March 23, 200718 yr From the 3/7/07 Newark Advocate: EPA seeks comment on E85 plant Draft air quality permit issued for ethanol facility By JEN SCHERER Advocate Reporter NEWARK -- The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has approved a draft air quality permit for a company hoping to build an ethanol plant in Newark. The draft Permit To Install was issued to E85 Inc. for a 115.8 million-gallon-per-year dry mill ethanol production facility proposed to be built at 595 Thornwood Drive. http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070307/NEWS01/703070304/1002/rss01
March 23, 200718 yr From the 3/14/07 Marion Star: Tax break sought for ethanol plant Ridgedale board signs off on Broin project abatement By JOHN JARVIS The Marion Star MARION - A South Dakota-based company is seeking a tax abatement for an ethanol plant it plans to build northwest of the city of Marion. Marion Ethanol LLC, a company formed by Broin Companies of Sioux Falls, will have a nonbinding letter of intent for an 80 percent, 12-year tax abatement before the Marion County Board of Commissioners on Thursday, Commissioner Josh Daniels said. http://www.marionstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070314/NEWS01/703140328/1002/rss01
March 23, 200718 yr From the 3/22/07 Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Area residents split over proposed plant By Kimberly Gasuras Telegraph-Forum staff CRESTLINE -- While some Crestline residents are excited about a proposed ethanol plant to be constructed on Ohio 598 near Crestline Road, residents who will live near it are not that excited. "The fermentation tanks, about eight of them, will be located about 400 feet from my front door. The odor is really going to be bad, not only for us, but Crestline will get the odor also. Crestline is trying to get the area re-zoned for the plant to be constructed and we are against it," said John Slabach, who lives in Jefferson Township. http://www.bucyrustelegraphforum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070322/NEWS01/703220302/1002
March 23, 200718 yr From the 3/23/07 Newark Advocate: Legal group offers public meeting on ethanol plant Organization will tell residents what say they have in decision By MARK SZAKONYI Advocate Reporter NEWARK -- Opponents of a proposed Newark ethanol facility need to realize the issue is about more than just ethanol, says a community organizer for an environmental legal defense fund. Eme Lybarger said she plans to explain to residents on Saturday morning the real issue is whether residents have a say in whether the facility comes to town. http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070323/NEWS01/703230301/1002/rss01
March 23, 200718 yr I kind of buried theguv's post about Broin Companies announcement that they're going to build a $105M ethanol plant in Fostoria. Here's the link: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=4392.msg172532#msg172532
March 27, 200718 yr From the 3/24/07 Newark Advocate: Ethanol plant may attract other industries Ag consultant: Whole technological community can be built around ethanol By MARK SZAKONYI Advocate Reporter NEWARK -- Residents need to look not only at the ethanol facility being proposed for Newark but also other industries the plant could attract, an agriculture consultant said Friday morning. Charlie Stutesman, of Jones Ag Marketing, said Europe already has had success using ethanol facilities as a base for other biodiesel and chemical industries. http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070324/NEWS01/703240312/1002/rss01
March 27, 200718 yr From the 3/27/07 Fostoria Review Times: Commissioners OK annexation By SANDRA WHITTA staff writer Another step in getting an ethanol plant to Fostoria was accomplished Monday. The Seneca County Commissioners approved the annexation of 189.538 acres in Jackson and Loudon townships to Fostoria. All three commissioners voiced their support of the annexation following its approval. http://www.reviewtimes.com/News/backissues/2007/Mar/ar_news_032707.asp#story4
March 28, 200718 yr Broin Cos. to build $130M ethanol plant near Marion March 28, 2007 | COLUMBUS BUSINESS FIRST MARION - A South Dakota ethanol producer has chosen a 284-acre site near Marion to build a production facility. Broin Cos. said Wednesday it hopes to begin building the $130 million ethanol plant within the next two months. Construction is scheduled to be complete by summer of 2008. The facility will produce 65 million gallons of ethanol a year, the company said. http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/03/26/daily23.html
