BRYAN, Texas, November 7, 2008 (ENS) – Texas Governor Rick Perry was on hand today for the dedication of a unique biofuels conversion facility in Bryan, about 70 miles northwest of Houston.

The new facility built by Terrebon, LLC will confirm the scaled-up, commercial feasibility of the company’s MixAlco technology, which converts non-food biomass into industrial chemicals and transportation fuels.

Governor Perry encouraged continued investment in researching and marketing alternative energy sources as a way to move Texas and the United States toward energy independence.

“Energy independence has become a critical goal as the worldwide demand for energy continues to rise, and traditional energy sources can no longer be solely depended on to provide the resources needed,” the governor said.

“To advance to the next generation of energy technologies, we must continue to develop and refine new ideas and take some risk to produce and market them through innovation and competitive markets.”

“In the same way that Texas long ago set the pace in petroleum production and refining, we are now leading the way into a new era of renewable energy production, which will move us closer to energy independence,” the governor said.

At the new facility, Terrebon will use sorghum as the primary feedstock with the objective of producing organic salts and converting them to ketones, which can be converted to renewable gasoline.
Sorghum is a grain that Terrebon will use as a feedstock for the

MixAlco production plant in Bryan, Texas.
(Photo courtesy University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

The MixAlco technology, so named because of the mixed alcohols that result, has been developed over the past 15 years by Dr. Mark Holtzapple, a professor of chemical engineering at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

The technology converts biomass – trees, grass, manure, sewage sludge, garbage – into mixed alcohols for use as fuel. “We can use anything biodegradable,” Holtzapple says. “If you put it outside and it rots, we can use it.”

Terrabon holds the only worldwide licensing rights from Texas A&M to this unique acid fermentation technology, which the company has successfully tested for the past three years at its pilot plant in College Station.

“We are pleased with the speed and efficiency with which this facility has been developed and look forward to bringing it on line by year-end,” said Gary Luce, Terrabon’s chief executive officer.

Addressing 500 investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, and policymakers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s 21st Growth Forum meeting October 29 in Denver, Luce explained that cows were the original inspiration for the acid fermentation technology.

“MixAlco, which was inspired by the digestive processes of the ordinary cow, is an advanced bio-refining process that employs carboxylic acid fermentation followed by downstream chemistry to convert biomass products such as municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, forest product residues and non-edible energy crops, into industrial chemicals and renewable gasoline,” said Luce.

Luce said he considers the economics of the MixAlco technology to be extremely attractive. For example, a project for a city of 100,000, using 200 tons per day of municipal solid waste as biomass, could generate 4.5 million gallons per year of renewable gasoline at a capital cost of $22.5 million and a cash cost of less than $1.50 per gallon.

“The growing interest in clean energy investments is phenomenal.” said L. Marty Murphy, manager of enterprise development with the National Renewable Energy Lab. “Public support for increasing our energy options is at an all time high. People are concerned about increased energy costs, our reliance on foreign oil, as well as the threat of climate change.”

Terrabon has funded development of the technology and its intellectual property since 1995. Currently, this includes 12 U.S. patents and more than 14 U.S. patent applications as well as numerous others in international markets.

The research that developed the MixAlco technology also led to two additional products.

SoluPro converts inexpensive protein-bearing waste material into animal feed and green commercial adhesives.

AdVE utilizes advanced vapor-compression evaporation to substantially reduce the capital and operating costs of purification for brackish and salty water.

Terrabon plans to license and joint venture all three technologies with other companies and municipalities, but for now the focus is on MixAlco.

Luce said, “Terrabon’s MixAlco technology is a cost effective, sustainable solution to the urgent need to produce biofuels and bio-chemicals that satisfy the world’s appetite for renewable energy resources and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil.”

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AUSTIN, Texas, September 16, 2008 (ENS) – President George W. Bush and Texas Governor Rick Perry visited Houston and Galveston today to survey areas devastated by last weekend’s Hurricane Ike.

A former Texas governor, Bush flew over Galveston, where the airport is still not functional and many homes and businesses were destroyed when the storm made landfall as a major hurricane early Saturday morning.

At Ellington Field in Houston, the president said, “My first observation is that the state government and local folks are working very closely and working hard and have put a good response together. The evacuation plan was excellent in its planning and in execution. The rescue plan was very bold, and we owe a debt of gratitude to those who were on the front line pulling people out of harm’s way, like the Coast Guard people behind us here.”

President George W. Bush walks hand-in-hand
with Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas
today on his visit to storm-affected areas.
(Photo by Eric Draper courtesy The White
House)

“We have decided to match 100 percent – or pay 100 percent with no state match for debris removal, as well as the emergency preparedness that the state and local government have put in place and executed,” Bush said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has 20 crews engaged in debris removal.

Search and rescue teams are still pulling people who did not evacuate out of ruined buildings. On Monday, they found 60 people trapped in their homes and officials expect to find more people who need help to get out of flooded rural areas, said FEMA Administrator David Paulison. He expects search and rescue operations to be completed tomorrow.

To date, more than 3,540 residents from coastal areas have been rescued by air, ground and water.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 270 shelters were open throughout the state housing more than 29,800 evacuees. FEMA officials said more people are entering shelters as they become unable to sustain themselves.

