Energy News from Around the Nation & The World - South

Maryland to build four new E85 stations

Day 12: Moonshine Truck Ride

Biofuels take on bigger role in Brevard

Hallandale Beach U-Gas serves up first batch of E85 gasoline

Florida

Florida Governor Charlie Crist has signed a comprehensive alternative energy bill that is being touted as putting his state on the right foot for beginning true energy independence, while being realistic.

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Ethanol available at another Florida gas station

Taking the Turnpike? E85 fuel now available at Turkey Lake plaza

1st ethanol pumps coming to Treasure Coast

E85 in Central Florida

Ethanol in Vicksburg, expanding in Mississippi

Texas

Rising fuel prices drive locals to consider lifestyle changes

Renergie in Louisiana

Ethanol fuel comes to Hinesville

HINESVILLE, GA (WTOC) - A Southeast Georgia company now offers could become the best alternative to gasoline for American drivers. Clyde's Market now features a single pump for the ethanol fuel E85. more

Lower Price Helps Alternative Fuel Catch on With Local Consumers/Texas

Orange County gives green light to ethanol fueling station

Chattanooga: Mixed fuel for your tank

Six months ago, ethanol was hard to come by in Chattanooga. Now motorists don’t have to look far to find gasoline blended with the corn-based fuel. more

Centerville orders new patrol cars with a fresh look

Citizens of Houston County's smallest city should be seeing new police cars patrolling soon. more

ConocoPhillips to add tanks, upgrade the fuel site

Oklahoma

JENKS -- As federal and state governments mandate the use of ethanol in gasoline, more companies will be storing additional tanks filled with the corn-based fuel. more

Many hope plant will bring new life to ethanol industry

Davis Oil to get money for E85 infrastructure improvements

GEORGIA

Ethanol fuel pumps coming to South Georgia

The price of gasoline hit another all-time high Thursday in Georgia. Like most drivers, Emma Greene is feeling the pinch. more

Ethanol is feasible, through cellulose

For the umpteenth time, don't use corn to make ethanol -- use cellulose! We can and do produce enough cellulose to make all the motor fuel we need. more

Alternative fuels will require community commitment

Greensburg, KS -

   Lynn Billman of NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) brought with her to Wednesday’s City Work Session “two members of my team in two different areas of expertise” to make presentations. more

Mississippi Ethanol Station Opens

There are more than 48,000 Flex Fuel Vehicles in Mississippi, and for the first time, a public facility will offer an E85 option in the Magnolia State. Ford's Fuel will sell E85, which is a blend of 85 percent Ethanol and 15 percent petroleum. more

State seeks to bolster alternative fuel offerings

Florida is slowly building its alternative fuel presence, joining other states in offering fuels like ethanol aimed at helping with soaring gas prices and alleviating the nation's dependence on foreign oil. more

Ethanol and ice cream ...what a combination

The town of Newton will blend modern innovation with nostalgia and history Wednesday when Ford’s Fuel, a combination ethanol fuel station and ice cream museum, will have its grand opening. more

La. firm planning alternative fuel station for Broken Bow

The Broken Bow station will be the first retail outlet for Heartland Energy Group Inc. of Alexandria, La.

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Flex fuel station slated for region

BROKEN BOW, Okla.—Alexandria, La.-based Heartland Energy Group has announced its intention to open an alternative fuel station with ethanol-based E85 here in Southeast Oklahoma. more

Gas companies pushing to pump alternative fuels into region

CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- A Cleveland fuel station will be the first in Southeast Tennessee to receive a Green Island Corridor grant that helps promote alternative fuels, officials said. more

Southeast tweaks specs to boost E10 use

While the southeastern United States has seen limited E10 and E85 blending, widespread adoption of the ethanol blends is being considered in several states through rule changes that would loosen the standards slightly. more

Notes from the Georgia Senate: Georgia Takes the Lead in Biofuel Initiatives

State officials have also announced the opening of the first E85 ethanol fuel pump in metro Atlanta at a Smyrna Texaco station. more

E85 makes its way to county
Fuel has been popular, but not all vehicles compatible with ethanol blend

With the rise in gas prices, Americans are slowly starting to turn away from the traditional means of petrol to look for new sources of fuel, and in the midwest there is hardly a more plentiful fuel than corn. more

Governor Awards Green Island Corridor Grants For Establishment Of Biofuel Pumps
Governor Phil Bredesen, Senator Roy Herron and Representative Mark Maddox has announced a number of Green Island Corridor Network Grants, totaling $355,792. more

Brazil model could give La. farmers hope

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Bredesen awards Green Island Corridor grant for Bristol fuel station

Gov. Phil Bredesen announced today that the state will provide a Green Island Corridor Network Grant of $48,840 to Appalachian Oil Company for E85 and B20 infrastructure at the Appco #3 refueling station located at 1290 Volunteer Parkway in Bristol in Sullivan County. more

First ethanol pump opens in WNC

FLETCHER - Western North Carolina got its first ethanol pump Wednesday, offering a domestic alternative to foreign oil and a cleaner drive for many motorists. more

Ethanol Fuel Flows in Metro Atlanta

With gas prices headed toward $3 a gallon, some drivers in Metro Atlanta are getting a timely break through some new fuel.

