The Governors' Ethanol Coalition (GEC) gathered in an environmentally friendly atmosphere at the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) in Grand Forks, N.D., on Nov. 12-13. The two-day meeting included a visit from GEC chairman and North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven, who spoke to the coalition and a neighboring biomass workshop that Thursday.

 	
 The GEC consists of 29 U.S. state members, including Puerto Rico, and four international members: Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Sweden. Other ethanol-related organizations sent representatives from the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, General Motors, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Renewable Fuels Association and the American Coalition for Ethanol, to name a few.
 	
 Several speakers presented the coalition with ethanol issues facing the country today. Naturally, discussion of the energy bill that was being debated in Congress was one of the first topics mentioned. Nebraska representatives Todd Sneller and Larry Pearce gave an energy bill update, concentrating on the renewable fuels standard (RFS), which would double ethanol consumption by 2012. Unfortunately, Congress won't address the energy bill again until January at the earliest. A Senate filibuster froze any further advances on the energy bill.
 	
 "Like everybody else, we're monitoring this very close," Sneller told EPM in December. "Whether [Congress] can resolve those debates remains to be seen. There's no give on either side as far as I can tell."
 	
 Some ethanol supporters have called for a separate RFS to be presented before Congress. For example, if the MTBE lawsuit protection is keeping the Senate from passing the energy bill as a whole, then separating the RFS into its own bill may improve its chances of getting passed.
 	
 "Strategically, there's four to five paths people are looking down right now depending on will and enthusiasm of key leaders," Sneller said. "There's better leverage going with an omnibus bill, because when it got tangled up, it just got more difficult.
 	
 "Like any other coalition, we are working with all policy makers to resolve their differences and take a look at strategies to get this bill enacted."
 
 Worldwide outlook
 In the business of future trade and global markets for ethanol, former GEC representative Greg Krissek presented the coalition with current information and future projections of ethanol production.
 	

 Ethanol production is currently on the rise in the U.S. and overseas. If the RFS passes in the U.S., it would double ethanol production. Several other countries are considering similar plans. In Canada, the Kyoto Proposal would increase ethanol use fivefold. Japan and India are working on bills similar to the RFS while China wants to increase ethanol consumption before the country hosts the 2008 Olympic Games. The European Union, made up of France, Spain, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom, has started an ethanol directive, and Central and South America are increasing ethanol use while exploring export markets.
 	
 Although there are still hurdles the ethanol industry must face, Krissek concluded that, internationally, the renewable fuel has great potential to flourish. New markets will be competing for business, so it will be important to create a clearinghouse to distribute and control information for international resources. By working together, ethanol production and consumption have a strong potential to grow.
 
 Ethanol in aviation fuel
 Wednesday afternoon's session continued with a panel discussion entitled "Benefits of replacing leaded aviation fuel with ethanol-based alternatives," featuring Frank Argenziano of the UND School of Aerospace Sciences, Ted Aulich of the EERC and aviation consultant Cesar Gonzalez. Together they presented the GEC with the possibility of ethanol getting into the aviation fuel market.
 	
 Airplanes run on high-octane fuel, and the easiest way to obtain a high level of octane is with a lead additive. Currently, low lead (LL) fuel is the preferred choice. However, lead can be hazardous to the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration are considering banning the additive, forcing other alternative fuels to be sought.
 	
 "You can't sit here and wait for someone to come up with an alternative," Argenziano told the GEC.
 	
 According to the panel, ETBE (ethyl tertiary butyl ether) is one possible solution. The ethanol-based fuel has comparable, if not superior, characteristics to LL100 aviation gasoline (avgas). Distribution of ETBE doesn't have to follow contamination restraints placed on leaded gasoline. ETBE can be used with little or no modifications to the airplane.
 	
 However, where there is a list of pros, a list of cons often follows. ETBE fuel has less octane, but therefore needs careful temperature monitoring so it doesn't burn up. Detonation of ETBE is higher than leaded fuel. ETBE is also more expensive to produce. It costs 16.07 cents per gallon more than LL100 avgas.
 	
 The conclusion: Certification and the lack of infrastructure to support ETBE make the possibility of switching to the alternative fuel unlikely.

 	
 "Any change must be proceeded by need," Gonzalez said. "There's no need. Avgas is good enough and we can't convince the industry [to change]."
 
 Denaturants
 When it comes to blending ethanol, denaturants are always in the mix. Steve Simon of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) explained to the GEC different types of denaturants in alcohol and how it affects ethanol producers.
 	
