Car Firms and Investors Greet UK Biofuel

Great Britain's race car drivers, police car fleets, and supermarket customers are responding to industry investment in biofuel opportunities. In addition, parliament mandated a Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation in fall 2005, and car manufacturers such as Saab and Ford are providing several flexible-fuel vehicles to the British market. Everyone involved cites profit potential in biofuels.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4498934.stm

College Burns Wood Chips Instead of Cash

A Massachusetts community college has reduced its winter electric heating bill and its greenhouse gas emissions significantly with a switch to wood chips. The Mt. Wachusett Community College has spent as much as $400,000 for one winter's heating, but can now apply the majority of those funds towards the conversion costs, and further biomass projects.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0512210343dec21,1,4285055.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true

Sharp Develops Technology to Apply Plant-Based Resin Paint Made from Corn

Sharp Corporation, a manufacturer of consumer electronics, has announced a successful partnership with Kansai Paint Company, Ltd. The two firms have mastered a process to bond a biobased paint film to their products. The first of these manufactured items are expected to be on the market in spring 2006.

http://www.pcb007.com/anm/templates/article.aspx?articleid=4347&zoneid=145

Waste Plastic from War a Fuel Resource? An Iowa farmer-owned cooperative has received a grant towards work using discarded plastic from front-line military operations in biodiesel production. If successful, the fuel produced will have yet another function in the conversion of waste to a useful product for low-emission transportation.

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060112/BUSINESS01/601120361/1029/BUSINESS

RFA President Urges Honda, Toyota to be Part of America's Renewable Fuels Revolution Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President Bob Dinneen today (1/23/06) wrote to the head of U.S. operations for both Honda and Toyota, urging them to reconsider their decisions not to market flex-fuel vehicles (FFV), vehicles capable of operating on 85 percent ethanol blend, in the U.S. In recent comments to the Wall Street Journal ("Ford, GM, Make Push on "Flex Fuel" Vehicles," 1/10/06), both automakers downplayed the importance of renewable fuels like ethanol in the U.S.

http://www.ethanolrfa.org/media/press/rfa/view.php?id=534

Governor Pataki Unveils Comprehensive Plan to Cut New York's Dependence on Imported Energy Governor George E. Pataki today (1/16/06) unveiled a comprehensive, multi-faceted plan that will help reduce New York's dependence on imported energy, position the State to become a center for renewable energy research and job creation, and provide help for soaring home heating bills to New Yorkers. The plan, most of which will be included in the Governor's Executive Budget that will be unveiled tomorrow, is designed to encourage the production and use of renewable fuels in New York, promote the expanded use of energy-efficient cars and vehicles, spur new renewable energy research and job creation, and provide relief to New Yorkers from rising energy bills.

http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/06/0116062.html