At the state’s request, federal transitional housing assistance is now available to Texas evacuees with inaccessible or uninhabitable homes. The list of approved hotels/motels can be found at: www.femaevachotels.com. Please note that the number of approved hotels/motels is constantly being updated. To register for transitional housing assistance, visit www.fema.gov or call toll free at 1-800-621-3362 or 1-800-462-7585.

More than 1,322 truckloads of water and 1,161 truckloads of ice have been distributed throughout the storm-affected areas.

Monday evening, at the state’s request, the federal government granted Texas a federal waiver to provide emergency food stamps to eligible low-income individuals and families living in any of the 29 counties that were declared disaster areas. Replacement food stamp benefits for those currently eligible will help more than 500,000 Texans in areas where power outages or flooding damaged or destroyed their food supply.

Governor Rick Perry comforts evacuees. (Photo
courtesy Office of the Governor)

Governor Perry today issued an emergency proclamation authorizing public utility companies in Texas to speed relief and recovery efforts by laying temporary electric transmission lines to restore power lost as a result of Hurricane Ike.

Power companies in areas affected by the storm are working around the clock to restore electricity. To date, power has been restored to 800,000 customers, but nearly two million customers remain without power in east Texas and along the coast.

“Restoring power is one of the most critical, humanitarian challenges we face in the immediate aftermath of this natural disaster,” Perry said. “This proclamation will help public utility companies restore electricity faster to millions of homes, hospitals, schools and businesses affected by Hurricane Ike.”

The governor’s proclamation will grant public utilities in Texas the authority to enter public and private property and install temporary electric transmission lines to restore power. The directive removes the lengthy easement acquisition process which could otherwise take months.

Companies must use existing utility and roadway easements when reasonably available and must provide landowners with a letter justifying their authority to access private property. Governor Perry took the same action following Hurricane Rita in 2005.

The Public Utility Commission of Texas has launched a feature on its website to allow customers to check the status of power outages by entering their utility provider and zip code at: http://www.puc.state.tx.us/files/ike.cfm.

FEMA Administrator Paulison said the agency is now moving from the search and rescue phase into the “sustainment phase.”

The agency opened points of distribution yesterday, getting people meals, getting food and water, ice, blankets and tarps. “That’s been going very well,” said Paulison. “A lot of long lines, there’s no question about that, but everybody is able to get through and get some meals and get ice and water to take back to their houses.”

Now FEMA is starting to work with the state to supply long-term housing for the many people whose homes have been destroyed. Paulison said, “We’re setting up with the state a joint housing task force that will be led by the state, and involve the state, local community, FEMA, HUD, HHS, the VA, the Department of Agriculture and a couple other federal departments, to deal with the longer-term housing.”

FEMA search and rescue crews go house
to house in flooded Sabine, Texas.
September 14, 2008 (Photo by Jocelyn
Augustino courtesy FEMA)

“Like we’ve seen in past hurricanes, sometimes it’s months or even 18 months before people get back into their homes,” Paulison said. “So we’ve got to make sure we find a place for people to stay – looking at apartments, looking at some of the extended-stay hotel-type facilities to make sure people have a safe, comfortable place to stay until their homes are rebuilt.”

In Presidio, Texas, the Rio Grande River is two to six feet below the top of the levees and the levees have not breached. All but one of Mexico’s reservoirs on the Conchos River which feed into the Rio Grande at Presidio are above flood control capacity and are spilling.

Mexico is releasing water from Luis Leon reservoir, the only reservoir not above flood control capacity. Officials on both sides of the border say these releases cannot be turned off or slowed because the reservoir is at 96 percent capacity with inflows from upstream reservoirs rapidly filling the remaining capacity.

The International Boundary and Water Commission and Mexico’s National Water Commission will conduct an on-site evaluation of the situation.

A mandatory evacuation order has been issued for low lying areas of Presidio, and 500 people have been evacuated. If the levees break, another 4,500 residents are at risk, but no evacuation order has been issued for these residents.

Six ports are still closed – Freeport, Galveston, Houston, Port Arthur-Beaumont, Lake Charles, and Texas City.

Heavy flooding has turned the coast at Port Arthur into a muddy mess, and Coast Guard crews were kept busy surrounding polluted areas with containment booms and moving dirt to help trucks launch boats without getting stuck.

Sixteen refineries remain shut-down in Louisiana and Texas; eight refineries are operating with reduced runs, and four refineries are operating within normal ranges. Colonial gas pipeline has resumed operations and is operating at reduced flow. The Explorer pipeline is making final preparations for start up after power is restored; no significant damage has been noted.

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AUSTIN, Texas, September 11, 2008 (ENS) – Residents of the Houston-Galveston area and four northern counties on the Texas Gulf Coast have been ordered to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Ike, now headed directly for the city of Galveston.

Brazoria, Jefferson, Matagorda and Orange counties are being evacuated, and county offices and courthouses are closed today and will remain closed until the storm has passed.

Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas ordered the evacuation of the island today and the University of Galveston Medical Center expects to have all patients safely evacuated by the end of the day.

“Latest estimates show that Ike will begin moving ashore within the next 48 hours, packing winds in excess of 120 miles per hour and a storm surge that could reach 14 feet or more,” Texas Governor Rick Perry said at a news conference in Austin today.
Standing in front of a count-down clock showing less than 24 hours to

Hurricane Ike, Texas Governor Rick
Perry warns Texans to evacuate. (Photo
courtesy Office of the Governor)

“If your house has an eve that’s 14 feet, it would be completely under water,” Perry said. “That’s the type of surge we’re talking about all through Galveston and all the way up into the [Houston] Ship Channel.”

