From left to right: Michelle Kautz,
NEVC; Peter Hoffer, MO Dept. of Ag.;
John Eggleston, NE MO Grains;
Jerry Taylor, MFA Oil; and
Gary Marshall, MO Corn Growers Assn.

A seventh E85 facility was opened in Missouri on September 29 in Macon.  A grand opening celebration was kicked-off by a press conference and an E85 for 85 cent per gallon promotion.  The station is located at the Petro-Card 24 at 1805 North Missouri in Macon. 
 

MFA Oil, Northeast Missouri Grains, the Missouri Corn Growers Association, and the NEVC worked collaboratively in opening this new E85 facility.  "This new E85 facility is a product of many proactive groups working together for the good of Missouri,” said Gary Marshall, CEO of the Missouri Corn Growers Association and a past chairman of the NEVC.  “E85 is good for consumers, good for farmers, good for the environment, and good for the nation.  By touching all four bases, E85 is a grand slam!"

FFV vehicle display.

Other representatives at the press event included:  Jerry Taylor, President and CEO of MFA Oil Company; John Eggleston, President and Steve Burnett, General Manager of Northeast Missouri Grains Ethanol Plant; Ann Stock, U.S. Senator Kit Bond’s office; Donna Spickert, U.S. Senator Jim Talent’s state director; Scott Callicott, U.S. Representative Kenny Hulshof’s office; Wayne Hackman, GM of Macon REC; Senator David Klindt, Chairman, Missouri Senate Ag Committee; Senator John Cauthorn, Vice-Chairman, Missouri Senate Ag Committee; Representative John Quinn, Chairman, Missouri House Ag Appropriations Committee; Representative Therese Sander, Vice-Chairman, Missouri House Agriculture Committee; Representative Steve Hobbs, Vice-Chairman, Missouri House Ag Appropriations Committee; Representative Brian Munzlinger, Missouri House Agriculture Committee member; Representative Wes Shoemyer, Missouri House Agriculture Committee member; Peter Hofherr, Director, Missouri Department of Agriculture; Cindy Carroll, Energy Specialist, Missouri Department of Natural Resources Energy Center; and a Representative from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Over 850 gallons of E85 were sold during the promotion. 

Other E85 locations in Missouri include those in Columbia, Kansas City, Jefferson City, and Ballwin.  For addresses, visit www.E85Fuel.com.

Wyoming Ethanol Expanding Torrington, WY Facility

-by Trey Wilkinson of the Torrington (WY) Telegram 

Wyoming Ethanol is expanding and the results should be a great boost to the local economy.

The expansion is due to the increase in the market demand for ethanol. The building itself will in turn double in capacity, according to plant manager Dan Schwartzkopf.

The target date set for the final project is before the new crop of 2005 so that the resources will be available for the 2005 crop.

There will be many new additions to the current building, including new fermentation, new distillation and added grain handling facilities. "We are planning on increasing all phases of the operation," said Schwartzkopf.

Schwartzkopf commented that the expansion should cause an increase market for corn growers. Right now there are approximately 1.8 million bushels of corn per year used at Wyoming Ethanol and this number will double as a result of the expansion.

To put this in perspective, one bushel of corn produces 2.6 gallons of ethanol and one gallon of ethanol treats 10 gallons of gas.

Currently, 73 percent of the ethanol produced at Wyoming Ethanol is sold in the state of Wyoming.

There will not be an large number of newly hired employees as a result of the expansion, in fact the company will probably only hire two or three new employees because of the control systems that are already in place.

In an effort to keep most of the money spent on the project in the area Wyoming Ethanol is trying to hire local area contractors for the job. Schwartzkopf believes that this project will produce positive results.

"This expansion will definitely have a positive effect on the community and the growers," said Schwartzkopf. "It will give quite a boost to the economy."  Wyoming Ethanol is a member of the NEVC and we are pleased with their support of our efforts.

Bushels of E85 Pumped at Promotions

Almost 2,000 gallons of E85 were sold at three recent E85 promotions.  E85 was sold for just 85 cents per gallon at events at the Nobles County Coop Oil Cenex in Worthington, Minnesota; at the Cenex Pump 24 in Story City, Iowa; and at the Ampride in Hinton, Iowa.

The E85 promotion at 1710 Huminstan Avenue in Worthington, Minnesota sold 786 gallons of E85 for the discounted rate of 85 cents per gallon on September 13.
 
