Biloxi on the Mississippi Gulf Coast is ready for Hurricane Ida. [www.clipsyndicate.com | WDSU NBC 6 New Orleans LA]
What if, instead of writing a check to the power company every month, the power company had to write one to you? A St. Petersburg man is counting on that happening by the end of this year because of the five-kilowatt solar system he put on his roof. [www.clipsyndicate.com | FOX WTVT Tampa-St Petersb]
A Saginaw man has been reunited with his father after spending his entire life wondering and hoping to meet his Iranian dad. [www.clipsyndicate.com | WNEM Flint, MI]
Millions of gallons ethanol are purchased every month, but would ethanol plants be able to keep pumping without government funding? Randy Schneider is the president of the North Dakota Ethanol Producers Association. Schneider says consumers need to realize ethanol facilites are viable on their own. He says there is a small ethanol producer credit for plants producing less than 60 million gallons a year. There are counter-cylical payments available for those plants not making money, but those payments have limits on how much and for how long. He says many of the credits received, plants never see. (Randy Schneider / ND Ethanol Producers Assn. Pres.) "Alot of the subsidies or the blender credit for example, that credit is received by the companies that actually blend the ethanol into fuel. So in alot of cases the people that are getting that blender credit are oil companies that do the blending. Schneider says those credits are often passed along to the one filling up the tank. In October, 18.5 million gallons of ethanol were sold, down slightly from 19.8 million gallons in July. So far in 2009, the price of ethanol has ranged between $1.65 and $2.06 a gallon. [www.clipsyndicate.com | KXMC CBS Bismarck North ]
With North Dakota ethanol plants pumping out close to 300 million gallons of the corn-based alcohol each year, and plants elsewhere in the US making billions of gallons, the ethanol industry needs to find new ways to market its product. And one method may start showing up at gas stations around the state soon. Jim Olson reports on the industry's push for blender pumps. The ethanol industry wants you to Blend Your Own when it comes to ethanol in your car or truck. (VIDEO) "So let's go ahead and take a look..." This video from the Nebraska Corn Growers explains the choices customers are finding at some gas stations - a variety of blends of gasoline and ethanol. (VIDEO) "Unleaded gasoline, E-20, E-30, E-85, and E-10." Jeff Zueger, general manager at Blue Flint Ethanol near Underwood, says blender pumps will allow drivers with flex fuel vehicles - that can use up to 85% ethanol - to select a more gas-rich blend like 30% or 50% ethanol. And the pumps solve a problem for gas stations with limited numbers of underground fuel tanks since they can have just one with ethanol. (Jeff Zueger, Blue Flint Ethanol GM) "Most facilities don't have the extra tank capacity so in this case, if they have a premium, a regular, and a diesel and an E-10, you can take one of those, maybe the premium or E-10, and put ethanol in it and then at the pump it becomes blended into whatever ratio is appropriate." But it's expensive to install new gas pumps - and that's where tax money comes in. The state legislature appropriated one million dollars to help stations put in blender pumps, and the state also dedicated one million dollars of federal stimulus money for installing blender pumps. (Jeff Zueger, Blue Flint Ethanol GM) "The state funding runs out at the end of October next year so we've got a short window here." Zueger and others in the ethanol industry hope the incentives convince more gas station owners to make the move that would allow you to blend your own gas-ethanol mixture and increase the amount of ethanol used across the nation.
