U. S. ethanol industry could face more bankruptcies

More U. S. ethanol distillers may be forced to seek bankruptcy protection if they fail to keep costs down as the industry gets squeezed by oil refiners and gyrating corn costs alike. VeraSun Energy Corp., the largest publicly traded U. S. ethanol company with 14 distilleries across eight states, said Oct. 31 it was seeking

No bail-out for ethanol makers

The U. S. government would waste its money on ethanol, “the Fuel to Nowhere,” if it uses a loan guarantee program to prop up struggling ethanol makers, said officials from anti-waste groups Oct. 20. The officials criticized the prospect that ethanol makers could obtain up to US$25 million in bank loans carrying an Agriculture Department