The metro area’s first E85 pump opened for business in Smyrna on Friday and people are already lining up to use the new fuels. more

Will flex-fuel lure travelers off interstate into Athens?

Local officials were surprised by Gov. Bob Riley’s announcement Wednesday that alternative fuels will be sold in Athens. more

Ethanol coming to Cullman

Cullman residents may soon have an alternative to high-priced gasoline available close by. Governor Bob Riley announced this week one of four new biofuel filling stations will be located on Supersaver Road in Cullman. However, moving crops from the farm to the fuel tank has its advantages and its downsides as the benefits of cleaner-burning domestic fuel compare with increased corn costs, expensive vehicle modifications and market uncertainties. more

Georgia picks pine over corn

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Alternative Fuels Coming Soon to Motorists on I-65

Motorists traveling on Interstate 65 in Alabama will soon have the opportunity to fill up their vehicles on cleaner burning fuel. more

Central Virginia Business: Biodiesel arrives in area

An increasingly popular fuel, biodiesel promises decreased dependence on foreign oil and cleaner air. Two companies in Central Virginia are now trying to bring those benefits closer to home. more

E85 Available in Lowcountry

South Carolina: more

Florida

State creates alternative fuels Web site: more

State should move quickly to be a player in biofuels

We’ve been hearing about the potential benefits of ethanol and biofuels and how they can help ease dependence on oil.

The arguments make sense, and several ethanol plant projects have been announced in Oklahoma, including Enid. But, so far, no construction yet. more

CPS awards contract to supply ethanol

San Antonio Express-News CPS Energy has awarded a contract to CleanFUEL Distribution in Georgetown to supply E85 ethanol for the utility's 230 vehicles, mostly light trucks and passenger cars. CPS will expand its fleet by another 100 vehicles during the next few years. more

Perry company designated state's biofuel pioneer/Georgia

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Campuses join war on gas-guzzlers

While more people are driving hybrids and other nontraditional vehicles, others are ditching their cars altogether in favor of short-term rentals.

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Clean Fuel Advanced Technology Projects Announced

Raleigh, N.C. - A total of $300,000 has been awarded by the North Carolina Solar Center at NC State University to reduce mobile emissions through the Clean Fuel & Advanced Technology (CFAT) Project. more

Texas ethanol bound for far-away pumps

Ethanol plants in the Panhandle will begin producing more than 300 million gallons of fuel in a few months.

But don’t plan to put more than a splash of it into your tank.

“It will primarily go to markets in Texas and California. We anticipate that it will go toward E-85 and E-10,” said Bill Pentak, Panda Ethanol spokesman. “Every gallon of gasoline in the Dallas metroplex and Houston contains ethanol since these are air quality non-attainment areas.” more

Pilot begins selling ethanol blend fuel in Knoxville

A Pilot Corp. station in West Knoxville is the first in East Tennessee to sell "environmentally-friendly" E85 fuel. more

Governor announces Green Island Corridor Grants for Smyrna business
Grants awarded to local retail fuel stations for the establishment of biofuel pumps

How Available are Hybrids and Alternative Fuel Vehicles in Region 8?

JONESBORO, AR -- Over the past year, more and more emphasis has been put on ''going green'' in every aspect of life including the way you drive. more

Researchers: More Arkansans Buying Alternative-Fuel Vehicles

Sales of alternative-fuel vehicles in Arkansas rose by 20 percent last year, an increase greater than the national average. more

Kentucky State Vehicles

The Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet’s Division of Fleet Management continues to replace larger, less fuel-efficient vehicles traditionally included in the state motor pool with more energy efficient and environmentally friendly models, such as hybrid and flexible fuel vehicles. more

Alternative fuel vehicles catching on in Tennessee

New market data released this week shows more than 190,000 hybrid electric, ethanol-capable E-85 and clean diesel autos rode Tennessee's roads in 2006, marking a 31 percent from 2005 when there were about 146,000 alternative fuel autos in the state. more

Russell Moles, commercial sales director for West Chevrolet, shows a hybrid gasoline/electric Silverado that gives 15 percent higher fuel economy. The extended-cab pickup has been purchased by the city of Kingsport.

Wamp: Leading The Way To Energy Independence

As our country continues to consume large amounts of energy, it is more important than ever that we rapidly move towards energy independence. Our region is helping lead the way by making important developments in energy independence in two areas that make up our largest areas of consumption: transportation and the electricity power sector. more

  AutoNation program labels    

 fuel efficient vehicles

With gas prices on the rise, AutoNation is rolling out a program to make it easier for car buyers to identify fuel-efficient vehicles.

AutoNation, the giant car retailer based in Fort Lauderdale, wants to make it easier for shoppers to find a car that sips rather than guzzles gasoline.

Starting Tuesday, fuelefficient cars on AutoNation's dealership lots will be marked with a green, leaf-shaped ''E-Vehicle'' logo. Automobiles that use flex-fuel or ethanol, dubbed ''FVehicles,'' will feature a yellow-leaf logo. The logos also will appear on AutoNation's website.