Flexible-fuel vehicles from Worthington area Ford, Chrysler and General Motors dealers were on display at the Worthington event.  All staff at an adjacent GM dealership were supplied goodie bags and the FFVs on their lot were "ID'd" so customers and staff will be reminded of their capability.
 
E85 pricing at the Nobles County Coop station has been 20 cents below 87-octane gasoline since opening in June.
 

A similar event was held over the weekend of September 11 in Story City, Iowa.
 
Christi Vander Voort, NEVC Iowa E85 Coordinator stated, “Story City’s E85 Grand Opening was a great success. The weather was beautiful and the people came out to buy E85 and learn about E85. With over 570 gallons of E85 sold in just 5 hours, it proves that Iowa is waking up to E85 and its advantages.”

A third E85 promotion was held on September 24 at the Cenex at 121 North Floyd Avenue in Hinton, Iowa. Over 600 gallons of the clean, alternative fuel were sold during the grand opening.

Representatives from
Story City, IA had a ceremonial
ribbon cutting.

The 2004 National Conference of State Fleet Administrators Conference and Trade Show hosted almost 200 government and private state fleet representatives in Branson, Missouri from September 21-25.  The beautiful scenery and many activities provided a location of relaxation along with work. 

NEVC’s Director of Communications, Michelle Kautz, attended the event.  “The conference gave me a chance to meet many state fleet managers who had questions about E85.  I found that many were very interested in the product but were unsure how to find fuel for their vehicles.”  Clean Fueling Technologies joined the NEVC in their exhibitor booth where they displayed one of their three custom E85 dispensers (shown left).

A wide array of topics were discussed each day to educate the fleet managers.  Kautz also spoke on a panel which discussed the advancement of alternative fuel vehicles.

“Two new flexible-fuel vehicles will be available as 2005 models,” commented Kautz.  “General Motors will offer the 2005 Chevy Avalanche and the 2005 Tahoe with a police package.  Look for other new E85 compatible models to be manufactured in 2006.”

NEVC Receives Recognition at STL Clean Cities Redesignation

The St. Louis Clean Cities Coalition recently celebrated its tenth year anniversary.  Kevin Herdler, Clean Cities Coordinator, along with General Motors Corporation sponsored a dinner cruise for many partners of the organization to celebrate on September 18.

Attendees boarded the Tom Sawyer Riverboat early in the evening, ate dinner and enjoyed live jazz music.  “It was an pleasant evening,” commented Michelle Kautz who attended on behalf of the NEVC. 

The NEVC was recognized with a plaque for being a leader in reducing the nation’s dependence on imported oil through their commitment to advanced transportation technologies and participation in the Clean Cities Program.

The St. Louis Clean Cities Coalition is a member of the NEVC.

The fifth Nebraska E85 fueling facility was opened to the public on October 4 at Bosselman’s Pump & Pantry at Highway 281 and Capital Avenue in Grand Island. The event featured Nebraska Governor Mike Johanns who kicked-off the grand opening ceremony.

"This is the fifth pump in Nebraska, and I can guarantee you that you're going to see more pumps as time goes on," Governor Johanns said. "It will create jobs, it's an extra market for our corn and sorghum, and it's very, very positive." The governor also unveiled the state road signs that will promote the fuel along the highway and will guide drivers to the E85 fueling locations.

Fred Bosselman, the owner of the Grand Island station and 37 additional Pump & Pantry locations in Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas stated, “We made the decision to do this, and we plan to do many more after this.” This is Bosselman’s first E85 fueling facility after being in the fuel retailing business for over 25 years.

From left to right:  Todd Sneller,
NE Ethanol Board; Phil Lampert,
NEVC; NE Gov. Johanns; Gary
Herwick, GM; and Fred
Bosselman, Pump & Pantry.

Asia’s largest biofuels conference, The Pacific Ethanol & Biodiesel Conference & Expo II: Developing an Ethanol & Biodiesel Industry will be held December 1–3, 2004 at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers in Bangkok, Thailand. The Conference and Expo will explore the growing interest in biofuels throughout Asia.

The conference is expected to attract over 400 attendees representing the international biofuels industry. Registration is now open on the conference website.  Those interested in attending are encouraged to take advantage of early registration rate savings.  Discounted rates are set to expire on October 1, 2004. For a tentative schedule of the events please visit www.pacificethanol.com.   

