Diverse group from across industry’s value chain represents algae production, end-users and professional services
MINNEAPOLIS–May 14, 2013 – The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the U.S. algae industry, today announced the election of seven members to its Board of Directors for the 2013-2015 term. The new and re-elected board members join eight others that are already serving terms on the board.
During Fortune's recent "Brainstorm Green" conference, a panel of biofuel executives discussed the scalability of algae fuel technologies, which present an exciting new(ish) front in the energy equation. Richard Branson thinks that commercializing the fuels for use in jets would be "not so difficult" and both United and Continental Airlines, among others, have flown jets powered by an algae-fuel mix. Sapphire Energy, whose CEO, CJ Warner, spoke on the panel, manufactures an algae-based crude oil that can been refined into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel (it was used in the aforementioned Continental flight).
The five-year extension of the Agriculture Department’s “Farm to Fly” initiative will help airlines comply with international greenhouse gas caps, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said yesterday.
In Washington, the 2013 Advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference will kick off at 8am ET this morning.
Among the highlights for today (April 15): US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will take the stage at 2pm for separate addresses, and jointly sign a renewal of the “Farm to Fly” agreement aimed at developing a feedstock supply chain for aviation biofuels.
President Barack Obama has conferred with more than a dozen oil, natural gas and clean-energy executives, as well as academic advisers, at the White House in advance of an energy-policy speech in Illinois next week, spokesman Josh Earnest said.
ASP’s White Paper report, “Advanced Biofuels and National Security” builds on ASP’s long history of demonstrating the importance of reducing oil use for national security and highlighting the work of the Department of Defense in promoting alternative fuels. This report demonstrates that developing advanced biofuels are important in reducing America’s dependence on oil; this dependence presents real national security threats to the United States and the American military.
In Washington, US President Barack Obama embarked on his second term in office yesterday with an Inaugural Address that placed climate change and renewable energy squarely on the Administration’s agenda.
SAN DIEGO — When Captain Jim Goudreau describes the U.S. Navy's goal of cutting in half its use of fossil fuels by 2020, he uses words like “daunting” and “challenging.” Goudreau is director of the Navy’s Energy Coordination Office. And another word he uses to describe the goal is “necessary.” He said the Navy needs to end its heavy dependence on petroleum.
Washington, DC—As part of the bi-partisan “Fiscal Cliff” legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate on January 1, 2013, algae-derived fuels are, for the first time ever, a “qualified feedstock” under section 40 of the United States Code meaning that producers of algal fuel are eligible for a $1.01 per gallon tax credit.
In Washington, the US Senate voted 62-37 in favor of an amendment offered by Senator Mark Udall of Colorado to repeal section 313 of the annual Defense appropriations bill.