Recognizing that airports 

can help build an alternative fuel

market, the U.S. Department of

Energy (DOE) recently added a

Clean Airports component to its

successful Clean Cities program.

The Clean Airports program will

target small airports to serve as

home bases for alternative aviation

fuel activities, bringing pilots, fuel

suppliers, and engine manufacturers together.

To enter the program, airport

directors must demonstrate their

commitment by appointing a coordinator, holding stakeholder meetings, developing a program plan,

and having stakeholders sign a

memorandum of understanding.

The program plan must show 

how the airport will serve alternative fuel aircraft, use alternative

fuels in ground transportation, 

and increase public awareness.

Designation as a Clean Airport

will recognize an airport’s commitment to provide the support

needed to meet the goals of the

program.

On June 13, the Texas State

Technical College Airport in Waco

became the first Clean Airport in

the nation. This airport is home to

the work of Baylor University’s

Renewable Aviation Fuels

Development Center (RAFDC),

which is under the guidance of

directors Max Shauck and Grazia

Zanin.

The Morgantown Airport 

in West Virginia became the second designated Clean Airport 

on August 28. West Virginia

University uses the airport as a

base for its Cessna 150, which 

has logged more than 25 hours 

of flying time on ethanol. 

The Clean Airports program

culminates the work of several

pilots and researchers who have

demonstrated ethanol’s potential

to replace leaded av-gas (the fuel

for general aviation aircraft) with 

a high-octane alternative (see

Spring 1995 Biofuels Update, p. 1).

Because leaded av-gas is more

expensive than gasoline, ethanol is

already economically competitive.

Most milestones in ethanol’s

history with aviation have been

accomplished during the past 15

years by Shauck and Zanin (see

box). Their continued efforts led 

to the decision in the summer of

1996 by the Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) to grant

final certification for a Cessna 152

to run on pure ethanol. The FAA’s

approval certifies both the engine

and the airframe for ethanol use as

long as prescribed modifications

are made.

DOE has asked the RAFDC 

to manage the Clean Airports program and future designations. At

least eight airports have expressed

serious interest, and two have

already met the criteria. “It is 

more than what we expected,”

said Zanin.

: For more information, call 

Grazia Zanin, director of Baylor

University’s Renewable Aviation

Fuels Development Center, at 

817-755-3563, or visit the Clean

Cities site on the Internet at

http://www.ccities.doe.gov.

Ethanol Takes Off

Printed with a renewable-source ink on paper containing 

at least 50% wastepaper, including 20% postconsumer waste

Biofuels B

Repor

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 Depar

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Volume Four • Issue Two Spring/Summer 1996

Clean Cities Set the Pace

Since the Clean Cities program began in 1993, 48 areas

have earned Clean Cities designation as part of DOE’s voluntary

program to increase the use of

alternative fuels. By working on

the local level, the program has

been especially successful at

building grassroots support for

alternative fuels.

: For more information, visit 

the Clean Cities Internet site at

http:/www.cities.doe.gov or 

call 800-423-1DOE.

Ethanol’s Aviation History

1980 First flight on 180-proof ethanol.

1983 First coast-to-coast flight.

1989 First transatlantic flight.

1989 First FAA certification on a nonpetroleum fuel for a series of

engines on 200-proof ethanol 

(fuel-injected 260 horsepower).

1991 Second FAA certification of an 

engine series (a carbureted 105 horsepower).

1995 First flights on ethanol’s ether derivative, ethyl tertiary 

butyl ether (ETBE). First public demonstration of ETBE at 

the Paris Airshow.

1996 First FAA certification of an aircraft to run on ethanol.
In a followup to a similar 

poll last year, American voters

expressed continued support for

funding federal research on renewable energy sources. The study,

commissioned by the Sustainable

Energy Budget Coalition, was 

conducted last December by the

Maryland-based Republican

polling firm Research/Strategy/

Management, Inc. “This poll represents a ‘New Year’s Resolution’ by

voters for a national energy fitness

plan that will power America into

the next millennium,” said Scott

Denman of the Safe Energy

Communication Council.

Of those polled, 75% said the

United States should do something

to reduce dependence on foreign

oil, and more than 70% said they

believed global climate change is 

at least a serious problem. These

responses help explain why continued funding for the U.S. Department of Energy’s renewable energy

research was given the highest priority by the respondents. 

“Given the public’s concerns

with continued dependence on oil

imports and the threat of global

climate change, coupled with its

hostility toward continued support of nuclear power and fossil

fuels, energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies emerge

as the only viable energy options

for the future,” said Carol Werner

of the Environmental and Energy

Study Institute.

This year the Administration’s

proposed budget for the 1997 fiscal

year requests a 34% increase for

DOE’s transportation biofuels

research program. This would

increase funding for biochemical

conversion research and feedstock

development by more than $13 million. The biochemical conversion

program brings together engineering and investment partners to

share the cost of developing and

demonstrating cellulosic biomassto-ethanol technology. The feedstock development program

supports research in short-rotation

woody crops, and herbaceous 

energy crops, including genetic

development of switchgrass. 

Many groups stepped forward

this Spring to voice their support

for increased funding to the House

Appropriations Subcommittee on

Energy and Water Development.

“The payoff from biomass energy

development will be so large that

your current investment will seem

a bargain,” said Reid Detchon,

executive director of the Biomass

Energy Alliance. “It will seem

minuscule compared to the benefits

that will be gained. We have an

enormous untapped domestic

renewable energy resource in biomass and manpower in the great

agricultural regions of this country

to produce it.”

☎ For a copy of America Speaks Out

on Energy: A Survey of Public

Attitudes on Sustainable Energy

Research, call the Sustainable

Energy Budget Coalition at 

301-270-2258.

Most ethanol in the United

States today is produced from

corn. When corn prices reached 

$4 per bushel last March (up from

levels as low as $2.60 in 1995),

some small ethanol producers

were forced to either close their

doors or curtail production.

Improving the technology that

converts corn fiber to ethanol

might increase yield and profit

margins, but this also would likely

reach a state of diminishing

returns. To really take advantage

of biomass-to-ethanol technology,

we must apply it to other forms of

low-cost or no-cost biomass 

feedstocks.

The American Coalition for

Ethanol (ACE) received a $115,000

grant from the U.S. Department of

Energy's National Renewable

Energy Laboratory to conduct a

10-month study on the feasibility

of a biomass-to-ethanol plant that

utilizes feedstocks such as corn

stover, wheat straw, and native

prairie grasses. ACE is working

with Anklam & Associates, 

Delta-T, and Broin Enterprises to

examine the market, feedstock

availability, and engineering 

feasibility for economical biomassto-ethanol production in North

Dakota, South Dakota, and

Minnesota. Trevor Guthmiller,

ACE president, said, “One of the

advantages of our study is that we

are working with two companies

that have built biomass ethanol

plants . . . If anybody can design

efficient plants, they can."

The information ACE produces could translate well to all

aspects of the industry, according

to Guthmiller. “Corn-based

ethanol producers could improve

efficiencies as well,” he said.

Spring/Summer 1996

Biofuels UPDATE 2

Administration Requests More Funding,

Public Expresses Support for Renewables

Biomass Ethanol Improves Feedstock Economics
• Last March the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

approved 10% volume (3.4%

weight) ethanol blends in gasoline during the summer months

to meet oxygenated fuel requirements. EPA raised the cap after

research found little environmental reason for the earlier

7.7% volume (2.7% weight) limit. 

“The rule provides gasoline

marketers the ability to take full

advantage of ethanol's octane,

oxygen, and toxic displacement

benefits,” said Eric Vaughn,

president of the Renewable Fuels

Association. “Consumers will

benefit by having access to highquality, high-performance

ethanol-enhanced reformulated

gasolines at the lowest cost. The

environment will benefit because

the higher blend level will provide greater reductions in carbon

monoxide, exhaust volatile

organic compounds, and toxics,

such as benzene. And farmers

will benefit from an increased

value-added market for domestically produced corn,” he said.

• By July 1996, more than 90

members of Congress had

joined the House Renewable

Energy Caucus to support

research and development of

renewable energy sources. The

first activities of the Caucus

included a presentation on

renewable energy research by

Charles Gay, director of the

National Renewable Energy

Laboratory, and a Renewable

Energy Expo held on the Hill

and open to the public. For

more information, call Craig

Cox in the office of Representative Daniel Schaefer (R-CO) 

at 202-225-7882.

• The new Farm Bill signed last

spring by President Clinton 

will phase out farm subsidies

but continue the conservation

reserve program with no provision for energy crops (see

Summer 1994 Biofuels Update

p. 1). 

However, a market-based

farm policy could still create

opportunities for biomass

ethanol. “A smart ethanol plant

operator would go out to farmers now to lock in acreage for

higher ethanol yield crops,” 

said David Rinebolt, a consultant to the National Bioenergy

Industries Association.

“Continued payment in the

early years helps make that concept work. We just need a bunch

of forward-thinking farmers and

to get the word out."

• The U.S. Department of Energy

has released a final rule that

mandates states and certain fuel

providers to start acquiring

alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs)

for their fleets in the 1997 model

year that starts September 1,

1996. The requirement is part 

of the 1992 Energy Policy Act,

which was passed to reduce the

nation's oil dependency. 

The law also required the federal fleet to acquire AFVs starting in 1993. As part of its effort

to meet the 1996 model year

requirement, the General

Services Administration anticipated ordering 1,352 vehicles

that will run on 85% ethanol.

• This spring Puerto Rico's

Governor Pedro Rossello

became the 21st member of the

Governor's Ethanol Coalition

(see Summer 1995 Biofuels

Update p. 1).