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Mission drivers get Valley’s first try at ethanol fuel

The environment, foreign politics and the economy had very little to do with Leroy Villarreal’s decision to pull up to the yellow pump at the H.E.B. gas station in Mission. Money was the only thing on his mind.

“I saw that it was $2.19. That’s 30 cents cheaper than regular,” the McCook electrician said about the price per gallon for the E-85 ethanol-gasoline blend he was putting in his “flex-fuel” SUV.  more

The ethanol saga continues

An example of the latter is the Cumberland County Commissioners' decision to approve the $875,000 in promised money to E85 or to continue to think about it.  They might even, in the best of all worlds, vote to deny it.  Thus far, it is a secret as to whether Bill Martin acted unilaterally in offering the incentive money - or did he receive prior approval? more

Leaders visit ethanol plant

Officials in Lexington, Neb., had one main worry when a company proposed an ethanol plant: How bad would the facility smell?

Two years later, Cornhusker Energy employs 44 people who produce 40 million gallons of ethanol annually. Construction is under way to expand the plant to 150 million gallons. more

Triangle's fuel choices are few
Bush wants a 20% cut in gas use, but that's no simple task in these parts

While visiting a Franklinton biotech company today, President Bush will promote his call that Americans reduce gasoline consumption by 20 percent in the next decade. Some Triangle residents already exceed that mark, proving it's possible to curb a gasoline habit. But there's nothing simple about it. In our gas-guzzling world, consumers must be highly motivated to use alternative fuels. more

DOT invests in ethanol fuel tanks, pumps

The Alabama Department of Transportation wants to send a message: We can reduce our dependence on foreign oil if state vehicles can fill up with American-produced ethanol. more

New E85 site to be supported by statewide Alternative Fuel Distribution Program

CleanFUEL USA Distribution and Management, LLC. (CDFM) and Pumpelly Oil are working together to open the first E85 station in Louisiana. more

E-85 fuel sold in Houston created from byproduct of Miller, other breweries

Could drinking a cold beer be a blow against pollution and terrorism? Maybe so.

The fuel sold at Georgia's first public ethanol pump in Perry is created from a byproduct of the Miller Brewing Co. plant in Albany.

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Ethanol is drawing lots of farmers and investors

Houstonian Ron White has spent his entire career in the energy industry, from working for oil giant Exxon to selling products to refiners.

But White, feeling a tectonic shift in political opinion and policy, has now jumped into one of the hottest fields in the industry today: ethanol production. more

Alabama Switches State Fleet to Flex Fuel

Alabama is switching its state fleet to E-85. Construction of a 12,000 gallon E-85 tank and two fueling pumps began this week and is scheduled to be finished in early May. 

Of the 207 vehicles at the State Motor Pool, 132 are currently flex fuel.  Approximately 2,000 of the 3,000 vehicles operated by the Alabama Department of Transportation are also flex fuel vehicles.more

US: Alabama state fleet switches to E85

Source: Automotive World Bob Riley, governor of Alabama, said the state government is switching its fleet of vehicles to E85 ethanol and will make alternative fuels easily available to consumers by building the required infrastructure.

According to Riley, Alabama is investing...more

Companies line up to make ethanol

Competition to build the state's first ethanol production plant is heating up in Eastern North Carolina, with the contenders now up to five.

But don't expect them all to be built, said Ian Horowitz, a Soleil Securities analyst who tracks the ethanol industry. "The proposed production is built on a lot of hope," he said.

The rush to ethanol, which is made from corn, is part of an up-and-coming industry that is betting millions that rising oil prices and a Democratic Congress will push up demand for the fuel.

The Midwest is home to most of the existing 110 ethanol production plants, but entrepreneurs are now focusing on the East Coast. more

Back in October, State Senator Ross Tolleson and his wife, Sally, bought a Tahoe with a difference. They chose a “flex-fuel” vehicle, or FFV, which can run on gasoline or ethanol.

On Tuesday, Tolleson filled the tank with ethanol for the first time. He didn’t have that option before, because the very few ethanol pumps in the state at this point are on military bases or in private industrial use.

It was a big day for Tolleson, because, as chairman of the Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee, he was celebrating a milestone event for Georgia, and it wasn’t in Atlanta. more

First midstate station pumping 85 percent ethanol in Perry

By W

The new fuel pump at Filler's 24 Shell station in Perry is also - in a manner of speaking - an egg.

Or it might be called a chicken, depending on the philosophical point of view.

Technically, it's Middle Georgia's first public retail pump offering E-85 fuel, which is 85 percent ethanol, a fuel derived from plant products. It can be used in any "flex-fuel" vehicle, a growing legion of new car models designed to run on either ethanol or ordinary gasoline.

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More Flex Fuel Vehicles Coming!

All three major domestic automakers -- General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler -- have recently announced plans to increase annual production of flex-fuel vehicles (which can run on gasoline or a mix of ethanol and gasoline). The announced goal is two million cars and trucks by the year 2010.

A current list of service stations selling E-85 fuel can be found at www.e85refueling.com