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by Mario Parker and Michael Hirtzer (Bloomberg) Midwest rail lines have washed out, delaying biofuel shipments; Gasoline futures rise to five-month high before peak season — Flood waters spilling across the U.S. Midwest have swamped ethanol shipments, disrupting refineries and threatening to push up gasoline pump prices ahead of the summer
Iowa
March 26, 2019
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(Growth Energy) Supporting American ethanol … also means supporting female leadership. In honor of International Women’s Day, we are taking a moment to recognize just a FEW of the female pioneers leading the biofuels industry – and all the women who advance technologies and innovative solutions in our industry every day.
March 22, 2019
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by Humeyra Pamuk, Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) Massive flooding in the U.S. Midwest has knocked out roughly 13 percent of the nation’s ethanol production capacity, as plants in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota have been forced to shut down or scale back production following the devastation. Production facilities owned by large companies like
March 22, 2019
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by Mike Naig and Dave Loebsack (Quad City Times) We may come from different political parties, but we share at least one common vision. Both of us strongly support renewable fuel, like biodiesel, for the vital role it plays in Iowa’s farm economy and job market, creating a cleaner environment, enhancing
March 21, 2019
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) has released a new study that shows biofuels are responsible for over $5 billion of Iowa’s GDP, or roughly three percent. The study, authored by John Urbanchuk of ABF Economics and commissioned by IRFA, also found that biofuels account for over 48,000 Iowa jobs and
March 20, 2019
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(KCRG) Between 2017 and 2018, U.S. ethanol consumption dropped for the first time in a decade and the Renewable Fuels Association says that’s because of the Environmental Protection Agency hurting demand. One of the reasons former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned from the agency was because of approving dozens of refiner
March 20, 2019
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by Pat Rynard (Iowa Starting Line) Senator Amy Klobuchar blasted the Trump Administration’s continued use of blending waivers for renewable fuels usage while in Iowa this weekend. Using it as an example of how Donald Trump’s presidency has hurt rural America, she linked the EPA’s decisions to the first decline in
March 20, 2019
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by Debi Durham (Iowa Economic Development Authority/Biofuels Digest) … Toward that end, Iowa offers incentives such as the Research Activities Tax Credit to alleviate the potential financial risk associated with R&D investments, and ultimately, improve the potential for profitability. As one of the few states providing this kind of incentive,
March 20, 2019
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by Edward-Isaac Dovere (The Atlantic) … The first woman who asked a question wanted to know about ethanol. E10 or E15? … Beto O’Rourke’s full answer went on for a bit. “How do we free ourselves from a commodity market over which we have no control? We do so by adding value
March 18, 2019
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by Katy Siddall (River Cities Reader) … Beto O’Rourke, former Texas Congressman and newly-announced presidential candidate, made a visit to an ethanol plant in rural Iowa on one of his first stops as he courts caucus-goers. O’Rourke toured Big River Renewables LLC, an ethanol plant in West Burlington, Iowa, on Friday morning. “I want
March 18, 2019
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(National Biodiesel Board) Meet just a few of biodiesel’s movers and shakers making an impact in this innovative industry — National Biodiesel Day takes place March 18, in honor of Rudolf Diesel’s birthday. In the 1890s, Rudolf invented the diesel engine, which was designed to run on peanut oil. Rudolf knew early
March 15, 2019
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by Art Cullen (The Guardian) Here in farming country we have the opportunity to rethink our approach to renewable energy and food production — … Meanwhile, we’re losing our precious topsoil and polluting our rivers – killing the Gulf of Mexico in the process – as we chase ever-higher corn yields in
March 15, 2019
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by Paulina Firozi (Washington Post) State lawmakers from Connecticut to Florida are proposing measures that some groups say could threaten how science and climate change are taught in the classroom. More than a dozen such bills have popped up this year, including from state lawmakers pushing back against broad scientific consensus that
March 14, 2019
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by Kevin Solari (Morris Herald-News) REG opening 1st facility of its kind at Seneca refinery — The Seneca location for Renewable Energy Group is going to be a testing ground for a new concept for the company. At an open house Friday, the the Ames, Iowa-based biofuel company revealed its new
March 6, 2019
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by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) On Feb. 28, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced legislation to extend 29 tax credits, including those that benefit producers of renewable diesel, second generation biofuels and bioenergy. According to information released by the Senate Committee on Finance,
March 1, 2019
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(Office of Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)) Today (February 27, 2019), U.S. Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Chuck Grassley of Iowa introduced the Fuel Choice and Deregulation Act of 2019(S.581), legislation that would remove burdensome regulations on domestic energy production. “The Fuel Choice and Deregulation Act provides new economic opportunity for Kentucky farmers