“My message to Texans in the projected impact area is this,” the governor warned, “finish your preparations because Ike is dangerous and he’s on his way.”

“When a storm of this magnitude hits, it will do damage, it will knock out power, and it will cause flooding,” Perry said, urging everyone to move inland as quickly as possible.

On a televised news conference this morning, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett ordered those in low-lying areas to the east and southeast of Houston to begin evacuating by noon today.

After some initial confusion, Houston’s Metro transit system is picking up all residents in evacuation zones who cannot get out by themselves. Dozens of charter buses have been brought in to take them to shelters in Dallas, far from Hurricane Ike.

METROLift will stop providing transportation at noon Friday and will only provide transportation for those needing to go to life-sustaining or medically essential appointments. No services will be provided on Saturday or Sunday.

A Corpus Christi firefighter assists a
resident with special needs into a bus
which will take her and her family to
a shelter in San Antonio in advance
of Hurricane Ike. Sept. 9, 2008 (Photo
by Patsy Lynch courtesy FEMA)

A Hurricane Warning is in effect from Morgan City, Louisiana to Baffin Bay, Texas, just south of the city of Corpus Christi, and hurricane conditions could reach the coast within this area by late Friday, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

A Hurricane Watch and Tropical Storm Warning are in effect from south of Baffin Bay to the Texas-Mexico border.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from east of Morgan City to the Mississippi-Alabama border, including the city of New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain.

Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 115 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 255 miles, forecasters warned.

Above normal tides of three to five feet are already occurring along much of the north coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

National Weather Service forecasters say the storm also may impact the cities of San Antonio, Austin and Waco because of a high potential for tornadoes in its outer bands.

“As we speak, Ike is a Category 2 storm, but could very well intensify to a Cat 4,” Governor Perry said. “That would make Hurricane Ike the strongest storm to come ashore in Texas in the past three years, but we are ready. To prepare for its impact, our Division of Emergency Management, under the leadership of Steve McCraw and Jack Colley, is executing a massive effort to assist our state and local officials in moving Texans out of harm’s way.

Up to 7,500 Texas Military Forces personnel with helicopters and cargo planes have been activated, and more than 1,300 buses are available for those who cannot self-evacuate, along with more than 300 ambulances for citizens with special medical needs.

To provide immediate help in the recovery process, state and federal officials have created Texas Task Force Ike together with private sector partners.

It includes Texas Task Forces 1, Texas Military Forces, state agencies, businesses and mass care organizations, Perry said. “As soon as the storm passes over, this team will roll into the affected area and get to work supporting the local communities and their leaders.”

“As we always do, we have prepared for the worst and will continue to pray for the best,” the governor said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has pre-staged life-saving and life-sustaining commodities around Texas such as meals ready-to-eat, drinking water, cots, blankets and tarps.

The U.S. Coast Guard has put ships, fixed and rotary wing aircraft, medical teams, disaster assistance response teams and other personnel on call and is urging the maritime community and boating public to track Hurricane Ike’s progress and take early action to protect themselves and their vessels.

More than 13,500 National Guard members are already actively supporting recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast region from Hurricane Gustav earlier this month and is poised to send nearly 40,000 additional troops to support civilian authorities and maintain order.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has 40 trained response teams equipped with field guides and mobile response equipment to support debris removal, commodities procurement and delivery, temporary emergency power, temporary housing, temporary roofing, infrastructure assessment, and support to urban search and rescue missions.

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AUSTIN, Texas, September 10, 2008 (ENS) – Early this morning, the center of Hurricane Ike was located about 125 miles north-northeast of Cabo San Antonio on the western tip of Cuba. More than one million Cubans evacuated and the storm claimed four lives as 20 inches of rain and 100 mph winds swept across the island. More than 600 people died as Ike blasted across Haiti last week.

Ike currently is moving toward the west-northwest near eight mph and this motion is expected to continue for the next day or so, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Maximum sustained winds are near 85 mph with higher gusts, which makes Ike a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

Once the storm reaches the warmer waters of the Gulf of Mexico, it is expected to strengthen, and the National Weather Service is forecasting Ike will intensify to a Category 3 hurricane in the central Gulf.

Estimated landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast will be 85 miles northeast of Corpus Christi, Texas on Saturday, September 13 at about 5 am local time.

Forecasters say hurricane force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 175 miles. The outer bands of the storm brushed Florida last night, flooding low-lying areas of Key West.

In view of the hurricane’s deadly threat, Texas Governor Rick Perry Tuesday ordered the pre-deployment of state resources to prepare for evacuation of coastal areas as the storm tracks toward Texas. Evacuations could begin as early as today.

Hurricane Ike wheels into the Gulf of
Mexico (Image courtesy NOAA)

The governor issued a disaster declaration for 88 counties on Monday, which readies the state to provide assistance to local officials.

“We continue to closely monitor this storm and are preparing accordingly for its potential impact to our communities,” said Governor Perry. “Hurricane Ike is making its way to the Gulf as we speak, and it is imperative that residents pay attention to this storm, heed warnings from their local leaders, and take the steps necessary to protect their families, homes and businesses.”

