China to establish 13.33 million hectares of forest by 2020 for energy

Biopact has a summary of the Chinese Forestry Administration's recent announcement that they will be establishing large forests for energy production in the next 13 years.

Dr. Joe Bozell, UT Biochemist on Cleveland Public Radio

Appearing on The Sound of Ideas: Biomass Technology on Monday, July 23, Dr. Joe Bozell of the UT Forest Products Center, discussed the role biomass can play in our energy future. He also talked about polymers based on biochemicals and how fuels are not the only benefit to biomass use. You can listen to the hour-long show on the web or download it as a podcast to your iTunes. The website is http://www.wcpn.org/index.php/WCPN/soi/2007/07/23/

Battle over ethanol benefits

Another CNN-Money.com piece
This article looks at the battle between groups that promote corn-based ethanol and those that criticize it. The groups highlighted here include Food & Water Watch, New Energy Choices, the Institute for Energy and the Environment at Vermont Law School, and Ethanol Across America.

Farm bill planting energy seeds

From CNN-Money.com
"As the five-year spending plan heads for a full House vote this week, advocates praise bipartisan effort while foes still find weaknesses." This article is a brief summary of the new farm bill that came out of the House Ag committee. See the article here.

Mascoma and Michigan State to partner

Mascoma and Michigan State University are partnering to build a commercial scale cellulosic ethanol plant. this plant would be a $100 million investment. See more from the State News.

Website looks at Cellulosic Investment

A new website, http://www.investincellulosicethanol.com/, details various corporate activities relating to cellulosic facilities around the world. It captures a good picture of the current status of all projects currently under way. It seems like a good resource.

US Biomass Power Producers Alliance has a new website

This group of 80 or so biomass-fueled power plants has a new website at http://www.usabppa.com/Index.htm

Xethanol Announces Advanced Biomass Characterization Lab at Virginia Tech

Xethanol and Virginia Tech have expanded their partnership. There is an article here that describes the program.

An update on Range Fuels....

USAToday has a nice article looking at the progress that Range Fuels is making in Georgia. Basically, the company has made it through the permitting process and plans to break ground this summer with full operations beginning sometime next year.

Interesting CNN article on the Renewable Fuels Standard

CNN.com takes a look at the Renewable Fuels Standard and the emphasis on cellulosics in addition to corn.

ORNL-UT Partnership wins a DOE Bioenergy Center

Tennessee’s efforts to be a leader in biofuels research and development took another leap forward as the U.S. Department of Energy announced that the University of Tennessee and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory will manage a new $125 million bioenergy research center.
The center, one of three funded by the DOE's Office of Science from more than 20 proposals, was announced on June 26......[more]. You can visit the new BioEnergy Science Center at http://www.bioenergycenter.org/.

Researchers Appointed Directors for the Tennessee Biofuels Initiative

Drs. Kelly Tiller and Tim Rials of the University of Tennessee's Agricultural Experiment Station have been appointed the directors of the Tennessee Biofuels Initiative. Dr. Tiller will serve as Director of External Operations and Dr. Rials will serve as Director of Research. The full press release is here.