March 1, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Douglas B. Rivers, PhD,from Sunflwr Consulting and a member of Lee Enterprises Consulting offers this illuminating overview and more READ MORE
February 28, 2019
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) GROWMARK Energy is adding to the number terminals around the Midwest offering pre-blended E15, according to the Renewable Fuels Association, which has worked closely with the farmer-owned cooperative on related issues such as regulatory compliance and adoption of RFA’s Misfueling Mitigation Plan (MMP). GROWMARK will now offer pre-blended E15
February 26, 2019
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(Iowa Economic Development Authority) ..(T)he Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board awarded tax benefits to five companies for job creation and expansion projects. These awards will assist in the creation of 669 jobs and will result in more than $127 million in new capital investment for the state. The board
February 26, 2019
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by Kristin Danley-Greiner (The Messenger) … Monte Shaw, director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, said that an estimated 10,000 families are directly invested in locally owned ethanol plants. There are hundreds of thousands of producers who are directly linked, too. He grew up on an Iowa farm in the
February 26, 2019
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by Dave Dreeszen (Sioux City Journal) A biofuels manufacturer is seeking $2.8 million in state incentives to build a $58.7 million plant near Hull. The proposed ReadiFuels-Iowa plant would produce about 34 million gallons of diesel fuel from distillers corn oil, grease, tallow and other non-edible feedstocks, according to documents
February 22, 2019
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by Jordan Godwin (OPIS/Governors’ Biofuels Coalition) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has been involved in preliminary conversations around the possibility of a collaborative effort of Midwest states seeking to establish a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program similar to the West Coast Collaborative, RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper said Tuesday. In
February 18, 2019
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by Ben Jacobs (The Guardian) … Tim Gannon, the Democratic nominee for Iowa secretary of agriculture in 2018, told the Guardian the idea of ethanol as a dealbreaker in the state was “very much a stereotypical thing because of The West Wing and the big issue with Ted Cruz four years
February 18, 2019
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by Joe Hand (River Cities Reader) Representatives Dave Loebsack and Darin LaHood today led a bipartisan group of their colleagues in calling for a multi-year extension of the biodiesel tax credit. In a letter to House Leadership, the lawmakers called for swift action in the House to ensure our farmers and
February 12, 2019
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by Amie Simpson (Brownfield Ag News) The executive director of the Iowa Biodiesel Board says the key to growing the biodiesel industry is implementing programs at the state level. Grant Kimberley says in Iowa, for example, they have been able to put together a package of incentive programs. “From retail incentives
February 12, 2019
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by Joe Sutter (Messenger News) An update to Webster County’s Urban Renewal Area will enable payments to Cargill Inc. for a wastewater treatment project, as well as paving the way for a potential joint project between the county and Iowa Central Community College for its biofuels testing lab. … The plan
February 12, 2019
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The Start-Up Stadium @ BIO World Congress provides high visibility to early-stage emerging GreenTech companies. During the sessions, 32 start-up companies across 7 sessions will share their new technologies and value proposition through formal 8-minute presentations followed by a 6-minute Q&A to an audience of investors, analysts and strategists from across the value
February 3, 2019
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The BIO World Congress provides an unparalleled platform for innovative thinkers to share their ideas, technologies and industry expertise. We are now accepting proposal submissions that reflect current trends, ideas and discoveries within the six program themes below. All proposals must be submitted through BIO’s online Program Portal system. 2019 Program Track Themes If
February 3, 2019
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by John Siciliano (Washington Examiner) Ethanol producers are preparing for major action at the federal level in the months ahead, both in terms of litigation against Trump administration actions on the nation’s renewable fuel mandate and lobbying to finalize rules regarding the ethanol mandate. “You know, 2019 is going to be
January 29, 2019
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by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Verbio has plans to further strengthen the already-expanding renewable natural gas market in the U.S., having purchased DuPont’s cellulosic ethanol plant. A transformation is underway in Iowa. Last year, Verbio North America Corp., the U.S. subsidiary of German bioenergy producer Verbio Vereinigte BioEnergie AG, purchased
January 28, 2019
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by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A fatal fire at Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy in 2016 prompted the facility to make changes and encourage other plants to do the same. — … Reliance on Design Perhaps the most important change implemented and recommended by SIRE is the installation of an explosion-proof
January 28, 2019
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by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) …(W)ith the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency expected to extend the Reid vapor pressure (RVP) waiver to E15, hopefully before next summer’s driving season. Retailers will have to decide not only if they will offer the blend, but how they’ll dispense it. For those who
January 25, 2019
