DOE moderated a session on the path for commercialization. The panel consisted of several cellulosic ethanol innovators who outlined business plans, feedstock thoughts, and growth prospects.

Verenium Corporation enzymes for cellulosic biofuels, with two joint partnerships with BP. Working in Florida for a cellulosic pilot. Cannot afford to loose momentum. Infrastructure incompatibility is bogus argument � we�d never have the internet. Lets build something for the next 100 years.

Abengoa Bioenergy in ...

Marathon and Murphy Oil outlined some of their activities and investments in ethanol. Marathon has invested in production with two plants and a network spread out across the Midwest and into the southeast with a Virginia impact in the valley. Marathon’s Cliff Cook believes E85 is not the magic bullet, but instead blends over E10 will be more effective in expanding ethanol use as long as there are older traditional vehicles on the road. To ...

Tom Stephens provided an informational tour of General Motor’s restructuring and improvements over this past year. He showcased some of the company’s innovative technology, such as the expected capacity for the Chevy Volt to use E85 after the initial model year.

The review of GM technology was far more informative than the Washington insider panel. The panel served as a showcase for petroleum, automotive, and convenience industry lobbyists to disregard science and good policy to beat each other ...

The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance moderated an international discussion on the international landscape for biofuels. There was a discussion of complex and nuanced protectionism versus free trade market forces for biofuels trade with the reality that nearly all countries have established varying levels of tariffs and market barriers to promote local agriculture. The food for fuels debate has also significantly eroded the political support for biofuels even as conventional oils prices skyrocketed and oil related political conflicts ...

Two friends were placed in the awkward situation of debating indirect land use impacts. In summary, there is much research and policy work yet to be done.

Michigan State University professor Bruce Dale disagreed substantially with the concept of indirect land use change, defining it as the concept that biofuels sales in the US reduce US exports and cause other countries clear land to grown more crops and export them. In response he tested models and found no correlation ...

Immediately following the welcome was a discussion on EPA regulations and specifically on RFS2 from early February 2010. [LINK RFS2] There was a great summary of RFS2 provided by the EPA and also a realization that renewable fuels lifecycle science has evolved significantly over the last year gearing up to the EPA regulation release. The National Academy of Sciences will also review EPA�s approach on RFS2 to confirm science.

The 15th Annual National Ethanol Conference takes place in Orlando, Florida from February 15-17, 2010. Alleyn Harned, Virginia Clean Cities’ Program Coordinator, is at the conference and the below weblog is his view of the action. Check back throughout the conference to hear the latest in ethanol, and the discussions about the opportunities and challenges facing this renewable fuel industry.

If you have any burning questions and can’t make the meeting, email or comment directly to the blog Alleyn and ...

Ethanol industry representatives from all over the country have gathered here in Orlando Florida for the Renewable Fuels Association’s 15th Annual National Ethanol Conference. The pre-conference welcome activities this evening included a packed reception that ran the lengths of the foyer and lobby. After chatting with several ethanol producers from the Midwest, listening to innovators from New York, and getting an education on sorghum, I was able to briefly catch up with Osage representatives. This meeting appears well attended and ...