March 31, 200718 yr From the 3/28/07 Newark Advocate: Ethanol opponents may be too few Legal defense group may bow out; man still plans to work to block development By MARK SZAKONYI Advocate Reporter NEWARK -- A lukewarm turnout at a Saturday meeting about blocking a proposed ethanol plant in Newark has the organizer doubting any future action by her group. Eme Lybarger, of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, said she didn't get the sense from the meeting that the majority of residents were against the facility. http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070328/NEWS01/703280303/1002/rss01
March 31, 200718 yr Ed Hoskinson, who owns a 1,800-acre farm north of Newark, isn't sure whether the price of corn will rise or fall, but he still plans to plant an additional 100 acres of corn this year. "The market is better, and I don't know how long it will last," he said. Hoskinson said he doesn't think ethanol is the only answer to the nation's fuel problem -- the United States is largely dependent on foreign oil -- and instead he sees it as a step in the right direction. As technology improves, he expects more ethanol producers to begin using switchgrass and sugar cane instead of just corn. Roberts said ethanol isn't the complete cure-all, but the industry will be able to produce 5 to 10 percent of the nation's fuel. At present, 114 U.S. ethanol plants are in operation. Eighty more are planned, the Renewable Fuels Association reports. Roberts said he thinks a shakeout will occur in the industry, but recent research has him thinking it won't be as soon as some experts predict The misinformation creeping into "common wisdom" is alarming. There is no technology to turn switchgrass into ethanol. That will require genetically-modified microorganisms or some technology that does not exist yet.
April 1, 200718 yr Ohio's corn crop expected to pop Saturday, March 31, 2007 3:37 AM By Monique Curet THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The nation's farmers are expected to plant more corn than they have in 60 years this year, as the ethanol boom fuels high prices and demand for the crop. Ohio will be part of the push, with the state's farmers planning to plant 16 percent more acres with corn this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. More at: http://dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/03/31/corn.ART_ART_03-31-07_C1_AC68B5D.html
April 1, 200718 yr The increase also has rippled through the economy because corn is a key ingredient in many foods, from corn syrup found in candies and cough syrup to feed used in meat production. Poultry producers welcomed the planting report, hoping that an increased corn supply will reduce feed costs that have led to a 40 percent rise in chicken prices. "This is definitely a mixed report," said Bill Roenigk, senior vice president and chief economist at the National Chicken Council. "Additional acres in corn will help meet needs for feed, fuel and exports, although at a high price. But much of the increase is coming out of soybeans, also a critical crop for us." Livestock and dairy producers also were optimistic that increased corn production could lead to a decline in feed prices. That presumption showed up in the stock prices for chicken producers yesterday. The shares of Pilgrim's Pride Corp., Tyson Foods Inc. and Sanderson Farms Inc. all rose after the news. In Ohio and across the nation, soybean planting is expected to decrease to make way for the corn. The state's soybean acreage is predicted to decrease by 5 percent, to 4.4 million acres, compared with 2006. Nationally, soybean acres are expected to decrease 11 percent. "What we think is significant is the shift between corn and soybeans," said Jim Ramey, director of the Ohio field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service. The trickle down effect of this is getting pretty staggering. Now everything that uses corn or soybeans will feel the associated price increase.
April 2, 200718 yr I've already heard media reports of protest in Mexico because the price of corn is driving up the cost of tortillas. No joke here. Corn is a staple of much of the diet in Latin America.
April 3, 200718 yr ^ I've noticed our corn prices at supermarkets have increased substantially. Local corn at farmers markets? Not so much.
