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Check Out NBB's New, Eco-Friendly Digs
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The NBB has moved to new digs and you are cordially invited to the ribbon cutting and tree planting ceremony. The festivities will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wed., Sept. 10, with a reception and open house to follow. NBB's new headquarters building has been renovated from the ground up. The result is a state-of-the-art office with exciting technological capabilities, such as worldwide video conferencing and many eco-friendly features.
If you miss the ceremony, you can find out about the new building and see photos here.
Please make a note that the new address is:
National Biodiesel Board
605 Clark Avenue
Jefferson City, Missouri 65101
Wednesday, September 10th
Ribbon Cutting: 10:00 a.m.
Reception and Open House: 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
RSVP (573) 635-3893
Lhelming@biodiesel.org.
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Food Corporations Behind Negative Biofuel Campaign Raise Food Prices
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A new analysis by FoodPriceTruth.org reveals that the corporate profits of some of the nation's giant food companies have soared over the past 12 months by as much as 121 percent. These companies are members of the trade group the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA), recently exposed for funding a public relations smear campaign to blame biofuels for rising food costs. Find out more at FoodPriceTruth.org.
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Dems Go Green; Presidential Nominee Obama Tours a Biodiesel Plant
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The Democratic National Convention that nominated Barack Obama for president last week was touted as being the "greenest political convention ever" and biodiesel was at the top of the list of green initiatives. Among many pollution and waste reduction measures, the buses and generators ran on biodiesel, thus cutting emissions of particulate matter and helping to clean the air.
Now that he's the democratic nominee, one of Barack Obama's first stops was to tour a biodiesel plant. Obama toured Pennsylvania Biodiesel, a plant located outside Pittsburgh. Pat Copple, president of Pennsylvania Biodiesel, said that it was an honor to have Obama visit the plant. "We hope he leaves with a strong understanding of how important continued federal support is, including extension of the biodiesel tax incentive," Copple said. The state has taken a progressive approach in passing pro-biodiesel legislation. This year, Pennsylvania passed legislation to incentivize production, as well as a 2 percent mandate that takes effect one year after in-state production exceeds 40 million gallons.
Presidential candidates Obama and John McCain have both voiced their support for renewable fuels like biodiesel, and the National Biodiesel Board looks forward to working on energy security initiatives with whichever administration gets elected.
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EPA Denies RFS Waiver Request
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The National Biodiesel Board appreciates the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency taking a careful approach to the State of Texas waiver request. In July, the EPA denied Texas Governor Rick Perry's request to cut the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by 50 percent for ethanol. It is important to note that all renewable fuels qualify for the current RFS. In fact, if the RFS is waived or reduced in 2008, then the growth of all biofuels, including "advanced biofuels" such as biodiesel, would be severely hindered.
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Companies Study Over-the-Road CO2 Reduction with Biodiesel
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At the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas last month, the National Biodiesel Board announced a pilot program to study carbon dioxide (CO2) and emissions reduction of an over-the-road fleet using biodiesel. NBB partnered with Chicago-based Indigenous Energy, LLC, developers of emissions tracking systems, and Los Angeles-based States Logistics, a fleet and logistics company using biodiesel. Seven of Sates Logistics trucks, five running on B5 and two on B99, will be evaluated.
The pilot program takes into account several areas to measure carbon, including vehicle type, distance traveled, number of gallons used, percentage of biodiesel used and biodiesel feedstock type, such as soybean oil. The six-month pilot will culminate in a report quantifying States Logistics' emissions and CO2 reduction from using biodiesel. So far, results for May and June showed a 16.5 ton reduction in CO2 emissions.
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BQ-9000 Now Dominates the Biodiesel Market
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The option to buy biodiesel from a company certified under BQ-9000 is becoming more widespread as six biodiesel producers and marketers recently achieved BQ-9000 certification.
With the addition of the following, certified marketers total 15 and certified producers total 33, representing well over 75 percent of biodiesel produced in the U.S.
Certified Marketer:
Downs Companies, Corona, CA
Certified Producers:
Piedmont Biofuels, Pittsboro, N.C.
Beacon Energy Corp., Cleburne, Texas
Lake Erie Biofuels, Erie, Pa.
Paseo-Cargill Energy, Kansas City, Mo.
Ag Processing Inc. (AGP), St. Joseph, Mo.
"It’s good for the entire industry when so many companies make the commitment to producing the highest quality biodiesel, meeting the most rigid ASTM specifications," said Leland Tong, Chairman of the National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission which is the governing body for the BQ-9000 program. "I think that it also demonstrates the market power of BQ-9000."
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All Things Biodiesel is the Source for Biodiesel Pump Labels, Webinars
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Complying with the new biodiesel pump labeling requirements is now easy on AllThingsBiodiesel.com. The official labels are available for one dollar on the Web site. Starting Dec. 16, 2008, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires these labels to be displayed on all retail biodiesel pumps selling a B5 (5 percent biodiesel) or higher blend. In addition to the approved FTC labels and pump labeling kits, AllThingsBiodiesel.com has in-depth information on compliance with the FTC rules.