In anticipation of Ike’s landfall, up to 1,350 buses are available to support potential evacuations, with more than 800 en route today to pre-stage in San Antonio and 150 heading to Bee County.

Up to 7,500 guardsmen are on standby for rapid deployment as needed. Six UH-60 helicopters are stationed in Austin and four in San Antonio, and five C-130 aircraft are on standby in Fort Worth.

Two task forces from the Texas Engineering Extension Service are on standby if search and rescue capabilities are needed.

The Texas Department of Transportation has put up message signs urging residents along the coast to fuel up their vehicles to be ready for possible evacuation orders. The state’s Fuel Team is working to ensure adequate fuel supplies along potential evacuation routes and monitoring demand increases. People who are unable to evacuate themselves can let responders know who and where they are before an emergency or evacuation takes place by calling 2-1-1.

Commercial vehicle enforcement troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety are inspecting buses in San Antonio that may be needed for evacuations.

More than 100 troopers across Texas are pre-staging in Corpus Christi, and the regional DPS Disaster District operations centers have been activated in San Antonio, Corpus Christi and McAllen.

The Texas Department of State Health Services is making plans for air and ground evacuation of hospital patients as needed along the Texas coast from Corpus Christi southward. Five federal medical stations are being set up to receive medical special needs evacuees.

The state’s 2-1-1 information and referral network has answered thousands of calls related to Ike since midnight Monday.

Nursing homes and other licensed facilities in coastal regions are being contacted to make sure their emergency plans are up-to-date. Staff are closely monitoring conditions to ensure the safety of those at the Corpus Christi State School.

The Department of Family and Protective Services is instructing foster parents and other caregivers how to report the whereabouts of children in foster care if they evacuate.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice today took the precaution of moving 12 female dialysis patients from the Carole S. Young Medical Facility Complex in Dickinson to the Estelle Unit in Huntsville. The agency is staging nearly 60 inmate transport buses in the Beeville area should the evacuation of South Texas prison facilities become necessary.

The Texas Department of Agriculture is prepared to distribute food commodities and will coordinate distribution efforts with the Salvation Army and American Red Cross. Plans are underway to protect livestock in the Texas Department of Agriculture’s export pens in the path of Ike.

Public Utility Commission is asking electricity providers and telecommunications companies along the Gulf Coast to begin emergency preparations, such as reviewing emergency operations plans, updating critical care customer lists, checking inventories, and alerting crews.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has requested an extended authorization for the fuel waivers from Hurricane Gustav earlier this month and is prepared to respond to impacts from Hurricane Ike. A strike team capable of handling hazardous materials assembled in Austin today. The TCEQ is working with local agencies preparing to address any environmental impact issues that may result from Ike.

Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs is making hurricane housing resources for communities available on the agency’s website http://www.tdhca.state.tx.us. The department will contact community action agencies in the projected path of the storm and advise them that they may be called upon to serve more people.

Texas Animal Health Commission is coordinating with its member agencies and encouraging residents to call 2-1-1 for the latest shelter information for pets and livestock.

The Emergency Management Council and State Operations Center are fully activated. The State Operations Center is closely monitoring Hurricane Ike, and holding twice daily conference calls with federal, state and local officials, private industry partners, volunteer organizations, and the National Weather Service.

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WASHINGTON, DC, July 23, 2008 (ENS) – In April, Texas Governor Rick Perry requested a 50 percent waiver from the grain-based Renewable Fuels Standard mandated under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, enacted last December. The governor says corn prices are soaring because of the demand for corn to make ethanol, which also raises prices for meat, milk and other food products.

“We appreciate the good intentions behind the push for renewable fuels. In fact we’re diversifying our state’s energy portfolio at a rapid rate, but this misguided mandate is significantly affecting Texans’ family food bill,” said Governor Perry in April when he made his initial request for a waiver. “There are multiple factors contributing to our skyrocketing grocery prices, but a waiver of RFS levels is the best, quickest way to reduce those costs before permanent damage is done.”[img]/UPLOADS/blog/ecommunity_news/blogpost_data/08_07_21/20080723_093large_e85.jpg]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was scheduled to issue its decision on the waiver by July 24, but on Tuesday EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson said the decision would be delayed until August.

“Given the amount of work that remains to sufficiently answer the Texas request for a waiver from the Renewable Fuels Standard, it is now clear that a final decision on the request will not be completed by July 24,” said Johnson.

“Shortly after receiving the waiver request, EPA initiated a public comment during which the agency received over 15,000 comments and a number of these comments raised substantive issues and included significant economic analysis,” he said. “I believe it is very important to take sufficient time to review and understand these comments in order to make an informed decision.”

“Additional time is needed to allow staff to adequately respond to the public comments and develop a decision document that explains the technical, economic and legal rationale of our decision,” Johnson said.

The EPA is also required to consult with the Departments of Agriculture and Energy in considering whether to grant or deny the waiver request and has begun these consultations, the administrator explained.

“The process remains fair and open and no agreements have been made with any party in regard to the substance and timing of the decision on the waiver request,” he said. “I am confident that I will be able to make a final determination on the Texas waiver request in early August.”

Governor Perry said Tuesday, “I appreciate the diligent approach Administrator Johnson and his staff are taking in addressing our waiver request and the 15,000-plus comments they have received on this issue.

“We still believe the solution to the unintended consequence of this federal RFS mandate is simple: a one-year, 50 percent waiver,” the governor said.

