A lot of people have a lot to say as Pacific Ethanol, a California-based company, opened the valves at its plant in the Magic Valley. Concerns from rising corn prices, to feed lot shortages, to making it all work have been brought forward. The new plant is expected to use 21 million bushels of corn to produce 60 million gallons of ethanol each year. Officials are saying the byproduct will be shipped to feed lots – a big item in the Magic Valley.
Workers at UPS Freight (formerly Overnite Transportation) terminals in Idaho were among the more than 150 drivers who signed authorization cards to become Teamsters, according to a news article.
"It's a great day for the workers in Boise and they will quickly see the advantages of being in a union," Mark Briggs, secretary-treasurer of Local 483, said. "Idaho is also a right-to-work state and these protections really count more than ever here."
4 Comments
How much energy will be expended to grow and transport that 21 million bushels of corn and how much energy will be expended to produce that 60 million gallons of ethanol?
Comment By Chuck Miller Wednesday, April 30, 2008 @ 12:59 PM
An article in Business Week on yesterday announced that the X Prize Foundation which made its name handing out $10 million awards for cutting-edge innovation in promising but thinly financed fields of research, is targeting one of the most-crowded contests in technology: the race to discover clean alternatives to fossil fuels. The foundation will divvy up some $100 million for transformations in biofuels, clean aviation fuel, energy storage, the provision of basic utilities for developing nations, and other categories. In a telephone interview and an e-mail exchange, foundation President Tom Vander Ark said the biofuels prize worth at least $10 million will be launched late this year. "The current generation of biofuels is having terrible, unintended consequences, and we will try to avoid that with the next generation," Vander Ark says.
The article stated that the foundation has issued skeletal details on the new prizes in recent days on its Web site but noted that the rules for the biofuels category reflect the current spike in corn, wheat, and soybean prices, blamed at least in part on the production of ethanol. Among the rules are that contestants must produce a biofuels plant that uses nonagricultural fuel. The plant must also be small-scale and easily shipped, thus making the technology applicable anywhere in the world.
Comment By Chuck Miller Wednesday, April 30, 2008 @ 2:05 PM
This may be a little off topic, I hope not.
Lately the biofuel makers are getting a "bad rap" because of impending food shortages in the world. I agree with the president and think we should be investing in these types of technology. And as far the Magic Valley implied benefits of having the plant in their locale, I say hooray for them.
Job market is tight right now for lots of folks; this is a great opportunity to provide income and much needed property taxes for the communities around the plant.
I think the United States should raise the price on food products going to those that are providing oil for the U.S. at $120 plus a barrel a plus. Maybe it will convince them to lower their prices once they realize the bread basket of the world is going to start charging them a little more for what they need just as they are charging us more for what we need.
Comment By Dave G. Wednesday, April 30, 2008 @ 3:20 PM
Now that you are using up all of the corn to make fuel.
What are we supposed to do for food?
Ethanol is a great idea, but just like all great ideas their is a down side to this one.
Making fuel is great as long as we don't deplete are food supplies at the same time.
Everything must have a balance, once Ethanol takes off, eating corn will be a thing of past.
All of the corn crops will end up inside someones gas tank.
And corn on the cob will be no more! Man has had great ideas before only, no one ever stops and thinks about this fuel cutting into our food supplies.
Every farmer will be growing corn just for fuel and nothing else.
I know that we have to have alternatives for man made fuels: but will the cost of ethnol really be that much cheeper in the long run from that of the big oil companies. If so I am all for it, will all engines be able to run on Ethanol or do we need a converter of some kind?
CONTACT US at 208.336.3768
WANT THREE FREE ISSUES?