 Denaturants were added to alcohol in 1906 with the passage of the Tax Free Industrial and Denatured Alcohol Act. When the U.S. government began collecting taxes on beverage alcohol, tax evaders started taking denaturants out of industrial alcohol and selling it for beverage consumption. Today industrial alcohol is regulated by the TTB to protect revenue. The government agency collects over $8 billion per year from alcohol taxes.
 	
 Simon detailed two kinds of denatured alcohol, completely denatured and specially denatured. Above all, denaturants must make the alcohol unfit for beverage use and should preferably be difficult to separate from the alcohol. Completely denatured alcohol (CDA), the category that includes fuel alcohol, contains denaturants that aren't easily removed. No permit is required to receive and use completely denatured alcohol. Specially denatured alcohol, on the other hand, does require a permit, which is what Simon's department monitors, because beverage alcohol can easily be recovered from specially denatured alcohol.
 	
 Fuel alcohol denaturant is added at the plant where it is produced. Two gallons or more of denaturant must be added to every 100 gallons of alcohol. The alcohol can be of any proof. Some examples of appropriate fuel alcohol denaturants are gasoline and kerosene, among others. ETBE has also been authorized as a denaturant for fuel alcohol. Other denaturant requests should be sent to the TTB Laboratory.
 
 Goals and objectives
 On Thursday, GEC members pushed up their collective shirtsleeves and hashed out a list of goals, broad at first but then narrowed down into one-year, five-year and 10-year time frames. Led by Strategic Planning Facilitator Larry Bean, ideas were submitted from around the table for the GEC to tackle.
 	

 Montana representative Shirley Ball stressed the importance of ethanol education, starting as early as high school and including college automotive classes. Sneller and Pearce voiced their concerns over the RFS legislation, wanting to monitor and update the policy through each time frame. Partnerships, research and collective communication were also mentioned.
 	
 As far as one-year goals went, North Dakota representative Lance Gaebe suggested the GEC should alter its title, in order to reflect renewable fuels instead of just ethanol. No motion was made in the meeting but it could be a future change for the organization.
 	
 Sneller and Pearce also mentioned a desire to invite the California and Tennessee governors to join the GEC. Tennessee is among the top 10 ethanol-producing states that aren't members.
 	
 "Inquiries have been made and we've indicated that the GEC would specifically like them to participate," Sneller told EPM.
 	
 The GEC is currently waiting to hear a reply from its initial inquiry. A formal invitation from the GEC wouldn't be sent until either state showed interest.	
 	
 The organization's five-year goals included extending the volumetric ethanol excise tax credit deadline, increasing GEC membership and reviewing LL100 policy, while 10-year goals included making the GEC a full-time organization and running all vehicles on E85.
 	
 Governor Hoeven visits, tours EERC
 While the GEC meeting was taking place, the EERC was bustling with activity. The facility held an open house on Nov. 13, displaying its recent $8-million expansion. The facility added 47,000 square feet in two three-story buildings. The additional space will accommodate 90 additional staff and contain meetings rooms big enough to hold up to 300 people each.
 	
 Gov. Hoeven spoke to the GEC and biomass workshop during lunch after touring the facility. He expressed his high opinion of the facility to a full house, including EERC Director Gerald Groenwold.

 	
 "This is absolutely beautiful," Hoeven said. "I was here for the groundbreaking, and its completion lives up to my expectations."
 	
 The GEC adjourned its meeting shortly after lunch with Gov. Hoeven, who ends his term as GEC chairman at the end of 2003. Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich will succeed him.
 	
 For more information on the Governors' Ethanol Coalition, visit http://www.ethanol gec.org/. For more information on the EERC, visit <a href="http://www.eerc.und.nodak.edu/">http://www.eerc.und.nodak.edu/</a>.

The Governor's Ethanol Coalition meets in Grand Forks, N.D., to address world production issues, 
new uses for ethanol and the direction of the Coalition itself.

GEC sets objectives at North Dakota meeting

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GEC sets objectives at North Dakota meeting.css-7jxktu{position:absolute;bottom:0px;left:0px;right:0px;height:3px;border-radius:3px;background-color:var(--chakra-colors-brandBlack);}

Upcoming Events

2024 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo

Biodiesel Summit: Sustainable Aviation Fuel & Renewable Diesel

Carbon Capture & Storage Summit

North American SAF Conference & Expo

2025 International Biomass Conference & Expo

GEC sets objectives at North Dakota meeting