“The RFS waiver is an essential step toward decreasing the devastating statewide, national and international impact of skyrocketing feed and food costs,” he said.

Corn prices rose 138 percent globally over the last three years and global food prices increased 83 percent over the same time period. “With the implementation of the new RFS mandate, some estimates predict corn prices will rise to $8.00/bushel for the 2008 crop, resulting in a negative impact of $3.59 billion to the state,” the governor said.

National Biodiesel Board Chief Executive Officer Joe Jobe said it is important to remember that all renewable fuels qualify for the Renewable Fuels Standard, not just ethanol.

“If the RFS is waived or cut in half in 2008, then the growth of all biofuels, including ‘advanced biofuels’ such as biodiesel, will be severely hindered,” Jobe warned.

“As Governor Perry himself pointed out just last month, alternative fuels such as biodiesel play in an important role in ‘diversifying not only our energy portfolio, but our economic landscape,’” Jobe said.

“Beyond the environmental and energy security benefits provided by biofuels,” he said, “the opportunity for green jobs and the continued economic development of biodiesel refineries in Texas must be taken into account by the EPA when evaluating whether to waive the RFS.”

“While a delay is understandable considering the complexity of the issue before them, we urge the EPA to ultimately reject the waiver request. Gov. Perry had it right when he praised biodiesel for ‘providing a necessary alternative to fossil fuels without negatively impacting our food supply.’”

The Renewable Fuels Association, which represents the ethanol industry, says reducing the use of ethanol will not bring down grain prices for livestock producers and food processors in Texas.

“But eliminating 4.5 billion gallons of fuel from the marketplace – as the 50 percent waiver of the Renewable Fuels Standard sought by Governor Perry would do – will increase gasoline and diesel prices even more. While this may benefit Texas oil companies, it will certainly hurt consumers in Texas and the rest of the country,” the organization said.

A recent study by Texas A&M University requested by Governor Perry’s office found that, “Relaxing the RFS does not result in significantly lower corn prices.”

The waiver request may actually have the opposite effect on corn prices, said National Corn Growers Association President President Ron Litterer. “This waiver request could potentially send a signal to the corn market that demand from the ethanol sector is not a sure thing. The response from farmers could be fewer planted acres of corn and higher corn prices.”

The Texas A&M study also found that “corn prices have had little to do with rising food costs.” This finding is bolstered by recent studies by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, Kansas City Federal Reserve, and other third parties.

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AUSTIN, Texas, July 23, 2008 (ENS) – Hurricane Dolly tore into South Texas early Wednesday afternoon with driving rain and sustained winds near 100 miles per hour, ripping roofs off houses and hotels and dropping power lines.

The eye of Hurricane Dolly made landfall over southern Padre Island as a borderline category one to category two hurricane on the Saffir/Simpson scale. The storm blew the roofs off the Bahia Mar, a 10-story resort hotel, and the Palmetto Inn restaurant.

At the direction of law enforcement officials, the Queen Isabella Memorial Bridge and Park Road 100 north of the South Padre Island Convention Center in Cameron County are closed and unnecessary travel is being discouraged.

Hurricane Dolly whips up waves off the
Texas coast near Corpus Christi.
(Photo by Jon Brandt)

“The Island community is urged to remain indoors until Hurricane Dolly passes,” said South Padre Island Mayor Robert N. Pinkerton Jr. “Be safe, be smart and leave the roads to our emergency responders.”

Mayor Pinkerton declared a local state of disaster Monday, implementing the Town’s Emergency Management Plan. About 10,000 people have remained on the island, which has lost all electric power. About 300 people on the island are seeking emergency shelter, Cameron County officials said.

At 5 pm local time, the eye of the hurricane was inland over far south Texas. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says that because the hurricane’s circulation pattern is interacting with land, a gradual weakening has begun. Further weakening is forecast as Dolly moves farther inland. It is expected to dissapate in about 48 hours but not before it dumps up to 20 inches of rain over parts of south Texas and northeastern Mexico.

“Texas is rapidly responding to the needs of our residents as Hurricane Dolly continues to bring extensive rain and strong winds through our southern communities,” said Texas Governor Rick Perry. “As we always do in the toughest times, we are seeing Texans being Texans: helping their neighbors, putting others’ needs above their own, and heading toward the trouble, not away.”

More than 2,800 people are in shelters across the state.

Characterized as a large slow moving system, over the next few days forecasters expect Dolly to produce total rainfall of eight to 12 inches with 20 inches of rain in some places and widespread flooding.

“Coastal storm surge flooding up to eight feet above normal tide levels along with large and dangerous battering waves will continue for the next few hours but will subside later tonight,” the Hurricane Center said in a statement.

Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 35 miles, or 55 km, from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 140 miles, or 220 km.

A hurricane warning remains in effect for the coast of Texas from Brownsville to just south of Baffin Bay and for the northeastern coast of Mexico from Rio San Fernando northward to the border between Mexico and the United States.

Residents of Corpus Christi stand in their
flooded street. (Photo by Rob Colbert)

At four this afternoon, the hurricane warning from Baffin Bay northward to Corpus Christi was replaced by a tropical storm warning, which also remains in effect from Baffi Bay to Port O’Connor.

The tropical storm warning and hurricane watch from La Pesca to south of Rio San Fernando have been discontinued.

