The Eye on Biodiesel Award winner for Innovation this year is Leon Schumacher. Leon Schumacher, University of Missouri, is one of the first researchers to jump into biodiesel with both feet was Leon Schumacher, a professor of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Missouri – Columbia. Dr. Schumacher led the first engine tests of biodiesel in the U.S. including a … Read More

To wrap things up at the 2012 National Biodiesel Conference I spoke with NBB CEO, Joe Jobe. He says that there was about a twenty five percent increase in attendance this year. However, he says it’s not the numbers that has made this conference so positive but the mood of the attendees which is much more upbeat than last year. … Read More

The keynote address at the Sustainability Symposium was given by Stephen Kaffa, California Biomass Collaborative. His keynote outlined the major environmental, economic and social factors impacted by our choice of fuel. He said it’s a big topic to cover in a short period of time and started with the “easy” part. He asked if everyone agreed on the three pillars … Read More

The last day of the 2012 National Biodiesel Conference featured a first ever Sustainability Symposium. A lot of attendees stayed for this event. Getting us started was Rachel Burton, Piedmont Biofuels. Rachel also introduced the keynote speaker, Stephen Kaffa, California Biomass Collaborative. I spoke with Rachel before things got started to learn more about the Sustainability Symposium. She says the … Read More

The second general session of the conference featured a panel discussion on diesel technology. Panelists included Glenn Ellis, Hino Trucks; Jim Michon, Ford Motor Company; Tom Fulks, Disel Technology Forum; Roger Gault, Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association and moderator Steve Howell, NBB Technical Director. Many OEMs have taken the road to B20, a major biodiesel victory. With increased fuel economy … Read More

Meet the newest member of the National Biodiesel Board team in Washington, DC. Anne Steckel – Vice President of Federal Affairs. Anne spoke during today’s general session and talked about the challenges facing the industry. She also pointed to what is being done to ensure success including: First, we have a great track record in Washington. These victories are laying … Read More

During the general session today a special Pioneer Award was presented to Krysta Harden, Chief of Staff for United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Harden spoke about her experiences over the years working for biodiesel. Throughout her three decades in Washington D.C. Harden has held numerous positions including CEO of the National Association of Conservation Districts, Assistant Secretary … Read More

National Biodiesel Chairman, Gary Haer, took to the stage today to address attendees during a general session. He commented on the Presidential campaign in his state of Iowa and how nice it would be if they could get out and visit biodiesel plants on their campaign stops. A key focus of his remarks was how the growth of the RFS … Read More

The conference features a first ever Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel Poster Session this year. I stopped by to see what these student presenters were displaying. One of them is Shwetha Sivakaminathan, Clemson University. Her poster/project topic is “Comparison of biomass and lipid production of heterotropic Chlorella protothecoides using biodiesel derived crude and pure glycerol.” She speaks a language different … Read More

One of our first sessions this morning focused on the Federal Policy Outlook, particularly in Washington, DC. Presenting were Maria Cardona, Dewey Square Group and Brad Todd, On Message, Inc. I spoke with Maria after the session to get her thoughts on what’s going on in our nation’s Capitol. She says this is going to be a really challenging year … Read More

The Chairman of the National Biodiesel Board visited with the media this morning. We took turns conducting interviews. I went last and asked Gary what his outlook for this year’s conference is. He says the outlook is positive as “we’re seeing our industry grow.” The conference attendance is up from last year. I asked him about policy issues like the … Read More

Several of the Eye on Biodiesel Awards were presented during the opening general session today. We will have additional award presentations during each of the next two days. Here are today’s awards. The winners are pictured with Gary Haer, REG, Chairman, NBB and Joe Jobe, CEO, NBB. Industry Partnership: US Environmental Protection Agency, Paul Argyropoulos and the Office of Transportation … Read More

During the opening general session of the conference a panel discussion featured Charles Drevna, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers Association; Michael Ferrante, Massachusetts Oilheat Council; Dan Gilligan, Petroleum Marketers Association of America; Joe Jobe, NBB and John Maniscalco, New York Oil Heating Association. It was a session that one person tweeted, “Maybe the most candor I’ve ever seen in a … Read More

Joe Jobe, CEO, National Biodiesel Board, welcomed attendees to the 2012 National Biodiesel Conference this morning. He started out by telling a story about what biodiesel means to him and how he got involved in energy, politics and history. One of the things that really got him interested in the industry was, “I wrote a paper for my high school … Read More