April 4, 200718 yr From the 3/31/07 Coshocton Tribune: Year-old ethanol case could be heard next week Citizens for a Safe Community say assistance applications for funds inaccurate By KATHIE DICKERSON Staff Writer COSHOCTON - A case filed more than a year ago is scheduled to be heard in Franklin County Common Pleas Court next week. Coshocton County Citizens for A Safe Community have asked the court to rule that government funds used to develop Coshocton Ethanol, LLC be returned because not all the information on 2004 assistance applications was accurate. http://www.coshoctontribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070331/NEWS01/703310302/1002/rss01
April 4, 200718 yr From the 4/2/07 Marion Star: Ethanol plant developer looking at water options Amount of consumption would require facility upgrades By JOHN JARVIS The Marion Star MARION - With three companies planning to build ethanol production facilities in the vicinity, resources natural and otherwise are a concern, Marion City Safety/Service Director Dan Cobb said. At the top of the list is water. If all three plants were to begin operating in and around the west side of Marion, about 705 million gallons of water would be needed each year for processing the ethanol and cooling equipment used to make 235 million gallons of the alternative fuel each year. http://www.marionstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070402/NEWS01/704020315/1002/rss01
April 4, 200718 yr I've already heard media reports of protest in Mexico because the price of corn is driving up the cost of tortillas. No joke here. Corn is a staple of much of the diet in Latin America. NAFTA allowed US corn producers to under-sell the Mexican farmers and put the Mexicans out of business. That caused a huge out-migration of people from rural Mexico, especially in the south of Mexico, to the United States. Now the cities in Mexico are dependent upon US corn supplies at whatever price the US will sell to them. The Mexican government has had to subsidize the price of corn because the public cannot afford it. "globalization at work"
April 5, 200718 yr From the 4/4/07 Lima News: Brown makes a visit to the Summit Ethanol plant Jeremy Schneider - 04.04.2007 LEIPSIC — Sherrod Brown is the first U.S. Senator from Ohio to sit on the Agriculture Committee in nearly four decades. The democrat is trying to use that position to make Ohio the leader in alternative energy. “Ohio is a particularly good place for alternative energy,” Brown said. “We have very skilled manufacturing workers. We have good entrepreneurship, a wonderful history of that. We have a very productive farmland. http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=36985
April 8, 200718 yr From the 4/6/07 Fremont News-Messenger: Plant site being cleared Ethanol start date discussed By LESLIE BIXLER Staff writer Several trucks hauled away the remains of demolition from the old sugar beet plant on North Front Street Thursday as workers for Abdoo Wrecking continue their effort to clear the site by June before construction begins on an ethanol plant. According to Fremont's Economic Development Director Mike Jay, the only structures that will be left standing at the site once demolition is complete are the two towers and a maintenance building. He said after the prep work is finished by June, city officials are looking for the construction of Ohio Renewable Fuels -- the ethanol plant -- to begin in September. http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070406/NEWS01/704060303/1002/rss01
April 8, 200718 yr From the 4/8/07 Newark Advocate: * AERIAL: Proposed ethanol plant site Four steps to get ethanol plant By MARK SZAKONYI Advocate Reporter NEWARK -- E85 Inc. could begin construction on the proposed ethanol plant in Newark as early as this summer if everything goes the company's way. The company still needs to go through a series of hurdles involving permits for emissions, zoning and building codes before the first backhoe can break ground, said Joe Schriner, senior process engineer with E85 Inc. http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070408/NEWS01/704080327/1002/rss01
April 10, 200718 yr Link includes photos. From the 4/10/07 Newark Advocate: Can E85 pass the test? Air, testing concerns voiced at hearing about air pollution control permit By JEN SCHERER Advocate Reporter NEWARK -- Odors, air quality and the reliability of testing methods were among the top concerns expressed at a public hearing about a draft permit issued for a proposed ethanol facility. About 30 people gathered Monday at the Don Hill County Administration building in Newark to hear a presentation about the draft air pollution control permit by Ohio Environmental Protection Agency officials. A question-and-answer session was conducted afterward. More at: http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070410/NEWS01/704100301/1002/rss01