Governor Perry today asked President Bush for a major presidential disaster declaration as a result of Hurricane Dolly’s escalation to a category 2 storm shortly before making landfall. A Presidential Disaster Declaration will provide federal resources to support re-entry and recovery efforts.

The governor has issued a state disaster proclamation for Aransas, Bexar, Brooks, Calhoun, Cameron, Hidalgo, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Starr, Victoria and Willacy counties.

Since Sunday, state resources have been activated and pre-positioned throughout south Texas. A force of 1,200 national guardsmen, an incident management team and six UH-60s have been activated and pre-positioned throughout south Texas.

Three incident management teams from the Texas Forest Service have been deployed to Weslaco to support mass care activities.

From the Texas Engineering and Extension Service,160 personnel including water rescue teams and helicopter rescue specialists have been deployed and others are on standby.

The American Red Cross has deployed emergency response vehicles to Weslaco, Laredo and San Antonio and six shelter trailers are in position in Laredo for post-hurricane sheltering. The Red Cross has recruited and deployed 250 disaster workers to Texas.

The Salvation Army has deployed four canteens to Weslaco to support first responders as well as residents of the storm-affected area.

TexasOnline is updating the Emergency Portal with the most recent evacuation maps provided by the Texas Department of Transportation.

An emergency fuel contract has been activated to support possible evacuation and response requirements. The fuel industry is reporting a significant increase in retail fuel sales along the entire Texas coast.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has stationed 81 game wardens, 68 boats and eight airboats from Corpus Christi to Brownsville. An additional 84 wardens, 59 boats and seven airboats are ready to deploy should it become necessary.

A strike team from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that is capable of handling hazardous materials, emergency responders, additional public water supply and wastewater specialists, and a self contained mobile command post trailer with interoperable radio communications and satellite/wireless Internet connections is on standby for pre-deployed in Austin.

The agency is monitoring the impacts to dam and levee structures and is providing a regional representative on the State Rapid Assessment Team that will flyover and assess the impacted area immediately after the storm.

Regional TCEQ staff contacted public water supply and wastewater facilities in the hurricane area and the agency is prepared to provide specialists to help assess storm damage to these facilities.

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WASHINGTON, DC, June 25, 2008 (ENS) – Texas Governor Rick Perry is asking the federal government to reduce by half the amount of corn-based ethanol that must be blended into the national fuel supply under the national Renewable Fuel Standard, RFS. Instead of being used for fuel, the governor wants that corn to feed livestock and people.

On Tuesday, the governor held a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington to press his case, joined by food producers and retailers. The governor said his request for a waiver of the RFS is motivated by rising corn prices which have proved damaging to Texas’s enormous livestock and poultry industry.

“While I have no doubt this mandate was a well-intentioned effort to move our country toward energy independence, it is doing more harm than good and must be modified before our livestock industry suffers permanent damage,” said Governor Perry. “Granting this waiver will provide much needed relief to families, while enabling Texas to continue feeding and fueling the nation.”

On April 25, Governor Perry submitted a request to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce the RFS mandate by half – from nine billion to 4.5 billion gallons blended into the national fuel supply.

The EPA opened the waiver request for a public comment period, which ended on Monday. Now the environmental agency has until July 24 to issue a decision.

This Texas fueling station sells fuel
that is 85 percent ethanol.
(Photo credit unknown)

In April 2007, the EPA established the nation’s first comprehensive Renewable Fuel Standard, which requires American refiners, blenders, and importers to use a minimum volume of renewable fuel each year between 2007 and 2012.

The minimum – determined as a percentage of the total volume of fuel a company produces or imports – will increase every year.

For 2007, 4.02 percent of all the fuel sold or dispensed to U.S. motorists had to come from renewable sources, roughly 4.7 billion gallons.

In 2008, the EPA raised the required ratio to 7.76 percent or nine billion gallons of renewable fuel.

But today, with corn prices hitting $8 per bushel and Midwest flooding devastating the corn crop, price increases for livestock and poultry feed are putting financial pressure on both producers and consumers of meat, milk and grain products.

Emphasizing the urgent nature of the waiver request given the recent flooding in the Midwest, J. Patrick Boyle, president and CEO of the American Meat Institute, said, “The prices for beef, pork and dairy products have risen dramatically over the past few months and this upward trend will continue, as the food used to feed these animals is washed away by flood waters and the projected size of the corn harvest shrinks.”

Bill Roenigk, senior vice president and chief economist of the National Chicken Council, which represents chicken production and processing companies, supports the governor’s request for a waiver.

“The Renewable Fuel Standard has distorted the market and has imposed severe economic harm on companies in our industry through dramatically higher input costs and is imposing harm on the general public in the form of higher prices for food products,” said Roenigk.

“Cattlemen are now confronting $7 and even $8 corn, and that may just be the beginning,” said Gregg Doud, chief economist for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. “Even before the wet spring pushed into June, we were already seeing a lot of acres migrating away from corn this year. By the time conditions improve in many of these fields, planting corn will no longer be an option.”

“Government support for corn-based ethanol ensures a permanent, significant and increasing demand for corn,” said Dr. Keith Collins, a former chief economist of the U.S. Department of Agriculture who submitted a new analysis of the situation to the EPA on Monday.

“These policies interfere with the normal price rationing function of markets when supplies are short such as in 2008, with production being reduced by flooding and excess moisture,” he said.

“In this short-crop environment, biofuels policy, including mandated use of ethanol, causes even higher corn prices, shifts the demand adjustment burden to non-ethanol users of corn – particularly the livestock sector – and puts continuing pressure on food prices.”

In a separate analysis, also offered on Monday, Dr. Thomas Elam of FarmEcon LLC, warns, “”Maintenance of the current RFS schedule in the face of a smaller 2008 corn crop will be devastating to meat, dairy and poultry producers.”

“Consumers will suffer as food and fuel costs rise and supplies of corn-based foods diminish,” he wrote. “The overall economy will be damaged from higher inflation and lost jobs in the food production sector.”

One after another food producers and distributors stood up to support Governor Perry’s request – the bakers, the turkey producers, the restauranteurs.

“We must ensure that we are not forcing our needs on food and fuel to compete against each other,” said John Gay, senior vice president of government affairs and public policy for the National Restaurant Association, which supports the development of renewable fuels, including the recycling of waste restaurant oil into biodiesel.

“Although there are many factors contributing to runaway food inflation, there is only one factor the administration can change – federal food-to-fuel mandates,” said Grocery Manufacturers Association President and CEO Cal Dooley.

“At a time when tens of thousands of Americans are turning to food banks to feed their children, no administration could reasonably conclude that ethanol refiners should be given priority over working families, food companies, and livestock farmers.”

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HOUSTON, Texas, June 5, 2008 (ENS) – A former waste oil and chemical refinery has been transformed over the past year into a zero emissions biodiesel production plant in Houston. When GreenHunter Energy opened the $70 million biodiesel refinery and glycerin distillery Monday, Texas Governor Rick Perry was on hand.

“The transformation of an old waste-oil refinery into a renewable fuel campus is symbolic of our state’s commitment to continually moving towards greater energy independence,” said the governor.

GreenHunter Energy’s Renewable Fuels Campus is a zero emissions facility with four facets – a 105 million gallon per year biodiesel refinery, a 700,000 barrel bulk liquid terminal operation, a 200 million pound per year glycerin distillation system, and a 45,000 barrel-per-month methanol distillation tower.

The biodiesel refinery is the largest in the United States and can use 100 percent animal fats, 100 percent vegetable oils, or any blend of the two interchangeably.

The finished product is of the highest quality light-colored biodiesel, more commonly known as “water-white” biodiesel.

“We are very proud of the men and women who have worked tirelessly to create this extraordinary facility,” said Gary C. Evans, chairman and CEO of the publicly traded company.

“The significance of this event began just 12 months ago when we acquired an underutilized asset at an exceptional value,” said Evans. “We then executed on a strategy and business plan that significantly reduced the risk to the company and our shareholders, while at the same time converting this facility into the largest and most versatile biodiesel refinery in the U.S.”

A biodiesel Benz
(Photo credit unknown)

“But there is more to the story than just building the facility in record time and at below market costs,” he said. “We have created many new long-term jobs for Texans and we now have the opportunity to participate in our country’s goal of reducing its continued dependence on foreign crude oil supplies.”

Headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, GreenHunter Energy was formed to be the first publicly traded renewable energy company based in the United States that provides investors with a portfolio of diversified assets in the alternative energy sector.

Representing the U.S. Department of Energy at the opening ceremony, Acting Deputy Secretary Jeffrey Kupfer said, “While there is currently no silver bullet that will solve America’s energy and environmental challenges, we know that biofuels are an indispensible component of the solution.”

“Through the substantial investments companies like GreenHunter Energy, Inc. are making in support of renewable energy, the private sector is helping drive the very innovation this country needs to bring about a new energy future,” Kupfer said, “one that is cleaner, more sustainable, more secure and less reliant on carbon-based fossil fuels.”

Biodiesel blends of 20 percent and below will work in any diesel engine without the need for modifications, according to the National Biodiesel Board. These blends will operate in diesel engines just like petroleum diesel.

If the blend has been properly treated by the petroleum company, it will work year round, even in cold climates. B20 also provides similar horsepower, torque, and mileage as diesel.

GreenHunter Energy is focused on the renewable energy sectors of wind, hydro, geothermal, solar, biofuels, and biomass power plants. Stated assets consist of leases of real property for future development of wind energy projects in Montana, New Mexico, California, Texas, and China. For more on Gary C. Evans click here [www.orionethanol.com].

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AUSTIN, Texas, April 17, 2008 (ENS) – The state of Texas will invest $1 million in HelioVolt Corp. of Austin for the construction of a 125,000 square foot manufacturing facility and development space to test and produce the company’s thin-film solar power cells, which convert sunlight into electricity.

The company will manufacture a new type of seamlessly solarized building materials and architectural modules to cover structures with a solar skin.

The investment will come through the Texas Enterprise Fund, TEF, a multi-million dollar business incentive fund created by state legislation in 2003 and refilled in 2005 and 2007.

“Texas is the place to grow a business thanks to our mix of a reasonable regulatory environment, an educated workforce, and a variety of economic incentives that bolster our stature in the global marketplace,” said Governor Rick Perry announcing the HelioVolt funding on Tuesday.

“HelioVolt’s investment in this alternative energy technology will not only create more jobs in Texas but also help our state remain at the forefront of the renewable energy market,” said the governor. These advances will also help decrease our dependence on foreign energy sources.”

Texas was in competition with New York, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania for the facility.

HelioVolt chief executive and founder Dr. B.J. Stanbery said, “Governor Perry’s support of clean energy technologies, innovative companies and job creation through the Texas Enterprise Fund is a sign that he understands the critical role new approaches to energy generation will play in the future economic success of Texas.”

HelioVolt, founded in 2001, is pioneering the use of thin-film solar materials made from an alloy called copper indium gallium selenide, or CIGS, that are 100 times thinner than traditional silicon solar cells.

“Incentives such as the TEF award were instrumental in our decision to locate our first manufacturing and testing facility in Austin,” said Stanbery, who invented the HelioVolt process, which is based on rapid semiconductor printing.

HelioVolt process prints CIGS coating onto
building materials. (Photo
courtesy HelioVolt)

The proprietary HelioVolt process called FASST™ is a high-speed, cost-effective process for manufacturing thin-film photovoltaics using CIGS. FASST™ prints the CIGS coating directly onto a wide variety of substrates.

The CIGS coating can be embedded in roofing materials, glass and cladding, sunshades and canopies, skylights and modules. The new material absorbs more sunlight and is less expensive to produce than traditional silicon technology.

HelioVolt’s first factory, to be located in Austin’s Expo Business Park, will have an initial production capacity of 20 megawatts with the ability to expand as the company increases production.

Manufacturing silicon cells today costs roughly $3 a watt. The interest in HelioVolt is driven by belief that the company eventually can streamline the manufacturing process to produce solar cells at $1 per watt, a target that silicon and thin film producers are both aiming for.

Construction of the company’s new facility will be financed by the company’s Series B funding round, which closed late last year at $101 million, making it the largest solar technology venture capital round to date, HelioVolt said in a statement.

“A clear clean technology leader right here in our backyard, HelioVolt has already proven itself something of an Austin hero to this community that prides itself in its commitment to both clean energy and technological innovation,” said Austin Mayor Will Wynn. HelioVolt expects the new factory to create more than 150 additional jobs in the region.

HelioVolt is not alone in the CIGS marketplace. Based in Silicon Valley, Nanosolar, Inc. is already printing thin-film solar materials with its nanoparticle ink and roll-printing technology and has received about $20 million from the U.S. Energy Department for development in addition to private funding.

Global Solar Energy, opened its new 40 megawatts CIGS factory in Tucson, Arizona in March. Global Solar is breaking ground on what will be one of the world’s largest CIGS solar fields, at 750 kilowatts (kW), and commissioning its 35 MW plant in Berlin, Germany to open in fall 2008.

Worldwide silicon based solar technologies continue to dominate at more than 94 percent of the market share, with the share of thin-film at less than six percent, according to a 2007 report by the National Renewable Energy Lab.

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AUSTIN, Texas, January 31, 2008 (ENS) – Texas Governor Rick Perry has issued a State Disaster Proclamation for more than half the counties in Texas as a result of wildfires that began Tuesday. The governor’s order makes 152 of the state’s 254 counties eligible for state assistance.

“I urge Texans to exercise extreme caution as conditions remain favorable for the development of wildfires across the state,” said Governor Perry. “Vigilance and good judgment are key to ensuring Texans’ families, homes and places of work remain safe.”

Texas fire crew sees tries to contain
a fire near Bastrop earlier this
month. (Photo courtesy Texas
Forest Service)

High winds and lack of rainfall have dried grass and other vegetation across the state, raising the danger of fire.

“These regions of the state, from Dumas to Midland to San Angelo to San Antonio to Sherman did not receive much if any rainfall the past seven days,” said Brad Smith, fire behavior analyst for Texas Forest Service. “Warm, southwest winds and some sunshine today over these areas will help to dry out the cured grasses in advance of tomorrow’s critical fire weather.”

These strong, drying winds and lower relative humidity could cause large, significant wildland fires in the dry grasses across the High Plains, western North Texas, Southern Plains and the Hill Country.

In addition, a major cold front entered the state this evening with sustained winds of 30 to 50 miles per hour in some areas.

“These fronts are expected to cross every two to three days, and it is very important to monitor your local National Weather Service fire weather forecast to determine the exact timing for any frontal passage,” said Smith. “The NWS forecasters are the experts at forecasting the timing and strength of these fronts.”

To address the threat, seven Texas Military Forces utility helicopters have been activated and are stationed in Austin, San Antonio and Dallas/ Forth Worth and one CH-47 helicopter is currently on standby in the Dallas/ Forth Worth area.

The Texas Department of Transportation is providing fuel for Volunteer Fire Department personnel and assisting in suppressing the fires. The Public Utility Commission of Texas is restoring power.

Texas State Operations Center reports that there are 24 fires across the state, 37,000 acres have burned; and an estimated 24 homes were destroyed.

The largest fire has burned 12,000 acres 18 miles east of Hebronville in Duval County about mid-way between Corpus Christi and Laredo. Sixty-five firefighters are working to contain the blaze, which officials say was caused by human activities. An investigation is underway.

The State Operations Center remains at the highest level of activation to monitor the situation. The Governor’s Division of Emergency Management is coordinating state support for local officials.

“We are constantly monitoring the fire weather and fuel dryness throughout the state,” said Mark Stanford, chief of fire operations. “We move the firefighters and equipment to those areas we believe are most critical.”

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