(12/23/09) - An online company creates a fake background for job seekers. [www.clipsyndicate.com | WSMV Nashville, TN]
[www.clipsyndicate.com | WXXA FOX 23 Albany]
When calves aren't born alive....it affects a producer's bottom line. Ag. Reporter Sarah Gustin explains what ranchers can do to make sure a genetic disorder doesn't affect their herd. We would like to warn you some viewers may find the images in this story distrubing. Any producer would have to agree...this isn't a sight you want to see. (Dr. David Buchanan / Animal Geneticist) "The curly calf results curly not coming from the hair, which alot of people think intially. The actual condition of the spine. It is a nural defect and the calves are going to be born dead or dying." Researchers believe Arthroryposis (Arthro-rye-posis) Multiplex, more commonly known as curly calf syndrome is caused by a simple recessive gene. It can cause calves to be stillborn with twisted spines. About two years ago the genetic defect was identified within the Angus breed. Since then the association has undergone major testing to identify animals that could be carriers. (Dr. David Buchanan / Animal Geneticist) "You have to assume that at least many of the cattle that haven't been tested haven't been tested because there is no pedigrees to suspect it. So you can't zero in exactly on what the frequency is, but bazed on the informatoni that is available to us right now I am going to guess between 4 and 10 percent of Angus cattle are actually carriers of this." Animal Geneticist David Buchanan says so far about 100-thousand Angus cattle have been tested. Buchanan says fewer than 30-thousand have been carriers of the defect. (Dr. David Buchanan / Animal Geneticist) "If the implicated bulls are not in the pedigree, the likelyhood of it being a carrier is essentially zero." Buchanan says with calving season around the corner he says it's important to be on the lookout and to be checking your pedigrees. (Dr. David Buchanan / Animal Geneticist) "It's important not to be in a panic, now it can be financially a problem, certainly. But it isn't a time to immediately start selling cows, it's a time to assess where the problem is, the degree to whi
The Environmental Protection Agency recently announced it was delaying a decision that ethanol producers are waiting for. Jim Olson reports on the that and other factors that could determine the future of ethanol production in North Dakota. The EPA won't decide until at least this summer if it will declare that all motor vehicles can safely use 15-percent ethanol. Currently, the limit is 10% alcohol in gasoline for all cars and trucks. (Jeff Zueger, Blue Flint Ethanol GM) "Right now you have E-10 and that's the bulk of the gallons that are blended in. Go to E-15 and you've increased that 50% so it's very significant for the industry so we get those types of technology issues behind us." Jeff Zueger is general manager at Blue Flint Ethanol near Underwood. His plant is pumping out 60 million gallons of ethanol per year, over it's official capacity, but he thinks a favorable ruling by the EPA would be good for the industry and spur development of ethanol made from things other than corn. For instance, he says his plant could be converted to make ethanol from non-food organic material. (Jeff Zueger, Blue Flint Ethanol GM) "A corn-based, starch-based conversion facility like this could be converted over to a cellulosic-based and move into the advanced bio-fuel as opposed to the corn feed stock." He considers the EPA decision crucial since ethanol's growth has been hampered by problems with E-85 - not quality or performance problems, but rather more like chicken and egg problems. (Jeff Zueger, Blue Flint Ethanol GM) "E-85 has had its challenges. There hasn't been as many flex fuel vehicles produced and move into the market as had been anticipated. It's kind of a what comes first, do you get vehicles there before the fueling infrastructure is there or do you get the fueling infrastructure before the vehicles." That's why Zueger hopes the EPA decides to allow an increase in ethanol at the pump, to help push more growth in the fuel he says has many advantages. (Jeff Zueger, Blue Flint Ethanol GM) "Economically it's very
Road crews in Overland Park have added some high-tech equipment to their battle against snow-packed roads this year. [www.clipsyndicate.com | KCTV FOX 5 Kansas City]
Kevin's Christmas Eve Forecast [www.clipsyndicate.com | WTHI CBS 10 Terre Haute]
Thursday evening weather: 6p [www.clipsyndicate.com | KXAN NBC 36 Austin]
Thursday afternoon weather: 5p [www.clipsyndicate.com | KXAN NBC 36 Austin]
Kevin's Christmas Eve Forecast [www.clipsyndicate.com | WTHI CBS 10 Terre Haute]
Snow sightings all across Central Texas and got everyone excited. But wind caused issues. [www.clipsyndicate.com | KXAN NBC 36 Austin]
Stormtracker Weather Forecast, Dec 24, 4pm [www.clipsyndicate.com | WUPW FOX Toledo, OH]
Visit http://www.fox11online.com for the full story. [www.clipsyndicate.com | WLUK FOX 11 Green Bay]
Thur Eve Forecast [www.clipsyndicate.com | WISH CBS 8 Indianapolis]
First warning weather, 12/24/09, noon. [www.clipsyndicate.com | KXAN NBC 36 Austin]
greg shoup updated webcast [www.clipsyndicate.com | WANE CBS 14 Fort Wayne]
updated webcast Greg Shoup [www.clipsyndicate.com | WANE CBS 14 Fort Wayne]
noon weather dec 24 [www.clipsyndicate.com | WDTN NBC 2 Dayton]
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