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(Attis Industries Inc./Ethanol Producer Magazine) Attis Industries Inc., a diversified innovation and technology holding company, today announced a partnership with Iowa State University for a funded research program to develop carbon fibers for use in a wide variety of applications derived entirely or predominately from lignin produced at Attis’ planned biorefineries. Carbon fibers
January 25, 2019
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(FUELIowa) Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig awarded biofuel marketing awards to two central Iowa-based companies. Quick Oil Company in Perry was winner of the 2019 Biodiesel Marketing Award, and Casey’s General Stores headquartered in Ankeny received this year’s Ethanol Marketing Award. The annual awards, initiated 11 years ago by FUELIowa
January 24, 2019
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(ExxonMobil/Renewable Energy Group/Globe Newswire) Partnership to expand on joint ExxonMobil and REG research into cellulosic biodiesel; Clariant’s sunliquid® technology to facilitate creation of compatible cellulosic sugars; Objective is to combine technologies into a single, integrated biodiesel production process ExxonMobil and Renewable Energy Group (REG) said today that they have signed a joint research
January 23, 2019
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by Bruce Comer (Ocean Park/Biofuels Digest) Convergence reigns as the North American biofuels industry witnesses a resurgence in mergers and acquisitions, including exceptionally large deals — Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in biofuels picked up considerably in 2018 after a slowdown in 2017, and by historic standards, the deals grew considerably in
January 22, 2019
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig presented Casey’s General Stores and Quick Oil Company with the 2019 Ethanol and Biodiesel Marketing Awards at the FUEL-Iowa annual meeting Tuesday in Des Moines. The awards were created by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to recognize fuel marketers that have gone
January 16, 2019
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(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) Governor Kim Reynolds released her 2019 Iowa budget proposal. Included in her budget was $3 million for the Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program (RFIP), which provides cost-share grants to help Iowa retailers incorporate blender pumps, storage tanks, and other necessary equipment to offer higher blends of biofuels.
January 16, 2019
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(Illinois Farmer Today) Faster conversion of land into agricultural production in recent years has raised the region’s carbon cost of producing grains, according to recently published research from an Iowa State University scientist. The study, published in the academic journal Environmental Research Letters, shows that increases in crop production due
January 8, 2019
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by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Biodiesel Magazine provides a visual of prominent project development activities over the past year. READ MORE
January 5, 2019
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by Pete Ricketts (Office of Governor of Nebraska/Star Herald) As we enter the new year, I have put together a list of goals for our state in 2019. I am sharing a few of them here. … Year-Round E15 – In October, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and I joined President Trump in
January 4, 2019
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by David Kruse (The CommStock Report/Spencer Daily Reporter) From a subscriber: “I asked my local Cenex manager why the price of E85 was still high. E10 has dropped 43 cents in the last couple of months and E85 hasn’t changed from $1.94. He told me that the RIN price has often been close
January 4, 2019
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by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) … A waiter in a Cedar Rapids restaurant, for instance, recently asked Shaw (Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) about Trump’s E15 waiver, upon hearing that Shaw advocates for biofuels and ethanol through the IRFA. “So here’s a waiter in the
January 2, 2019
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … So on this last day of 2018, join the Biofuels Digest in looking back at our most visited and popular stories of 2018. … In today’s Digest, the hottest technologies, aviation developments we only dreamed of, cash out of trash innovations, biogas, cellulosic biofuels, lignin,
December 31, 2018
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by Debi Durham (Iowa Economic Development Authority/Biofuels Digest) … Nearly $4 billion dollars was infused into capital investments in the U.S. for renewable and bioscience projects in 2018. This significant investment is merely part of an upward trend that’s yielded more than 273,000 new jobs at bioscience companies across the country since
December 11, 2018
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GET ENERGIZED! at the 2019 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit. Hear experts give their perspective on how biofuels will fit into future petroleum markets, the role for biofuels in meeting global clean air policies and overcoming trade and policy hurdles to market growth. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit is the 2nd largest
December 7, 2018
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by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) … “There’s a very tight window between today and June 1,” says Brian Jennings, CEO of the American Coalition for Ethanol. “The big-picture goal is for the proposed rule to be out for public comment and for EPA to wrap up a final rule prior
December 6, 2018
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(Harvestone Group/MarketWatch/PR Newswire) Harvestone Group LLC is pleased to announce the commencement of its first four ethanol production facilities making the transition to its marketing, logistics and trading platform. Iroquois Bio-Energy, Siouxland Energy, Red River Energy and Quad County Corn Processors combine for over 210 million gallons of annualized ethanol production.
