Category: Columnists
Politics, Policy and Principles
Share By Mary Rosenthal, Executive Director, Algal Biomass Organization In the past few weeks we’ve seen and heard a lot of chatter about high gas prices, domestic energy and biofuels – algae biofuels in particular. Some took the opportunity to turn President Obama’s support for algae into a liability for him, and the algae industry [...]
Out from Solyndra’s Shadow
Share Federal loan guarantees may be scuttled after the Solyndra affair – but should the baby really be thrown out with the bathwater? By Brent Erickson, Executive VP, BIO, Industrial Biotechnology & Environment Section Federal loan guarantee programs for bioenergy may be headed for demise – death by 1.2 trillion cuts. The recent Solyndra scandal [...]
Our troops deserve the support that flows from domestic biofuels, says Gen. Clark
Share Consider this: Every time the price of a barrel of imported oil rises one dollar, it costs the Navy $31 million in increased fuel costs. The result is that the military must run fewer operations and complete fewer training exercises. Our nation imagines itself the most free and secure in the world, yet this [...]
RFS: It’s Not Perfect, But It’s Working
Share By Brent Erickson, Digest columnist and Executive Vice-President, BIO Industrial and Environment Section The Renewable Fuel Standard is the key foundation policy supporting the commercial development of advanced biofuels. It is not working as fast as some would like, but given the current economic situation it is indeed working. A handful of advanced biofuel [...]
Federal Policy for Reducing Uncertainty for Advanced Biofuels Producers
Share by Brent Erickson, Executive VP, BIO As any number of economic analysts have noted, continued policy uncertainty is holding businesses back from the hiring and investment needed to get the economy moving again. The advanced biofuel industry has been trying to deploy pioneering technology in the midst of the recent economic downturn. Additional uncertainty [...]
Fostering the next generation of biofuels innovators
Share By Mary Rosenthal Executive Director, Algal Biomass Organization In our country’s spirited debate over energy, innovation and the economy, perhaps no phrase has been uttered more often than “green jobs.” While the precise meaning of “green job” continues to be a topic of debate, I would submit that jobs in the algae industry are [...]
US Energy Department Celebrates Loan Guarantee Successes as Stimulus-Supported 1705 Program Comes to Close
Share By Jonathan Silver Executive Director, U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office Special to Biofuels Digest Since my last update six months ago, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) has been extremely busy, committing or closing 19 additional financings of clean energy projects – including one of the country’s first commercial-scale [...]
Bi-partisan agreement on ethanol deserves support
Share By Tom Buis, CEO, Growth Energy, Biofuels Digest Columnist During this time of political bickering and fierce partisan lines, it’s heartening to know that – when something crucial is on the line –there are senators who are willing to work toward a bipartisan compromise. Earlier this month, three influential Senators tackled one of the [...]
We Are In This Together, By Ourselves
Share Stop moving the goal posts, and two more principles for an advanced ethanol policy that works By Brooke Coleman, Executive Director, Advanced Ethanol Council This is a critical time for the biofuels industry. We’re up against a precarious financial and business climate and face major legislative and regulatory obstacles. It is a common refrain [...]
Leveling the playing field for algae-based fuels
Share By Biofuels Digest columnist Mary Rosenthal executive director, Algal Biomass Organization At a time of rising gas prices and all-too-high unemployment, policy makers in Washington should be focused on advancing policies that create jobs, expand our nation’s domestic supply of renewable fuels, and decrease our dependence on imported petroleum. Instead, some in Congress have [...]
