“In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is.” – Jan L. A. van de Snepscheut A very short paper (two pages) appeared in the latest Science detailing an […]
Yes He Could
Feasible? Yes. Realistic? No. Do I believe the U.S. can be energy independent? Yes, I believe that with certain draconian measures, the U.S. could achieve energy independence within 10 years. But emphasis must be placed […]
Aventine, Verenium on the Ropes
Reality is starting to catch up with prospective cellulosic ethanol producers. I felt like this was bound to happen, but the poor economy is making it happen faster than I expected. I expected some plants […]
The Next Five Years
Peak Lite and the Current Oil Picture A few years ago, after spending a lot of time thinking about peak oil, and then watching the price of oil break out of its historical trading range […]
Tariff Turnabout
This is a timely story, coming on the heels of the previous story on the tariffs the U.S. applies to Brazilian ethanol: European tariffs stun U.S. biodiesel industry The U.S. biodiesel industry will suffer from […]
Trying to Make Sense of Ethanol Tariffs
Note that in the following essay, I am not trying to come down either for or against ethanol tariffs, but rather to discuss what I see as the key issues surrounding them. U.S. energy policy […]
Valero Now in the Ethanol Business
In an update to Big Oil Buys Big Ethanol, it is official: Valero Energy, the Oil Refiner, Wins an Auction for 7 Ethanol Plants Valero Energy, the country’s largest independent refiner, said on Wednesday that […]
The Oil Industry Helps Bail Out AIG
OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration. But they did just chip in close a billion dollars to the government coffers that are propping up AIG:US Central Gulf Lease Sale Bids Total $703 Million HOUSTON -(Dow Jones)- […]
A Lost Litigation Opportunity
While the so-called ‘hot gas’ issue has been discussed here several times before, there are new developments out in California that have Oil Watchdog and the $295/hr lawyer behind this ‘consumer organization’ crying over lost […]
The WSJ Hates Ethanol
Actually, according to them everybody hates it:Everyone Hates Ethanol I can assure them that corn farmers, ethanol producers, and ethanol lobbyists don’t hate ethanol. 🙂 But they are correct that a coalition of strange bedfellows […]