Brownback applauds EPA’s ruling on grain sorghum

Good to see some new feedstocks enter the mix, especially right as some interesting new flex fuel vehicles are hitting the market. It's always great to have a choice and be able to burn which ever fuel gives the most 'miles per dollar'.

December 10, 2012 at 8:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Gas stations' switch to summer fuel could mean a rise in gas prices

As I mentioned above, modern production is substantially energy positive and a substantial chunk of the energy used is domestic, so the whole process requires much less foreign oil than simply running on straight gasoline.

Ethanol has already replaced 10%+ of our transportation fuel and easily has the capacity to do more. Plus produce byproducts which can be used for bio-diesel and dried distillers grains which are excellent livestock feed.

If we had the capacity to round up all the crap we throw out, and run new garbage-to-ethanol plants, that percentage could easily double. I probably wasn't clear, but I never claimed it would replace ALL foreign oil, but the undesirable stuff...mid east, Venezuela, other dictatorships, etc could easily be turned off.

My bottom line is this: put Americans to work first, give me a choice at the pump...if gas gets too high I will simply buy ethanol... and stop buying oil from terrorists and people who want to kill us.

March 22, 2011 at 11:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Gas stations' switch to summer fuel could mean a rise in gas prices

There is obviously some diesel involved in growing/transport (which could eventually be bio-diesel made from corn oil left over after ethanol production) but the electricity, natural gas, etc most likely comes from other American resources which further puts other Americans to work.

If you look up any modern study, the energy balance is substantially positive due to new crop growing techniques, more efficient harvesting/transporting, better technology in distilling, etc. From memory, the average of some of the more modern studies was about 1.3-1.4x return on energy and of the energy put in 60-70% was from other American resources...coal, natural gas, hydro, etc.

One of the 'cutting edge' breakthroughs is locating ethanol plants near power plants and other large sources of low grade 'waste' heat. What is 'waste' to the power plant is a perfect temperature for ethanol distilling - and essentially 'free energy'.

The big fraud is continuing the 'foreign oil is good and the only alternative' rhetoric while American workers are looking for jobs and foreign dictators are running amock with pockets full of oil money.

March 22, 2011 at 8:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Gas stations' switch to summer fuel could mean a rise in gas prices

Not sure what you mean by 'power' - it does have lower BTU's/gallon, but higher octane (105) and burns more efficiently. I have not noticed any loss in engine power using it in my truck and my car absolutely loves it due to the high octane.

Many studies have shown ethanol (which is increasingly coming from non-food items such as cellulose and other waste) actually moderates food prices by reducing the high cost of transportation fuel.

Even today, corn is much less than 15 cents per pound, yet a 1 pound bag of corn chips is about $4.00 on the store shelf. Even if corn were free, we'd still be paying over $3.85 for a bag of nachos...plus probably an extra $2.00 in taxes to help all the unemployed farmers, truck drivers, machinists, plant workers, etc - who are employed by the ethanol industry.

March 22, 2011 at 8:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Gas stations' switch to summer fuel could mean a rise in gas prices

Hanni left out one more important tip - keep an eye on E85 prices. The price spread typically widens in the summer - it's usually 25 and up to 30% less expensive around here. This more than offsets the 10-15% drop in mileage seen on most FFV's. So overall, makes a substantial savings...and puts Americans to work vs funding foreign dictators and terrorists!

March 21, 2011 at 8:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

City of Lawrence asked to get into the glass recycling business

Putting glass recycle bins at large grocery stores would certainly have merit - most households go grocery shopping several times a month, so it shouldn't be any big deal to take glass back to the store.

Would sure like to see considerations of curbside pick-up as well, The trucks are already driving the route, seems like it would be super cheap just to pick the glass up at that time.

February 14, 2011 at 9:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Price of gasoline could reach $3 per gallon by Christmas

Dare I say 'Here we go again.' As long as we rely on foreign countries for such a valuable resource, we are going to be subject to large price swings.

I've been using E85. A 12% loss in mileage, but about 15% cheaper fuel - so it's putting a little money in my pocket vs gas. Though if gasoline takes off in price, hopefully ethanol will lag behind. Several months ago, E85 was ~25% cheaper than gas which was a real savings! Either way, I'd rather employ an american farmer than equip a foreign terrorist with guns and bombs.

[fire suit on, let the flaming begin]

December 8, 2010 at 3:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Fire crews respond to chimney fire near Baldwin City

Certainly a lot can be said of preventive maintenance when it comes to the chimney. Though I've found with dry wood and an EPA stove, the flue barely has any accumulation of creosote after a full season of burning.

November 12, 2010 at 8:08 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Family members looking for 13-year-old boy

First, best wishes for a safe and speedy return home.

On the other side, I don't know many teens who can stay 'unplugged' for more than a few minutes. Hopefully someone is looking at cell phone, text, twitter, facebook, any other hobbies/newsgroups or blogs he might frequent.

June 5, 2010 at 9:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

BP turns blind eye to llamas’ helping hair

Interesting idea - though I suppose it is the BP corporate mantra..."Why use something natural, when you can make a synthetic from good 'ol oil" Despite the former "green" image, BP has always tried to stomp out ethanol. Again, they'd hate to see something which can be made from corn, wood, or other waste products when they sell oil.

When I first saw the headline, I thought maybe they were using the hair for the 'junk shot' I guess that didn't go so well using ground up tires - which is not much of a surprise. But given the way hair can clog up a drain, seems to be the perfect thing to plug up a well!

May 30, 2010 at 6:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )