April 5, 2019
BY Ron Kotrba
The writing process, if done responsibly, will almost always lead to an excess of information in the hands of the writer. The writer is his own first editor, leaving scraps of facts, figures, data and quotes on the cutting-room floor in an attempt—however successful—to cohesively and clearly tell a story. The assignment pitch, deadline, page count, audience, his knowledge of the subject matter, and his own personal world view all contribute to the decision-making process of what to include and what to leave out.
Some writers may complain when faced with too much information. I seldom face this problem. For me, the worst and hardest article to write is the one for which too little material is gained during the information-gathering phase. It just doesn’t work, and the writer’s lack of subject matter knowledge glares back at the reader like—well, like a poorly written, ill-informed article. Anyone can identify the signs: vagueness; skirting, or writing around, the issue; brevity when a deeper analysis is called for; a lack of primary sources—or even worse, citing secondary sources such as another news outlet.
In my humble opinion, information-gathering—research, interviews, attending technical sessions at events, and deliberation—is the most important and intense part of the writing process. During this phase of my page-14 feature, “Where Will All the Feedstock Come From?” I spent weeks interviewing some of the most revered feedstock experts in this space—Stephen Kaffka, John Cusick and Alan Weber. My interview with Weber led me to CoverCress and its CEO Jerry Steiner.
When all of my interviews were completed, the word count of my notes from these four sources alone was in the tens of thousands. For me, this is where I want to be when I begin writing an article. Sure, my nearly 15 years as a writer in this sector, notebooks full of handwritten notes from recent industry events, and access to a world of information through the internet help. But the perspectives of primary sources such as these are invaluable. Like most feature articles that I write, despite this article being 4,500 words long I am left with a plethora of information that did not make it into the piece. Is this wasted time and effort on my part? Never. It adds to my growing background knowledge and will help inform future articles. Even if this were not the case, I can genuinely say it was simply nice to talk with these folks and glean just a fraction of their insight.
The information I gathered can, if necessary, be distilled down to a few points. One, no one I spoke with can identify an upper limit to biomass-based diesel production before feedstock markets go haywire. It’s not infinite, but it may not be as finite as some think. Two, market forces drive innovation and efficiency. Given the right market signals, sustainable supplies will follow. Three, markets—including drivers, participants and technologies—change. The difference between creative adaptation and apathetic obliviousness is the difference between success and failure.
Author: Ron Kotrba
Editor
Biodiesel Magazine
rkotrba@bbiinternational.com
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U.S. operable biofuel capacity in February was unchanged from the previous month, according to data released by the U.S. EIA on April 30. Feedstock consumption for February was down when compared to both January 2025 and February 2024.
CARB on April 4 released a third set of proposed changes to the state’s LCFS. More than 80 public comments were filed ahead of an April 21 deadline, including those filed by representatives of the ethanol, biobased diesel and biogas industries.
The USDA on April 14 announced the cancellation of its Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program. Select projects that meet certain requirements may continue under a new Advancing Markets for Producers initiative.
The USDA reduced its outlook for 2024-’25 soybean oil use in biofuel production in its latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, released April 10. The outlook for soybean oil pricing was revised up.
BDI-BioEnergy International has signed a contract with Ghent Renewables BV to begin the construction of a pioneering biofuel feedstock refinery plant. Construction is underway and the facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2025.