U. S. ethanol profits slip on softer fuel prices

Profit margins for U. S. ethanol distillers slipped to evermore dismal levels this week as the price of the alternative motor fuel fell about 10 cents a gallon. Average U. S. distillers were making about 10 cents per gallon for the week ending Nov. 13, about 10 cents lower than the previous week (all figures

U. S. bill to wipe out “splash and dash”

The lucrative “splash and dash” practice of collecting U. S. tax credits on imported biodiesel fuel that is sent to Europe would end under the financial rescue bill sent to the White House Oct. 3. President George W. Bush was expected to sign the bill, which also extends the $1-a-gallon biodiesel tax credit through 2009


Corn ethanol falls out of favour

Corn-based ethanol is yesterday’s news for venture capitalists who, these days, are betting on everything from wood chips and algae to turkey guts and trash as potential sources of next-generation biofuels. Corn ethanol caught the imagination of U. S. policy-makers as a way to fix multiple problems: rising oil prices, dependence on foreign oil and