December 6, 2018
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by Nolan Hicks (New York Post) Eyeing a possible presidential run, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg reversed his previous harsh criticism of ethanol and blasted away at President Trump, saying that someone should “take away” the president’s keyboard. Bloomberg made the comments after spending the day in agriculture-dependent Iowa, a crucial early battleground for
December 5, 2018
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by Katie Peikes (Iowa Public Radio) … The Republican congressman says he’d like to see his legislation in the farm bill that would keep states from regulating production standards for agricultural products sold in interstate commerce by other states. King drafted that legislation nearly a decade ago. He says California was
November 27, 2018
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by Donnelle Eller (Des Moines Register) DuPont will give Iowa a big check — $10.5 million — after closing and selling the world’s largest cellulosic ethanol plant in Nevada. Iowa economic development leaders approved a settlement Friday that calls for DuPont to repay all but about $3.7 million it received in
November 16, 2018
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(Omaha World-Herald) A recent report from Iowa State University offers sobering findings that show why our country needs to resolve its tariff wars with China and other nations. The university researchers found that over the next year, the disruptions and loss of market share will cost the Iowa economy between
November 14, 2018
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(VERBIO) VERBIO North America Corporation, headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, a 51 percent subsidiary of VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG, has signed a contract today with E.I. DuPont de Nemours and company to purchase a cellulose ethanol plant located in Nevada, Iowa, USA. The purchase includes about 100,000 tons of baled
November 9, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) What’s next in the biobased revolution? After fuels, chemicals, say many. What’s the role of incentives, the size of the opportunity and the potential rewards for a region? The Iowa Economic Development Authority took a look at development priorities — and how these relate to Iowa’s capabilities
November 9, 2018
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by Dan Looker (Success Farming) When President Donald Trump told a campaign rally in Council Bluffs, Iowa, last month that his administration will approve year-round sales of E15, farmers and the ethanol industry were pleased. They looked forward to more sales of the gasoline blend with 15% ethanol as early as
November 6, 2018
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by Matt Carr (Algae Biomass Organization/Biofuels Digest) Algae-derived products and technologies are on the cusp of changing nearly everything. Algae will transform how we eat; will make the materials in your shoes more sustainable; provide fuel for vehicles and planes; recycle greenhouse gases and deliver many more products that have yet to be commercialized. … There is a
November 6, 2018
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by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) Biodiesel Magazine spotlights a producer whose recent acquisition fulfills increased feedstock demand, a consulting firm that assists in market entry and production efficiencies, and the expansion of one of today’s fastest-growing biodiesel refiners. — BioJoe Renwick, founder and co-owner of Winnsboro, South Carolina-based Green Energy Biofuel, is
November 6, 2018
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … Phillips 66 and REG’s announcement about a new renewable diesel plant on the U.S. West Coast planned for 2021 comes after a notable increase in refineries that are being converted and changed over to renewable diesel. Change is good, especially in this case. … While it was
November 5, 2018
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by Daniel Grant (FarmWeekNow) The rate of growth for the U.S. ethanol industry may have slowed in recent years, but it’s far from over, according to Bill Holbrook, senior analyst for ProExporter. Production capacity continues to grow as producers look to overseas markets to export ethanol and one of its key co-products,
October 26, 2018
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by Jeffrey Tomich (E&E News Energywire) State utility regulators across the Midwest are revving up their interest in electric vehicle charging infrastructure. And the petroleum industry and its allies are urging them to hit the brakes. The American Petroleum Institute, American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, and Americans for Prosperity have all weighed
October 25, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Why the attention? Some of it in the most recent data and news regarding commercial status. TCat-8 has operated for over 2,000 hours with continuous catalyst circulation including a fluid bed reactor, catalyst stripper, catalyst regenerator, quench tower, and recycle compressor. The pilot plant is operating mass balance
October 25, 2018