The conference will address very timely information relating to the ethanol and biodiesel industries that are now emerging in and around Asia. The conference will host experts in ethanol and biodiesel production, engineering and marketing. The technical presentations from industry leaders will provide the foundation for Asia’s largest and most comprehensive biofuels conference and expo.

Topics to be discussed include energy legislation and government incentives for biofuels, construction of commercial ethanol and biodiesel plants, feedstock sources, cellulosic biotechnology, biomass conversion, trading ethanol on the commodity markets, and many other topics to assist in developing the ethanol industry. 

Conference attendees will also have the opportunity to see the latest innovations in the biofuels industry and meet will international industry leaders at the trade show, which will run throughout the conference.

Current sponsors include Genencor, Ethanolmarktplace.com, Delta-T Corporation, Alfa Laval Energy Asia, and ITEC Refining and Marketing. A sponsor listing will be updated periodically on the conference website.

For complete conference details, sponsorship, exhibit and registration information, visit www.pacificethanol.com, email wendyv@thestrattongroup.com or call (605) 338-6829. Don’t miss the largest biofuels conference for the Pacific Rim.

The Stratton Group, Inc. is the conference management company for the Pacific Ethanol & Biodiesel Conference & Expo II. The Stratton Group, Inc. is an established conference and tradeshow management company with experience in managing and marketing conferences around the world.

 Letters to the NEVC

Letters to the NEVC - This section highlights emails that the NEVC has recently received.  Many of the comments or suggestions that we receive are of interest to a wider audience and we would like to share them with our readers.

The following emails were written to NEVC Director of Communications, Michelle Kautz. . .

Hi,

I received the poster yesterday and it's very cool. I have it hanging on my cube wall next to my wind posters, and have received a number of positive comments. Thanks so much!

--Ingrid

NEVC note: To receive your FREE Renewable Fuels Poster (shown here), email lsaucier@e85fuel.com. Shipping charges will apply.

I just got an e85 vehicle and I love it. Can't believe the whole country isn't turned onto this! I live in MN and it feels great to support our farmers, not some oil well owners.

- Matt Dahl

My hats off to you people for what you are doing for our industry I only wish we could do the same here in Wisconsin. We can grow the corn now we need a good way to use it.

Thanks for all you do.
- Bob Derr

Thanks for the emails to the NEVC!  Feel free to email us with your comments at anytime.

October 8, 2004
Grand Opening of E85 and Biofuels Pump at 1229 Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe, NM. For more information, contact the Renewable Energy Partners of NM at (505) 466-4259.

October 8-15, 2004
E85 for 85 cents per gallon at the Power Plus at 3505 Vine St. in Hays, KS from from 12 to 6 p.m. on October 8. E85 for $1.25 per gallon from 6 p.m. on October 8 until 10 p.m. on October 11. For more information, contact the NEVC office.

October 9, 2004
E85 for 85 cents per gallon at the BP located at 2420 6th Street just off exit 132 of Interstate 29 in Brookings, SD from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. For more information, contact the NEVC office.

October 21, 2004
Greater Long Island Advancing the Choice event at the Huntington Hilton in Melville, NY. For more information, contact Andria Adler at aadler@lift.org.

December 1–3, 2004
Pacific Ethanol & Biodiesel Conference & Expo II: Developing an Ethanol & Biodiesel Industry at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers in Bangkok, Thailand.  For more information, contact Wendy Vincent at wendyv@thestrattongroup.com or call (605) 338-6829.

February 24-26, 2005
Commodity Classic in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit www.commodityclassic.com.

CONTACT US. . .

Please feel free to e-mail your story suggestions, comments, corrections or clarifications to us at info@e85fuel.com or call us toll free at 877-485-8595.

Phillip J. Lampert, Executive Director
info@e85.com

Randa Barker, Director of Administration
info@e85.com

Kathy Frese, CPA, Director of Finance
kfrese@E85Fuel.com

Michelle Kautz, Director of Communications
mkautz@E85Fuel.com

Roger Listenberger, Director E85 Fuel Networking
Phone:  (217) 877-5267
rlistenberger@E85Fuel.com

Louise Saucier, Membership Coordinator
lsaucier@E85Fuel.com

Christi Vander Voort, NEVC Iowa E85 Coordinator
Phone:  (712) 737-6415
cvandervoort@E85Fuel.com

You may view this FYI online at
http://www.e85fuel.com/news/index.htm

NEVC  promotes the use of 85 percent ethanol as a renewable form of alternative transportation fuel while enhancing agricultural profitability, advancing environmental stewardship and promoting national energy independence.