While you're there, sign up for the Executive Risk Insurance Webinar. Developing or owning a biodiesel company can be risky, but this free webinar will help you make sense of the many insurance choices available to protect your investment. This webinar will explain coverages such as executives and directors, employment practices liability, fiduciary liability, and crime coverage and reveal why you may need them. Join employee risk management specialists Huntleigh McGehee on Tues., Oct. 14, 2008 from 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM CDT for this online webinar. Sign up at AllThingsbiodiesel.com.
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All Aboard for Biodiesel: Trains, More, Tout New Use
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For over 100 years, The Mount Washington Cog Railway has been taking tourists up Mount Washington for the spectacular view. Now, another first for the first mountain-climbing cog railway in the nation – the #9 train has been retrofitted to burn biodiesel instead of coal. And soon, the biodiesel train will have a new name. On Sept. 6, New Hampshire Governor John Lynch will dedicate the #9 biodiesel locomotive and announce the winning name chosen from hundreds submitted during a “Name That Train” contest.
In keeping with biodiesel use and mountains, this summer's 8th Annual Summer Meltdown music festival in the Cascade Mountain Foothills in Washington state was powered by biodiesel. B99 supplied by Whole Energy powered all of the festival's generators. Since early in this decade, when major music festivals started using biodiesel in generators, biodiesel's low fumes, pleasant odor and carbon reduction have made it a popular choice for concerts and festivals.
Retailer Ikea is touring a biodiesel-fueled truck featuring a 3D showroom and mobile billboard around Seattle this summer. The biodiesel truck from GoMobile Advertising shows a living space encapsulated in the truck’s glass sides.
Atlanta-based media company, Cox Enterprises, is using Navistar International hybrid diesel trucks fueled with biodiesel to lessen its impact on the environment. With the thirteenth largest fleet in the nation, Cox Enterprises has 1,400 diesel vehicles.
Syracuse, New York, Mayor Matthew J. Driscoll announced a "green" component to its Westcott Reservoir Rehabilitation Project. A.P. Reale and Sons is using biodiesel in all of its on-site construction equipment including excavators, trucks and cranes. The company estimates that they will be replacing over 500 gallons daily of #2 diesel with B20.
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From Butter Cow to Biodiesel: Art to Become Feedstock
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Ever wonder what happens to all that butter from state fair butter sculptures? Well, kudos to at least two state fairs that are recycling butter fat into biodiesel.
Ohio State Fair and New York State Fair have both turned "art" into fuel by donating the 2,500 and 900 pounds respectively to universities where biodiesel will be made and used. Ohio State Fair's butter sculptures of eight U.S. presidents from Ohio will become biodiesel fuel through a project at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. New York State Fair's sculpture, "Cow Jumping Over the Moon," will be donated to the state university's College of Environmental Science and Forestry where students will convert the sculpture into biodiesel for the college's vehicles.
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Two Biodiesel Companies Make the Inc. 5000 List
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Two biodiesel companies have been named to Inc. Magazine's list of the fastest growing privately held companies in the United States.
Greenline Industries of Larkspur, Calif., was named No. 7 on the Inc. 5,000 list and No. 1 on both the Energy Sector and Top 100 Businesses in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif., lists. Greenline Industries provides modular, waterless biodiesel platforms to small and medium-sized producers around the world. According to Inc. Magazine, Greenline has experienced a 10,941.8 percent growth rate since it was founded in 2002. Greenline has 33 processing lines in four countries for a total production capacity of 250 million gallons. Greenline is a National Biodiesel Board member.
Biodiesel producer Blue Sun Biodiesel of Golden, Co., was ranked No. 23 on the Inc. 5000 Energy List and No. 242 on the overall Inc. 5000 list. Inc. Magazine stated that Blue Sun has achieved 1,000 percent growth rate in the past three years.
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Upcoming Events
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USDA AGRIBUSINESS TRADE AND INVESTMENT MISSION TO CENTRAL AMERICA
USDA is sponsoring a Regional Agribusiness Trade and Investment Mission to Central America, scheduled for September 22 – 26, 2008, in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The Regional Mission will be lead by Secretary Schafer or a designee and include six countries in the Central American corridor: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.
darrell.upshaw@fas.gov
14th Annual OPIS Fleet Fueling Conf & Exhibition
OPIS
September 21-23, 2008
Hyatt Regency
Atlanta, Georgia
www.opisnet.com/fleetfueling/agenda.html
National Biodiesel Board meeting
Nov. 17-20, 2008
St. Louis, MO
members.biodiesel.org
National Biodiesel Conference & Expo
National Biodiesel Board
Feb. 1-4, 2009
San Francisco, CA
www.biodieselconference.org
Please visit "biodiesel events" on biodiesel.org for more.
The Biodiesel Family of Web Sites
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