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by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) In the U.S. ethanol industry, three plants are under construction, while a fourth makes its way through the permitting process. — In an industry with more than 200 existing plants, four new projects is a small figure. Greenfield ethanol plant development is in a lull,
October 24, 2018
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(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) Join participating Iowa E15 retailers, National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF), and The Hormel Institute for October’s Pink at the Pump® campaign to fight breast cancer with cleaner-burning E15. Participating Iowa E15 retailers will donate 3-cents of every gallon of E15 sold during the entire month of October to NBCF and The
October 6, 2018
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by Donnelle Eller (Des Moines Register) President Donald Trump on Monday hinted at a possible upcoming trip to Iowa to announce “something very important” while touting a new U.S. trade deal with Canada and Mexico. The comments came as Trump thanked Sen. Joni Ernst during a Rose Garden news conference announcing the $1.2 trillion
October 3, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) IEA Bioenergy Task 42’s goal is to contribute to the development and deployment of integrated biorefineries as part of highly efficient sustainable value chains (co-)producing food/feed ingredients, chemicals, materials, fuels, power and/or heat out of sustainably sourced biomass (wood, crops, residues, etc.) as base for a global
October 2, 2018
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As Cassidy Walter of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association points out in a recent Gazette op-ed, “In fact, not only has Big Oil enjoyed federal tax subsidies for the past 100 years, the federal government actually mandates all vehicle fuel be petroleum-based except for what is allowed by the RFS.
October 1, 2018
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by Cassidy Walter (The Gazette/Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) As an outspoken libertarian in favor of open markets, it is unfortunate that in a recent column, Adam Sullivan did not look closer at the history of U.S. energy policy before disregarding the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) while blindly repeating every discredited claim about biofuels
October 1, 2018
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(U.S. Department of Justice) The Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with NGL Crude Logistics, LLC that requires the company to retire 36 million renewable fuel credits and pay a $25 million civil penalty under the settlement to resolve violations of the Renewable Fuel
October 1, 2018
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by Helena Taveres Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) The largest biodiesel producer in the Eastern United States is getting larger, and stronger. Lake Erie Biofuels dba HERO BX purchased the assets of a Clinton, Iowa biodiesel facility from Tenaska Commodities, LLC, an affiliate of Tenaska, Inc. The ambitious HERO BX Founder & CEO Samuel P.
October 1, 2018
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A new study by researchers at Iowa State University’s Center for Agricultural and Rural Development has determined current trade disruptions are having a significant impact on the state’s economy, including its ethanol industry. The study examined different scenarios. Overall, the study shows losses to Iowa’s
September 26, 2018
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by Bob Bowman (Clinton Herald) The ethanol industry is critical to the Midwest, supporting thousands of jobs and adding billions of dollars to our economy. It also drives corn demand at a time when Iowa farm family income is at the lowest level in over a decade. However, the sale of
September 20, 2018
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(Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment) … A U of I Crop Scientist will lead a team of researchers on a five-year study of new crops that could contribute to the production of affordable, sustainable sources for market-ready fuels and other valuable products. U of I College of Agricultural, Consumer, and
September 20, 2018
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Minnesota, Reuters reports that Green Plains is mothballing its ethanol production plants in Superior, Iowa and Lakota, Iowa as well as running its Fairmont, Minnesota plant at half capacity as President Trump’s trade war takes a bite out of demand from China. Together, the three facilities produced
September 18, 2018
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by Carrie Muehling (AgWired.com) Illinois FFA State Officers including Treasurer Taylor Hartke helped to bring in the flags during a moving ceremony to open the GROWMARK Annual Meeting in Chicago. The Illinois FFA members joined FFA officers from Iowa and Wisconsin and 4-H youth from Ontario in marching in the 4-H
September 14, 2018
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by Scott Henry (Des Moines Register) … A study from Environmental Defense Fund and managerial accounting firm K·Coe Isom AgKnowledge finds that conservation can boost farm profitability. The analysis includes detailed financial case studies of three Midwestern corn, soy and wheat farmers — including my fourth-generation farm — as well as a
