organics as Food Prices Soar

      With a gallon of organic milk costing a whopping $7 and a conventional gallon going for $2.99, cash-strapped shoppers are skipping organic groceries. That means the $19 billion industry, which has ballooned 150% since 2001, may now be shrinking, Newsweek reports. “I miss it terribly,” said one former Whole Foods regular. “But I just can’t afford it anymore. Food everywhere is so expensive.” More »

      Tags

      Wal-Mart  • ethanol  • organic food  • Whole Foods  • pesticide  • organic  • grocery stores  • groceries

    • Food Prices May Force Cuts in Farm Subsidies

      newser  |  Los Angeles Times  |  May 2, 08 2:32 PM CDT

      Food Prices May Force Cuts in Farm Subsidies

      Soaring food prices are putting pressure on Congress to withdraw some of the billions in  farm subsidies and ethanol incentives that have been considered politically untouchable for decades, the Los Angeles Times reports . With average farm income more than $89,000 this year—30% above the national average—the White House wants to cut off payments to farmers who earn $500,000 or more. Farm lobbyists are trying to double that. More »

      Tags

      Congress  • food prices  • biofuel  • agriculture  • ethanol  • farmer  • corn  • subsidies

  • April 2008

    • Ethanol Guzzles 25% of US Corn; Links Food, Fuel Prices

      newser  |  Washington Post  |  Apr 30, 08 2:28 PM CDT

      Ethanol Guzzles 25% of US Corn; Links Food, Fuel Prices

      When Congress passed its latest energy bill four months ago, the provision to boost ethanol requirements was exceedingly popular. But now, critics are lambasting that measure, and the ethanol movement in general, for linking skyrocketing food and oil prices. “We used to have a grain economy and a fuel economy,” one analyst tells the Washington Post . “Now they're beginning to fuse.” More »

      Tags

      food prices  • biofuel  • agriculture  • ethanol  • farmer  • corn  • corn shock

    • What the Candidates Should Be Talking About

      newser  |  Los Angeles Times  |  Apr 28, 08 8:23 PM CDT

      What the Candidates Should Be Talking About

      Quick, before the public completely loses interest: Let’s leave aside “guns, bitterness, race, religion, geriatric radicals and other trivia,” and turn to real presidential political issues, Los Angeles Times editors write. They pose some questions that most need answering: For John McCain: You voted against giving workers extended time to file discrimination lawsuits. How will your alternative—education for victims—end biased practices? More »

    • Fill 'Er Up— In Your Own Back Yard

      newser  |  New York Times  |  Apr 27, 08 1:56 PM CDT

      Fill 'Er Up&mdash; In Your Own Back Yard

      Backyard brew may soon ease the pain at the gas pump if two entrepreneurs pushing a home ethanol system have their way, reports the New York Times. E-Fuel Corporation's device is roughly the size of a stackable washer-dryer and will sell for about $10,000 . Using sugar or feedstock and a specially designed yeast, it creates ethanol for as little as a dollar a gallon, which produces one-eighth the carbon of gasoline. More »

      Tags

      gas  • ethanol  • alternative fuels  • green home  • sugar  • auto technology

    • Food Crisis Lurks in Soaring Prices, Says IMF Chief

      newser  |  BBC  |  Apr 13, 08 9:44 AM CDT

      Food Crisis Lurks in Soaring Prices, Says IMF Chief

      Rising food prices may soon have dire global consequences with starving people rioting in the streets, warns the head of the International Monetary Fund. “Hundred of thousands of people will be starving,” he said yesterday at a meeting in Washington. “Children will be suffering from malnutrition, with consequences for all their lives.” Climbing food prices will lead to increased trade imbalances in developing countries, with major ramifications. More »

      Tags

      food  • protests  • food prices  • ethanol  • crops  • International Monetary Fund  • starvation  • price  • trade affairs

  • March 2008

    • As Global Temps Rise, So Do ... Popcorn Prices

      newser  |  Los Angeles Times  |  Mar 14, 08 9:00 PM CDT

      As Global Temps Rise, So Do ... Popcorn Prices

      The movie stars driving flex-fuel SUV are driving up popcorn prices at the nation’s nickelodeons, and it’s not because of their salaries: A move toward planting crops for alternative-fuel production has made popping corn more scarce—and therefore more expensive, the Los Angeles Times reports. Moviegoers shouldn’t fret too much, for the hike could be as little as 15 cents. More »

      Tags

      biofuel  • movies  • ethanol  • farmer  • movie theaters  • snack foods  • popcorn  • cooking oil

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