April 12, 200718 yr From the 4/11/07 Lima News: Buildings up at ethanol site, company remains on target for November start Heather Rutz | [email protected] - 04.11.2007 LIMA — With five buildings under construction and more large pieces arriving daily, Greater Ohio Ethanol progress is full-speed ahead and still on target for a November start. “We got a lot done just today,” company President Greg Kruger said Tuesday. “It’s amazing what a 50-degree day with sunshine does, compared with snow.” Drivers on Interstate 75 can see progress made at the Hanthorn Road plant. The largest building is for drying the processed grain and storage. More at: http://www.limanews.com/story.php?IDnum=37228
April 18, 200718 yr http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ethanol18apr18,0,7852828.story?coll=la-home-headlines Warning is sounded on ethanol use By Janet Wilson Times Staff Writer April 18, 2007 Ethanol, widely touted as a greenhouse-gas-cutting fuel, would have serious health effects if heavily used in cars, producing more ground-level ozone than gasoline, particularly in the Los Angeles Basin, according to a Stanford University study out today. "Ethanol is being promoted as a clean and renewable fuel that will reduce global warming and air pollution," said Mark Z. Jacobson, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and author of the study in the online edition of Environmental Science and Technology. "But our results show that a high blend of ethanol poses an equal or greater risk to public health than gasoline, which already causes significant health damage." More at link above:
April 18, 200718 yr Link contains a photo. From the 4/18/07 Newark Advocate: E85 engineer answers burning questions Representative does not delve into production cost, fuel price By MARK SZAKONYI Advocate Reporter NEWARK -- A representative of the company that has proposed an ethanol plant in Newark was able to answer all Newark Rotary Club members' questions except one. On the company's cost to produce the fuel and how much E85 Inc. expected to sell it for, Joe Schriner pulled the confidential card. http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070418/NEWS01/704180309/1002/rss01
April 25, 200718 yr From the 4/23/07 Dayton Business Journal: Ethanol boom seeds increase in corn production Dayton Business Journal - April 20, 2007 by Yvonne Teems DBJ Staff Reporter Tom Scott of Scott Farms in Darke County plans on harvesting more cash this year by planting more corn. Taking advantage of skyrocketing corn prices, Scott said he will plant 60 percent corn and 40 percent soybeans on his 2,500-acre farm this year, compared with the 50/50 split between the two crops last year. If corn prices stay high, Scott said he'll plant corn on two-thirds of his property next year and reserve just one-third for soybeans. More at: http://dayton.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2007/04/23/story5.html
April 29, 200718 yr From the 4/29/07 Marion Star: Ethanol plants: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Benefits and pitfalls part of the package By JOHN JARVIS The Marion Star MARION - One Marion-area pork producer has taken on an outside job to prepare for the impact of rising corn prices attributed to the growing number of ethanol plants in the United States. A Prospect grain elevator operator contemplates marketing strategies as he waits to know the challenge he will face. More at: http://www.marionstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070429/NEWS01/704290309/1002/rss01
May 5, 200718 yr Link contains a photo. From the 5/5/07 Ashland Times-Gazette: Corn business is popping Increased ethanol demand has sent prices skyrocketing By JARRED OPATZ T-G Special Projects Editor One of the reasons Rick and Ron Shoup are getting out of the hog business is to focus on their crops, particularly corn. "Corn prices are up and hog prices are down," said Rick who farms with his father near Polk. By the time fall harvest rolls around, the local father and son should have their last hogs sold and should be taking advantage of good corn prices. More at: http://www.times-gazette.com/news/article/1958892
May 14, 200718 yr From the AP, 5/14/07: No damage from ethanol boom BY ALAN ZIBEL | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON – An anticipated 58 percent jump in corn-based ethanol production next year will not boost food prices enough to harm consumers, the Agriculture Department’s chief economist said last week.. The economist, Keith Collins, projected that 118 U.S. ethanol plants will produce 9.3 billion gallons of ethanol for the crop year ending August 2008, up from the 5.9 billion gallons expected for the current crop year. “This is just amazing, that’s a huge increase,” Collins said at a briefing with reporters. More at: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070514/BIZ/305140004/1076/rss01
