Many predict downturn for agriculture after years of record profits
Wall Street Journal Oct 22, 08 1:20 PM CDT
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Plunging crop prices and soaring costs are hitting US farmers with a one-two punch that’s knocked the fight out of what had been one of the stronger segments of the nation’s economy, reports the Wall Street Journal . Corn prices have dropped some 50% since July, and prices for fertilizer and seed are expected to jump 40% next year.
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Mexican scientists push agave-to-ethanol project; resilient plant could far outstrip corn
Renewable Energy World Aug 7, 08 8:14 PM CDT
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A small group of Mexican scientists is working to create a massive agave-to-ethanol project that one says could supply the entire US need of 36 billion gallons by 2022, Renewable Energy World reports. The agave, used to make tequila and mescal, is high in sugar, resilient, and needs little cultivation, making it a prime candidate for ethanol production.
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Agency denies request by Texas governor
New York Times Aug 7, 08 2:50 PM CDT
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The EPA refused to cut a minimum ethanol quota today, despite critics’ charges that the biofuel mandate is driving high food prices, the New York Times reports. The agency approved Congress’ quota that requires the US use 9 billion gallons of ethanol in gasoline blends this year, denying Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s request to shrink it.
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Opinion
Letting other countries produce oil cures nothing: Krauthammer
Washington Post Aug 1, 08 12:21 PM CDT
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Asked why she so vehemently opposes offshore drilling, Nancy Pelosi recently replied, “I’m trying to save the planet.” Which is a nice thought, Charles Krauthammer writes in the Washington Post , but it’s completely illogical. We’re not saving the planet by leaving the drilling to the likes of Nigeria, where corruption and neglect routinely lead to spills, pipeline explosions, and illegal siphoning.
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Diesel down as well, but still high; ethanol hovers in the low $3 range
CNNMoney Jul 26, 08 1:04 PM CDT
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Gas prices dipped below $4 today for the first time in almost 2 months, CNN reports. A survey by AAA showed that a gallon of regular cost an average of $3.983, 2 cents lower than yesterday. The move continues a trend over roughly the last week in which prices have dropped 10 cents, and they could fall an additional 25 cents by the end of summer, AAA says. The drop mirrors a similar fall in the cost of crude oil.
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From sawdust to agricultural waste, scientists drive toward new fuels
New York Times Jul 24, 08 9:18 AM CDT
(Newser)
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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.
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Ethanol future in balance as governor pleads for livestock corn
New York Times Jul 23, 08 2:32 AM CDT
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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.
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Some 62% of new car buyers look to the gas-sippers
Wired Jul 17, 08 10:45 AM CDT
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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.
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Wetlands, grassland now needed for corn
Washington Post Jul 11, 08 4:40 AM CDT
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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.
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Findings covered up to avoid US embarrassment
Guardian (UK) Jul 4, 08 3:45 PM CDT
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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.
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OPINION
Firm says it can produce algae oil at $60 a barrel; US dare not miss its chance, writer says
Portfolio Jul 2, 08 2:47 PM CDT
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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.
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ANALYSIS
Some see pragmatism, others inconsistency in GOP candidate's votes
Los Angeles Times Jul 1, 08 4:38 PM CDT
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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.
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Ruined Midwest crops spark worries about fuel supplies
New York Times Jul 1, 08 4:09 AM CDT
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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.
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