January 11, 2001
8:00 am to 4:00 pm DoubleTree Hotel Riverside - Boise, Idaho
Boise, Idaho
Ethanol Workshop Series - Idaho
DoubleTree Riverside – Boise, Idaho January 11, 2001
Workshop Summary
Approximately 90 very interested and enthusiastic people attended the Ethanol Workshop in Boise. The Workshop was part of the Ethanol Workshop Series (EWS) sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Fuels Development, and supported by the Regional Biomass Energy Program and was held on January 11, 2001, at the DoubleTree Riverside. The theme for the workshop was “Ethanol and Idaho: Partners for the Future." The workshop was a very positive, productive step toward fostering ethanol production and increased use in the state.
Gerry Galinato, Idaho Energy Office, was the emcee for a program that very effectively laid the groundwork for building a larger ethanol industry in the state.
Highlights of the program that were unique to Idaho’s were:
-A proclamation by Governor Dirk Kempthorne was read in which he declared January “Ethanol Awareness Month.”
-The workshop helped launch a month-long program that features the “Try 5” campaign. In the campaign, $25,000 of ethanol-blended gasoline will be given away to customers in coupons that allow them to put $5.00 of ethanol-blended gasoline in their car during announced times on specified days. Experts will be at the stations to answer questions and literature will be distributed. A massive statewide media promotion is also part of the campaign that includes news articles, public service announcements and much more. Boise’s Channel 2 is the official campaign coverage channel.
-Idaho's Division of Energy presented Awards of Appreciation to parties who had played a significant role in Idaho’s ethanol history and development. The recipients were: Paul Mann and the J. R. Simplot Company, Jim Glancey of Wyoming Ethanol, Kent Johnson, Fearless Farris Stinker Stations, and Mark Cherry, Automotive Resources, Inc. Robert Hoppie and Gerry Galinato did the honors of presenting the awards.
-Following lunch, an excellent display of renewable-fueled vehicles, featured a police car, a racecar, a race motorcycle and a van fueled by aquanol, a mixture of 30% water and 70% ethanol.
Executive Summary
The results of the work group discussions and the wrap-up session are provided below. The common threads throughout all sessions were that agriculture needs to take some aggressive steps to turn the current poor economy around. Ethanol may a tool to help meet that need. The public and school kids need more education and awareness about the benefits of ethanol. More information is needed to determine if and where an expanded ethanol production industry is viable in Idaho. Some state assistance may be necessary; hence, legislators need to be brought on board. Leadership is needed in order to keep the momentum rolling, and an ethanol work group should be formed that meets on a regular basis.
Specifics of the Sessions
As shown on the attached agenda, following the general session, work groups were held in which three specific areas were discussed: Policy, Agriculture and Forestry, and Ethanol Performance as a Fuel. The primary points that arose in each of those sessions were then further discussed when the general session reconvened at the end of the day.
OUTCOME AND JOINT RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE “WRAP-UP SESSION”
Challenges and/or Barriers
-Build a relationship with Big Oil
-Need a requirement to use 10%blends across the state (like Minnesota)
-Organization and leadership
-The public needs education
-There are only two years to save our farming community in Idaho
-Ethanol still needs to be less expensive to produce to remain competitive
Successes
-It’s a proven product – 15 years
-Stinker Stations – 15 years
-Simplot has been making it - 15 years
-Has not caused the environmental problems of MTBE
Recommended Actions
-Talk to air regulators
-Energy Division should take the leadership role
-Form an Ethanol Work Group that meets regularly
-Look at grant possibilities
-Increase awareness including children (advertising / education)
-Standardize logo for recognition
-Bioenergy Center (research and development) in Idaho
-Economic analysis of plant for Idaho (include air quality and water quality)
-Hold a plant construction workshop (Ethanol Plant Development Handbook could be foundation for it).
¨ More information on a regular basis to the public
-Visit editorial boards
-Utilize the Internet
-Letters to the editor
-Support the local chapter of EPAC
-Encourage the Governor to become a member of the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition
-Study Brazil’s experience
How can we use the information from today’s workshop?
-Fill tank with ethanol
-Talk to Albertson’s about marketing it
-IdaCorp and fuel cells
-Get Cenex more involved with efforts
Significant ideas
-Take a closer look at Minnesota’s successful program
-Do anything we can do to add value to products
-Heighten interest in Idaho to expand ethanol use and production
-Continue the positive, useful meetings/workshops
-Reduce oil dependence
