Category: Blog

On March 23 Iowa Governor Terry Branstad (R) signed legislation that would guide how real estate is used in the cultivation and production of algae.

The new law makes land used for growing algae qualify as agriculture property. This gives algae farmers similar tax treatment as other types of agriculture and will make it easier for the industry to expand as it begins producing commercial quantities of sustainable animal feed, food, nutritionals and biofuels.

Reflecting the wide support algae can attract, the state Senate passed the bill unanimously before sending it to the Governor to sign.

Iowa officially joins Arizona and Ohio as states that have taken a proactive role in laying the groundwork for the algae industry’s future!

Water levels in U.S. aquifers are dropping at a rate 3 times faster than at any time in the last century, according to an exhaustive 18 year study by the United States Geological Survey. The new research shows dramatic drops in the vast underground storage areas tapped for agriculture, energy and human consumption.

With depleted aquifers, as well as continued drought, our ability to produce energy — and food — will be dramatically impacted.  That’s why it’s more important than ever to develop technologies that don’t rely on fresh water resources.

Algae, which can grow in salt, brackish or wastewater, present a unique and significant opportunity to sustainably feed and fuel our society. As algae grow, they can simultaneously produce lipids (oils) that can be refined into fuels, chemicals and industrial uses as well as nutrients that can be used for animal feed and human health.

A recent ABO webinar showcased commercial algae’s ability to utilize saltwater resources for wide scale production.  And new research from the Pacific Northwest National Lab yesterday finds that the U.S. land and water resources could support 25 billion gallons of algae-based fuel annually – about one-twelfth of our annual consumption.

The US algae industry continues to lead the way in the development of sustainable solutions for fuel, food and the environment.

Check out this recording of last week’s ABO’s webinar on algae and saltwater resources:

Mark you calendar for the 16th annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum being held June 16 in Washington, DC.

The event will bring together nearly fifty businesses, sustainable energy industry trade associations, government agencies, and energy policy research organizations to showcase the status and near-term potential of the cross-section of renewable energy (biofuels/biomass, geothermal, solar, water, wind) and energy efficiency technologies.

Hosting the conference is the Sustainable Energy Coalition – in cooperation with Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucuses, and in partnership with the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, Congressional Energy Savings Performance Contract Caucus, High Performance Building Caucus, Green Schools Caucus, and Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Caucus.

Click here for more information here.

Yesterday the Algae Biomass Organization announced the results of it’s latest board elections, and we’d like to extend a warm welcome to the new and returning board members that will serve until 2015!

The newly elected board members are:

• Tim Burns – BioProcess Algae
• Jose Olivares – Los Alamos National Laboratories
• Todd Taylor – Fredrikson & Byron

Four board members were re-elected to a new two-year term:

• David Hazlebeck – General Atomics
• Margaret McCormick – Matrix Genetics
• Paul Woods – Algenol Biofuels
• Tim Zenk – Sapphire Energy

These new and re-elected board members join ABO’s current board members:

• Mark Allen – Accelergy Corporation
• John Benemann – MicroBio Engineering, Inc.
• Tom Byrne – Byrne & Company, Ltd.
• Bill Glover – Boeing Commercial Airplanes
• Greg Mitchell – Scripps Institution of Oceanography
• Joel Murdock – FedEx Express
• Philip Pienkos – National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• Jim Rekoske – Honeywell/UOP

More information is available in ABO’s press release.

Last Thursday ABO conduced the first in a series of live webinars that are designed to showcase the people, policies and technologies that are moving the algae industry forward. This preliminary webinar focused on the interplay of saline water availability and commercial algae production for biofuels and other products. Presenting on the topic were:

• Mary Rosenthal, Executive Director of the Algae Biomass Organization
• Dr. Stephen Mayfield, Director of the San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology at UC-San Diego
• Dr. Mark Wigmosta, Chief Scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Dr. Erik Venteris, Spatial Modeling Research Engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

The presentations were detailed explainations of the latest research on algae’s potential to thrive in salt water, and how the available salt water in the U.S. can support large-scale algae farming.

If you missed the webinar last week we have posted this recording of the event: