Capitol Hill commuters will be hard pressed to miss the message that ethanol is America’s clean fuel as they travel the DC metro system this month.

Starting at the foot of the escalator with a 10′x12′ floor mat with oil-soaked boot prints and the words “No beaches have been closed due to ETHANOL spills…. America’s CLEAN fuel,” the entire Capitol South Metro stop is saturated with positive ethanol messages from top to bottom.

Growth Energy chose the closest stop to the U.S. Capitol, the offices of the House of Representatives, and the headquarters of both the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee as the focus of a month-long advertising “take over” that includes 46 posters, banners, floor graphics, pylon wraps and posters that cover the station. Christopher Thorne, public affairs director for Growth Energy, said the group launched the station domination to increase awareness among top decision-makers of the benefits of domestic ethanol as an alternative to oil.

“For the next month, every person walking through the Capitol South Metro stop will see our message that domestic ethanol is America’s fuel because it is renewable, clean, homegrown, creates U.S. jobs and strengthens our national security,” Thorne said. “As Congress debates energy and climate legislation, we want to make sure that domestic ethanol is part of the conversation. There is no question as to ethanol’s benefits – we are just seeking to turn up the volume and target our audience at a critical time.”

An estimated 423,000 visitors are expected to travel through the Metro station during the month of June. The “take-over” coincides with a six-month, $2.5 million campaign currently airing six television spots on four cable networks: Fox, MSNBC, CNN and HLN (formerly Headline News). Each of the six spots focuses on a particular message about ethanol: Independent, Clean, Renewable, Peace, Sensible and Economic.

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Canadian forest products company FPInnovations has partnered with Natural Resources, Canada’s National Renewable Diesel Demonstration Initiative, to launch a $1.625 million field study to study the potential of biodiesel in off-road machinery in highway construction and forest operations.

The Journal of Commerce reports that FPInnovations and Natural Resources are splitting the costs to find the best way to overcome some of the economical and technical challenges Canada’s environment could pose for biodiesel:

The study involves three project locations and industrial activities in British Columbia: highway construction in Coquitlam, sawmill yard operation in Prince George, and forest harvest operations in Merritt.

The Coquitlam location is of interest for the construction sector because it will demonstrate the logistical challenges in delivering biodiesel blends to their jobsites.

The logging and sawmill operations use about 15,000 gallons of fuel each month.

Just last week, we told you how ethanol and biodiesel add $2 billion to Canada’s economy.

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