May 18, 200718 yr From the 5/17/07 Marion Star: POET officials show public ethanol plant site All three proposed Marion facilities have permits in works By JOHN JARVIS The Marion Star MARION - Buses carrying community leaders and POET officials passed the sites proposed for two other ethanol production facilities on the way to and from a groundbreaking Wednesday for POET Biorefining-Marion. In a program featuring company and government officials and industry representatives, POET, formerly Broin Companies, presented to a crowd of approximately 90 people information about the plant it plans to build on the north side of Hillman-Ford Road, 1.5 miles northwest of the city. Minutes later buses transported more than half of the group to the location where Stuart Daley, POET regional vice president of operations, said a 65-million-gallons-per-year ethanol production facility will open in about one year. POET announced that it will begin site work next week. While site preparation can begin, no construction of the plant itself can start until the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has issued an air pollution control permit-to-install, OEPA spokeswoman Dina Pierce said Wednesday. More at: http://www.marionstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070517/NEWS01/705170302/1002/rss01
May 19, 200718 yr A release from the OSU Extension, 5/17/07: Ohio's lagging ethanol production on the rise Published on 05/17/2007 By Candace Pollock, OSU Extension COLUMBUS -- Ohio is lagging behind other major corn-producing states in the ethanol production race, but being in that position could be more lucrative for Ohio in the long term, says an Ohio State University Extension agricultural economist. Matt Roberts, an assistant professor with the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economists, said that the factors that are holding Ohio back in ethanol plant construction are the same ones that could create an industry boom. More at: http://www.ofbf.org/page/STER-73AJXX/?OpenDocument
May 21, 200718 yr From the 5/20/07 Ironton Tribune: EPA hearing to focus on ethanol plant By Kirsten Stanley/The Ironton Tribune Saturday, May 19, 2007 11:51 PM CDT SOUTH POINT — An ethanol plant that may be built at The Point industrial park will be the topic of conversation May 29 at a public information session and hearing hosted by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.irontontribune.com/articles/2007/05/20/news/news73.txt
May 22, 200718 yr From the 5/22/07 Marion Star: Grant targets work for Dual Rail park ethanol plant By JOHN JARVIS The Marion Star MARION - CAN DO! will receive a $1 million state grant that would improve the Dual Rail Industrial Park to support an ethanol production facility planned at the park by a California company. The State Controlling Board on Monday announced that CAN DO!, the economic development arm of the city and county, will receive the Rapid Outreach Grant to make improvements to rail infrastructure and install a natural gas main along the Northwest Industrial Connector Road that would link Ohio 95 West and Marion-Williamsport Road. http://www.marionstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070522/NEWS01/705220325/1002/rss01
May 25, 200718 yr From the 5/25/07 Coshocton Tribune: EPA hears concerns about Coshocton Ethanol plant By BRIAN GADD Staff Writer COSHOCTON - Although there are still six days before the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency closes its comment period for two permits related to the Coshocton Ethanol plant, EPA officials heard concerns from a few individuals Thursday night at a public hearing. At issue are two pending permits for construction of a cooling pond to accept discharges from the plant's towers, and discharges from the pond into Robinson Run, which authorities said will unfortunately have some effect on the stream. http://www.coshoctontribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070525/NEWS01/705250301/1002/rss01
June 3, 200718 yr From the 6/2/07 DDN: Impact of ethanol starting to hit home Higher corn prices affect profitability of plants and can drive up the prices of dairy and meat. By Ben Sutherly Staff Writer Saturday, June 02, 2007 Ohio is on the cusp of making its own ethanol from corn. Seven ethanol plants are under construction statewide, with three expected to open by the first quarter of 2008. Two of those three are within an hour's drive of Dayton: http://www.reviewtimes.com/News/backissues/2007/Jun/ar_news_060207.asp#story3
June 13, 200718 yr Link contains a photo. From the 6/12/07 Coshocton Tribune: Community welcomes ethanol job applications By KATHIE DICKERSON Staff Writer COSHOCTON - Employees of Coshocton County Job & Family Services were greeted by about 40 to 50 people waiting outside the building at 725 Pine St. Monday morning -the first day applications were accepted by Altra Biofuels for about 45 positions at Coshocton Ethanol, LLC. After signing a log-in sheet applicants were seated 10 at a time in the lobby area to fill out a registration form for JFS. From there they moved downstairs to fill out the job application. http://www.coshoctontribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070612/NEWS01/706120306/1002/rss01