September 14, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Andersons operate four ethanol plants for respective LLCs in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Iowa that are collectively capable of producing over 475 million gallons of ethanol. The company’s Ethanol Group provides facility operations, risk management, ethanol and distiller dried grains marketing. The Andersons’ recently provided this illuminating
September 7, 2018
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by David Vander Griend (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Urban Air Initiative) Dave VanderGriend, president of Urban Air Initiative, doesn’t mince words in his column this month, calling out EPA for what he says is collusion with the oil industry. — … The 15.8 billion gallons of ethanol we produce and the economic benefits it
September 5, 2018
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by Mikkel Pates (Forum News Service/Bismark Tribune) Now more than ever, farmers who believe in the future of ethanol need to speak up for it, says Gerald Bachmeier, president of the North Dakota Ethanol Producers Association. Bachmeier, who also serves as chief executive officer of Red Trail Energy LLC, in
September 3, 2018
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(U.S. Energy Information Administration) Six states accounted for 72% of U.S. fuel ethanol production in 2016, according to the most recent estimates from EIA’s State Energy Data System. Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, and South Dakota collectively produced 265 million barrels of fuel ethanol out of the U.S. total of 367 million
September 1, 2018
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by Helena Bottemiller Evich, Catherine Boudreau and Liz Crampton (Politico) The Trump administration on Monday detailed how it will dole out $6.3 billion in aid to assist farmers stung by retaliatory tariffs — and it’s already sparking backlash from some sectors where industry leaders say growers won’t get their fair share.
August 28, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A remarkable and usually under the radar company known as Stover Ventures is said to be nearing its once-unlikely goal of raising capital — mostly so far from Iowa farmers — to construct a biorefinery near Osage, Iowa which will convert up to 14,400 tons per year of
August 23, 2018
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by O. Kay Henderson (RadioIowa) Republican Congressman Steve King today said the best thing the Trump Administration could do to alleviate farmers’ angst about the trade war would be to allow higher percentages of ethanol to be blended into gasoline year-round. “Let the market determine what that blend could be It could
August 17, 2018
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by Patty Judge (Des Moines Register/Focus on Rural America) … Many of the political elites on the coasts have argued that progressives should simply write off the rural Midwest because it is too white, too old and too conservative to ever support a progressive national candidate. In 2017 Focus on Rural
August 16, 2018
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association is partnering with the Iowa Soybean Association to offer farmers attending the 2018 Farm Progress Show eight chances to win $500 worth of biodiesel-blended fuel. “Biodiesel adds so much value to Iowa’s farmers,” said Cassidy Walter, IRFA biodiesel lead. “Farm Progress Show is the
August 16, 2018
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by Seth Boyes (Dickinson County News) Steffes Company in Milford played host to U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley on Monday Aug. 6. … “If you’re a member of Congress, you can’t keep your mouth shut if you think the president’s hurting your people,” he said. He went on to say the president seemed
August 15, 2018
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by O. Kay Henderson (RadioIowa) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s acting administrator met privately with Iowa commodity group leaders at the Iowa State Fair today — but Andrew Wheeler told reporters afterwards there is no decision yet on regulations that would allow a higher blend of ethanol to be sold year-round.
August 14, 2018
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by Rod Boshart (Sioux City Journal) Democratic gubernatorial candidate Fred Hubbell called out Gov. Kim Reynolds Saturday for not taking a more-aggressive public stance on behalf of Iowa farmers and rural interests being hurt by President Trump’s trade war with China rather than “towing the party line” in the trade dispute.
August 13, 2018
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by Yu Wang, Ming‐Hsun Cheng, Mark Mba Wright (Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining) Converting corncobs into fuel ethanol is different from converting stover because cobs have higher hemicellulose and lower lignin than stover. Current research provides life‐cycle assessments of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for stover ethanol but lacks such assessments for corncob ethanol.