• At press time, at least two states

had passed legislation that

affects ethanol or biodiesel markets. Indiana Governor Evan

Bayh signed House Bill 1302,

which provides a 10% state

income tax deduction for

improvements to ethanol or 

soydiesel production facilities.

Idaho Governor Phil Batt signed

House Bill 514, which removed

the state's ethanol production

income tax credit.

• The Biomass Energy Alliance's

homepage on the internet now

receives more than 14,000 visitors each month. The word is

spreading that this is the place

to go for updates on federal biomass policy. Check it out: 

http://www.biomass.org. 

• For information on biofuels

technology on the Internet, 

visit the National Renewable

Energy Laboratory's Biofuels

Information Center at 

http://www.afdc.doe.gov/

biofuel/biofuels.html.

• General Motors has pushed

back its plans for producing all

its four-cylinder S Series pickup

trucks capable of running on up

to 85% ethanol (see Winter 1996

issue of Biofuels Update). For

those who wish to purchase a

flexible-fuel ethanol vehicle,

Ford will continue its ethanol

option for its 1997 model year

Taurus models. 

☎ For more information on any of

these topics, call the National

Alternative Fuels Hotline at 

800-423-1DOE.

Biofuels News Bites 

3 Biofuels UPDATE

Spring/Summer 1996
Biofuels News of the Alternative Fuels Data Center

T OF ENERGY

DEPARTMEN

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Biofuels UPDATE 4

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save dollars and resources—and you will be able to read the newsletter on-line 2 to 3 weeks ahead of 

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UPDATE

he U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is providing a unique opportunity for the public to

influence future federal alternative fuel policy.

On August 7, 1996, DOE published an advance

notice of proposed rulemaking (ANOPR) to solicit

comments on the best ways to meet the petroleum

displacement goals of the Energy Policy Act (EPACT)

of 1992. As part of the public comment process, DOE

is requesting input on incentives and ways to assess

the effects of fuel displacement on reducing oil

imports, improving the economy, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, among other things. Comments

must be received by November 5, 1996.

Under EPACT, private and local fleets could be

required to make alternative fuel vehicles 20% of

their light-duty vehicle purchases in the 2002 model

year and as high as 70% in 2005 and beyond. Instead

of this mandate, the Secretary of Energy could use

the public’s comments to recommend to Congress

other incentives or requirements for fuel suppliers,

vehicle manufacturers, and consumers to increase 

the use of alternative fuels.

EPACT’s goal is to replace (on an energy equivalent basis) at least 10% of petroleum motor fuels by

the year 2000, and 30% by 2010. “A virtual one-toone relationship exists between additional gasoline

consumption and America’s increased use of imported oil,” DOE stated in the ANOPR. “The U.S.

consumes 4 million barrels per day more for transportation purposes alone than it produces; that gap 

is projected to rise to 9 million barrels per day by 

the year 2010.”

Current EPACT alternative fuel requirements

limit the potential for some fuel applications, but

results of this comment period could open the door

to a more diverse fuel market. For example, only

neat biodiesel complies with the current federal,

state, and fuel provider fleet mandate. But for economic and technical reasons, many truck and bus

fleets are limited to blends of 20% biodiesel and 80%

diesel. Allowing blends in future programs would

meet the needs of many truck and bus fleets, and

offer substantial petroleum displacement benefits.

Another example of potential increased alternative

fuel use involves credits that can be earned with

heavy-duty vehicles. These credits can only be

earned after light-duty vehicle requirements are met.

Heavy-duty vehicles are high-mileage vehicles, so

allowing them to earn credits automatically would

offer substantial petroleum displacement benefits.

“We have options on this one,” said DOE 

program manager Kenneth Katz. “We really didn't

have options on the first one [state and fuel provider

fleet rule].”

☎For more information, call the National Alternative

Fuels Hotline at 800-423-1DOE.

Special Report - Spring/Summer 1995

Ethanol Ford Taurus Option Now

Costs Less Than Gasoline Model

Fleet managers can now save $345 when

buying an ethanol vehicle instead of a gasoline

model. Ford Motor company recently

announced it is investing in the future of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) by reducing the

prices on its 1997 flexible-fuel Taurus models.

This is the first time an AFV has been offered at

a cost below the comparable gasoline model.

Installing special fuel tanks, fuel lines,

engine components, and special calibration

costs Ford more than $1,165 for the flexible-fuel

Tauruses, which can run on gasoline and

blends of up to 85% alcohol (either ethanol or

methanol). The alcohol Tauruses have larger

fuel tanks to compensate for the lower energy

content of alcohol when compared to gasoline.

☎ For more information, call Ford's alternative

fuels hotline at 800-ALT-FUEL or your local

Ford dealer.

Special Report

T

U.S. Department of Energy Seeks Input on Local/Private Fleets

Biofuels