June 20, 200717 yr From the 6/19/07 Newark Advocate: E85 Inc. awaits Ohio EPA's last permit Company has not yet filed rezoning requests By MARK SZAKONYI Advocate Reporter NEWARK -- The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is expected today to issue a final permit to install a state-of-the-art ethanol plant for a 78.5-acre site in Newark's southwest corner, an OEPA official said Monday. "We have done everything we can, and now we just wait and see," said Newark Mayor Bruce Bain. http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070619/NEWS01/706190304/1002/rss01 Regional jobs closer By ASHLEY LYKINS Gazette Staff Writer BLOOMINGBURG -$2.4 million was invested in a "corn-consuming monster" near Ross County Monday. The grant, presented by the Economic Development Administration, will be used for the Madison Mills Water Supply Project -a system that will provide 1.5 million gallons of water each day to an ethanol plant under construction in Fayette County. The plant, as well as the construction process, could mean jobs and projects for some in Ross County. http://www.chillicothegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070619/NEWS01/706190311/1002/rss01
June 22, 200717 yr The impact of ethanol goes well beyond the cornfields: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070622/BUSINESS03/706220345/-1/BUSINESS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Article published June 22, 2007 Higher profit outlook boosts The Andersons stock Forecast puts firm on track for record By MARK REITER BLADE BUSINESS WRITER Immediately after its profit forecast sprouted, The Andersons Inc. stock planted a $5.10 a share gain yesterday, with pleased investors engaged in heavy trading. Fueling the 13 percent rise in share price to a close at $45.50 on the Nasdaq stock market was the Maumee firm's profit outlook issued Tuesday evening. It said the expanding ethanol sector stimulated its revised profit expectation this year to a range of $2.80 to $3.05 a share, up from the previous predictions of $2.35 to $2.60 and as much as 50 percent higher than its $2.19 last year. More at link above:
June 22, 200717 yr From the 6/22/07 Newark Advocate: Ohio EPA issues E85 its final air pollution permit Ethanol plant emissions must be controlled by various mandated devices By MARK SZAKONYI Advocate Reporter NEWARK -- The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has issued a final air pollution control permit to E85 Inc. for a corn-based ethanol plant at 595 Thornwood Drive, Newark, according to a press release issued Thursday by the Ohio EPA. The permit will regulate the facility's air emissions and require baghouses, thermal oxidizers and wet scrubbers to be installed to control emissions. http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070622/NEWS01/706220303/1002/rss01
June 26, 200717 yr From the 6/25/07 Wapakoneta Daily News: Lima ethanol plant ready for fall harvest By ANNIE LINDER Staff Writer Auglaize County corn producers could have an alternative location to market their crop in time for the next harvest, a business manager says. Construction on the ethanol plant, located on Hanthorne Road in Lima, is expected to be completed by September, with production testing projected to be finished by November, said Mike Newland, business development manager for Greater Ohio Ethanol in Lima. http://www.wapakdailynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7046&Itemid=27
June 27, 200717 yr http://www.slate.com/id/2169124/ The Great Corn Con The Senate's preposterous new ethanol bill. By Robert Bryce Posted Tuesday, June 26, 2007, at 3:09 PM ET The ethanol madness continues! Last week, the Senate passed an energy bill mandating the production of 36 billion gallons of ethanol per year by 2022—a sevenfold increase over current levels. Senators congratulated themselves for their environmental foresight. The president, a biofuels advocate, has enthusiastically endorsed the ethanol surge. But it's almost certainly a fantasy, since no one in Washington seems to have thought for five minutes about where or how that much ethanol could be produced. There are two domestic sources for that ethanol in such quantities: corn or cellulose. (Sugar cane is an excellent feedstock for ethanol, but the United States grows relatively small amounts of cane, particularly when compared with Brazil, the world's largest producer.) "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 29, 200717 yr Link contains a photo. From the 6/28/07 Blade: ONE GROUP OF GROWERS WILL BENEFIT FROM ANOTHER Fremont ethanol plant has twist By HOMER BRICKEY BLADE SENIOR BUSINESS WRITER FREMONT - A $109 million ethanol plant planned on the site of a former sugar-beet processing factory in Fremont is unusual in that the owner of a big chunk of the plant will be a cooperative of sugar-beet growers who are, in effect, financing a facility that will benefit corn farmers. The proposed Ohio Renewable Fuels LLC plant, scheduled to begin production in 2009, is designed to pump out 50 million gallons of the alternative fuel annually, using corn as the raw material. Although some ethanol is produced from sugar beets, industry experts and the U.S. Department of Agriculture say corn ethanol is more profitable.- http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070628/BUSINESS01/706280360/-1/RSS04