August 8, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We eat it, we wear it, we burn it, we glue it, we live in it and more. Feedstock that is — crops and residues of the municipal, industrial, agricultural and forest type. We’ve been reporting all the innovations in making new stuff from this old
August 8, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In November we reported that POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels achieved a major breakthrough in cellulosic biofuels production at its Project LIBERTY plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa. The company has solved the critical challenge in pretreatment, overcoming what has been the No. 1 hurdle to commercialization for producers around the
August 7, 2018
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(The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association/Biodiesel Magazine) The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association announced the launch of a resource designed to make finding Iowa’s biodiesel experts easier than a Google search. The Iowa Biodiesel Speakers Bureau is now live on the IRFA website. It is a collection of biodiesel experts from across the
August 3, 2018
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by AJ Taylor (KIOW) Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) stressed the importance of biofuels to rural communities and the need to uphold the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on the nomination of Mary Bridget Neumayr to be a Member of the Council on Environmental Quality
July 23, 2018
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(The Hagstrom Report/The Fence Post) The Environmental Protection Agency finally replied to a letter that Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and 11 other senators sent in April inquiring about waivers to the Renewable Fuel Standard, but Grassley was not pleased with the agency’s answer. EPA said it granted
July 16, 2018
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(U.S. Department of Justice) Took Trade Secrets and Proprietary Information When He Accepted a Job with a Competitor — Josh Harry Isler, age 55, from St. Ansgar, Iowa, pled guilty today in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids to one count of trade secret theft and one count of making a
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Slow to start and with fewer gallons than targeted through the Renewable Fuel Standard, cellulosic ethanol is showing signs of steady growth. — Cellulosic ethanol production has been gaining momentum in the past five years, growing from zero to 10 million gallons, and most likely
June 27, 2018
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(American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The American Coalition for Ethanol congratulates the 2018 scholarship recipients Keithen Drury, Brett Galles, and Emma Baker. Each student receives a $1,000 scholarship through ACE’s scholarship program to help further their collegiate education. … Keithen Drury from Blue Hill, Nebraska, is pursuing a degree in Mechanical
June 26, 2018
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(The Courier) … Yet (Iowa Senator Joni) Ernst’s recent attack against Pruitt at a Washington energy forum was triggered over Pruitt’s “lies” about the Renewable Fuel Standard: not expanding year-round sales for the 15 percent corn-based ethanol fuel blend, while making ethanol exports figure into RFS compliance. The EPA banned
June 25, 2018
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) For the sixth consecutive year, Syngenta Enogen sponsored NASCAR® racing at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa this past weekend. The Iowa 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race presented by Enogen on Sunday highlighted both corn and ethanol around the track and allowed Syngenta to thank some of the farmers who
June 20, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Andersons operate four ethanol plants for respective LLCs in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Iowa that are collectively capable of producing over 475 million gallons of ethanol. The company’s Ethanol Group provides facility operations, risk management, ethanol and distiller dried grains marketing. The Andersons’ recently provided this illuminating
June 18, 2018
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by Matt Carr (The Hill/New Energy America) If I asked you the most important state for renewable energy, what comes to mind? Is it California? … Let me make the case for a state that may not have immediately come to mind as a renewable energy leader — Iowa. Since passing its
June 8, 2018
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) ASSUME DEAL DEAD: Sen. Joni Ernst’s decision to lay into embattled EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt over his alleged about-face on ethanol appears to have paid off. Ernst spoke to President Donald Trump Tuesday night, she wrote on Twitter, and he “just assured me he ‘won’t sign a deal
June 6, 2018
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by Alan Bjerga and Mario Parker (Bloomberg) EPA chief seen as betraying Trump’s promises on biofuels; Trade tensions put demand for agricultural goods at risk — Even as Donald Trump tweets his support for U.S. agriculture, farmer loyalty for the president looks like it’s starting to waver over moves that may undermine corn-based ethanol and
June 5, 2018
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(GAIN Clean Fuel/NGV Journal) GAIN Clean Fuel and BioResource Development (BRD) announced the start-up of a renewable natural gas (RNG) production facility located at Water and Resource Recovery Center in Dubuque, Iowa. The state-of-the-art facility will transform biomethane produced at the city’s wastewater treatment plant into premium, usable RNG for the
