Algae: a fuel source for the future? 08/09/2009
Entrepreneurs seek ways to commercialize the use of tiny organisms that devour carbon dioxide to produce feedstock for biofuels
A July 14 announcement by oil giant ExxonMobil that it plans to form an alliance with biotech company Synthetic Genomics, to invest more than $600 million in biofuel generation from algae, has turned...

Home refining causes fires, explosions 05/31/2009
Fire officials warn of dangers, consider new restrictions after incidents in Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, Oregon
Trying to live green and beat high gasoline prices, some enterprising Americans are turning cooking oil into biodiesel in their garages. Problem is, some of these do-it-yourselfers are burning down th...

Declining economy hits renewable fuels 03/15/2009
Hit by the double whammy of declining energy prices and frozen credit markets, renewable fuel businesses are struggling to survive, industry experts told the U.S. House of Representatives Small Busine...

Germany backs off plan to double ethanol 04/13/2008
Germany's environment minister has scrapped a plan to double the amount of ethanol that can be mixed into gasoline, saying that too many cars would be unable to cope with the change. The government p...

Congress presses oil chiefs on profits 04/06/2008
Don't blame us, oil industry chiefs told a skeptical Congress. Top executives of the country's five biggest oil companies said April 1 they know record fuel prices are hurting people, but they argued...

Canada offers C$1.5B in biofuels incentives 07/22/2007
The Canadian government is offering C$1.5 billion over nine years to producers of renewable alternatives to gasoline and diesel fuel, ignoring the latest warnings that biofuels are transforming agricu...

Surveys say world's oil reserves in 'irreversible, worsening' decline 05/27/2007
Major surveys conducted separately by Energy Intelligence and KPMG this spring confirm some of industry's worst fears, most notably the fact company executives now overwhelmingly believe the world oil...

U.S. partners to build Canadian biofuels refinery 04/22/2007
Touted as the largest biofuels refinery of its type in North America, a new plant backed by a U.S. partnership is scheduled to start commercial operations by fall 2008. The facility will be built sout...

House OKs taxes on oil companies 01/28/2007
Body plans to use money from fees and taxes, an estimated $15B, for renewable fuels; bill faces less certain future in Senate
The House rolled back billions of dollars in oil industry subsidies Jan. 18 in what supporters hailed as a new direction in energy policy toward more renewable fuels. Critics said the action would red...

Goal: 25% renewable energy by 2025 11/26/2006
Not just corn: study finds up to 100 million acres needed for renewable energy crops; new commercial technologies also needed
As many as 100 million acres of cropland and pastures would have to be dedicated to cultivating biomass fuels such as switchgrass to support a national goal of 25 percent renewable energy use by 2025,...

PETROLEUM DIRECTORY: Wanted: Bush entrepreneurs 09/03/2006
New public-private venture seeks to spur economic development, create jobs in rural Alaska with annual business competition
Designer cosmetics made in Nunataat? Anti-cancer treatments from Nuiqsut? A biodiesel plant in Delta Junction? A cross-cultural learning institute on St. George Island? Winter eco-tours in Deering? A...

Hope for ANWR: Congressman offers bill with win-win provisions for both sides 07/30/2006
It could take the homespun practicality of a California farmer to dig up enough support in Congress to pass a bill this year that would open the 1002 area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil...

Willie's way on the highway 06/18/2006
Ethanol sparks interest across North America, boosted by environmental concerns and Bush's drive to lower Middle East oil imports
If you want to stay on the road you might consider hitching your wagon to Willie Nelson's promotion of biofuels. The country crooner is putting his money where his mouth is by manufacturing and sellin...

Scientists consider energy from algae 04/30/2006
An alternative fuels study committee is excited about the possibility of using algae to produce oil. "Fuel is the highest thing on everyone's radar screen," said Doug Lynn, an environmental scientist...

EIA: oil supplies stay tight, prices high 12/25/2005
Energy Information Administration releases 2006 reference case, says crude prices will remain volatile, supplies tighter
The U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration has released its reference case for 2006 and the agency says "world oil supplies are assumed to be tighter" than in its recent annual...

Technology may converge biodiesel, ethanol markets 07/03/2005
New technology would transform corn oil into biodiesel
The biodiesel and ethanol markets may converge with new technology that promises to transform corn oil into biodiesel, possibly resulting in substantial growth in supply for both fuels, industry exper...

Bush calls for LNG terminals, energy bill, less dependence on foreign oil 03/27/2005
In remarks at Pensacola Junior College March 18, President George Bush said the United States needs to be building liquefied natural gas terminals and doing more with nuclear power. And he called on C...

Biodiesel, other alternatives gain popularity 11/14/2004
High oil prices narrow price gap between conventional oil-based diesel and more expensive biodiesel made from American soybean oil
Few have anything good to say about this year's run-up in oil prices. They do, though, at World Energy Alternatives, a biodiesel company with a shiny antique Gulf Oil pump in the lobby - a hint that p...

ANWR hangs on one vote 03/16/2003
High oil prices, fear of war boosting nationwide support for ANWR development; state House vote to cut Arctic Power funds hampers lobbying effort in states of key senators
The fate of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will likely be decided by one U.S. senator's vote on an upcoming budget reconciliation bill, which is expected to contain language which wil...