June 29, 200717 yr http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070629/NEWS16/706290416/-1/NEWS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Article published June 29, 2007 Port gives ethanol plant thumbs up Bowling Green firm gets preliminary OK for new refinery By DAVID PATCH BLADE STAFF WRITER A Bowling Green firm’s plan to build an ethanol refinery on up to 30 acres at the Port of Toledo received preliminary approval yesterday from the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, which agreed to sub-lease land for the proposed plant. If built as proposed, the Buckeye Biopower LLC facility would produce 108 million gallons of ethanol annually and employ about 50 people at average salaries of $45,000. It would cost $220 million for construction and start-up. More at link above:
June 30, 200717 yr From the 6/30/07 Coshocton Tribune: Tax deal on ethanol plant starts to pay off By KATHIE DICKERSON Staff Writer COSHOCTON - It's been more than two years since the Franklin Township Joint Economic Development District was formed with the City of Coshocton, and the fruits of that agreement are beginning to be realized. The district board learned details of income tax collection at a Friday morning meeting. http://www.coshoctontribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070630/NEWS01/706300301/1002/rss01
June 30, 200717 yr Farmers plant most corn since record '44 crop Saturday, June 30, 2007 3:26 AM DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Farmers this year planted the most corn since the waning days of World War II, outpacing already-high expectations for the crop, according to a federal report issued yesterday. Fueled by high demand and high prices, farmers planted 92.9 million acres of corn, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated. That's 19 percent more than in 2006 and above expectations. More at: http://dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/06/30/planting_corn.ART_ART_06-30-07_C9_DI75U6U.html
July 1, 200717 yr Meanwhile...soybean acreage dropped from 75.5 million acres planted to 67.1 million acres planted according to the Ag. Dept. See Pg. 15 of this report... http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/CropProd/CropProd-06-11-2007.pdf
July 3, 200717 yr From the 7/2/07 Fostoria Review Times: Biofuel production begins here next year By RUSS ZIMMER staff writer Biofuel production will begin in Fostoria by middle to late 2008, according to an ethanol company spokesman. After the permitting process — both at the state and local level — is complete, Bob Berens, site plan supervisor for Poet, said the construction of the plant would take about a year. More at: http://www.reviewtimes.com/News/backissues/2007/Jul/ar_news_070207.asp#story4
July 4, 200717 yr From the 7/3/07 Blade: BUCKEYE BIOFUELS Ethanol plant at port would use costly new technology Official says new method would cut operating expense By JON CHAVEZ BLADE BUSINESS WRITER A proposed ethanol plant at the Port of Toledo would cost significantly more than any plants under construction or proposed for the region and would pay its workers more. But the chairman of the start-up company, Buckeye Biofuels LLC, said his facility would use the very latest technology to produce 108 million gallons annually. More at: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070703/BUSINESS01/707030378/-1/RSS04
July 5, 200717 yr From the 7/4/07 Newark Advocate: E85 still has failed to submit rezoning request Ethanol plant cannot be built until land is rezoned By MARK SZAKONYI Advocate Reporter NEWARK -- Two weeks ago, E85 Inc. officials said they would file a request with Newark to rezone part of the site of the company's proposed ethanol facility within the next two weeks. As of Tuesday afternoon, the rezoning request had not been filed with the city, said David Calhoun, the city's service director. More at: http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070704/NEWS01/707040310/1002/rss01
July 9, 200717 yr From the 7/8/07 Newark Advocate: Ethanol's impact Amount of pollution still a question mark By MARK SZAKONYI Advocate Reporter NEWARK -- Determining the effect of Ohio ethanol plants on the environment is tricky considering none have started production. But a Des Moines Register newspaper report on how ethanol plants affect Iowa's air, water and soil points to concerns for Ohio's own environment when its facilities go online. More at: http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070708/NEWS01/707080301/1002/rss01
July 9, 200717 yr Construction nearing completion on one area ethanol facility Bob Blake | [email protected] - 07.09.2007 LIMA — Physical construction work on the Greater Ohio Ethanol facility in Lima is nearing completion. The plant, one of three announced projects to produce ethanol across the area, is on target for startup operations this fall, President Greg Kruger said. More: http://www.limaohio.com/story.php?IDnum=40399
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