June 5, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In these top 20 projects, we usually say that we are using waste, but really we are converting something from a state of waste to a state of value — and that’s not just good for the project owners in question, it’s good for every stakeholder
by Dave VanderGriend (Urban Air Initiative/ICM/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Urban Air Initiative President Dave VanderGriend says increasing the availability of ethanol blender pumps and higher blends will keep ethanol in the Midwest, pumping millions of dollars into the economy. — … The problem lies in the fact that Iowa consumes 1.4 billion gallons
June 4, 2018
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by Mike Hughlett (Star Tribune) Minnesota regulators have temporarily suspended a new and more stringent standard for biodiesel use due to shortages of the product. On May 1, the amount of biofuel that must by state law be blended into diesel jumped from 10 percent to 20 percent. But production at
by Tom C. Doran (AgriNews Publications) It was good news and bad news for corn growers and ethanol proponents after President Donald Trump met with legislators to discuss the Renewable Fuel Standard. A White House meeting with Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; Joni Ernst, R-Iowa; Ted Cruz, R-Texas; and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., resulted
May 23, 2018
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by John Tsitrian (Rapid City Journal) … And forgetting about soybeans for a minute, there’s the matter of Trump administration policy on the ethanol mandate, aka the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), a major matter for corn producers. Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt has been “chipping away” at RFS,
May 23, 2018
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by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, would like to see administrative changes made to how EPA hands out Renewable Fuel Standard waivers to small refiners, estimated by one ethanol industry study to have resulted in about 1.5 billion gallons of lost ethanol blending since 2016. Though
(GrainNet) Industry and government officials from 17 countries in Asia and Oceania are meeting with members of the U.S. ethanol industry and U.S. officials in Minneapolis this week at the Ethanol Summit of the Asia Pacific (Summit), focused on current and future prospects for expanded ethanol use throughout the region. The
May 22, 2018
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) POET Biorefining is establishing a Monarch Fueling Station at its plant near Coon Rapids, Iowa. The Monarch Fueling Station Project was established by Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) in partnership with the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium in December 2017. The monarch habitat will span half an acre and seeding is expected
May 18, 2018
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by Aaron Smith and Vincent Smith (Investor’s Business Daily) … The most immediate impact of the RFS wars is to focus attention on corn ethanol and petroleum gasoline at the detriment of second-generation biofuels. These fuels — produced from the inedible parts of plants with much lower greenhouse gas emissions than corn
May 18, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Trump in a pickle: support his beleaguered EPA Administrator over oil refinery bailouts, or rally his Midwestern farm-state base? — In Washington, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa tweeted: “I’ve supported Pruitt but if he pushes changes to RFS that permanently cut ethanol by billions of gallons he
May 16, 2018
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by Katie Rock (Des Moines Register/Center for Rural Affairs) Iowa’s future as a leader in renewable energy is on the ballot in 2018. As legislators head home and campaigns gear up for important primary elections, voters should call attention to key policy changes our state will face for our energy future.
May 14, 2018
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by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) A new food safety program has been developed by the Iowa Biodiesel Board to help biodiesel producers comply with the U.S. government’s Food Safety Modernization Act, deadlines for which are quickly approaching. Glycerin, a byproduct of biodiesel production, is often used as an animal-feed or food-grade ingredient. FSMA
May 10, 2018
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by O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa) California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi — the top-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives — toured a central Iowa farm early this morning. Pelosi’s visit follows her speech last (Sunday) night at a fundraiser for Polk County Democrats, where she told the crowd the Farm
May 10, 2018
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(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Today (May 3, 2018) five Midwest biofuels associations sent a letter to the EPA asking the agency to shift administrative time and staff away from demand-destroying Renewable Fuel Standard exemptions and toward pathway approvals for cellulosic ethanol. The letter was signed by the Iowa Renewable
May 9, 2018
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by Jennifer A Dlouhy and Mario Parker (Bloomberg) Tentative agreement struck during a White House negotiation; Refiners could benefit with biofuel exports allowed for quotas — A tentative deal on U.S. biofuel policy struck at the White House would allow year-round sales of higher-ethanol gasoline in exchange for possible policy changes to rein in compliance costs
May 9, 2018
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by Mike Carr (The Hill/New Energy America) As the drip, drip of Pruitt scandals becomes a deluge, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s supporters continue to claim that he should be protected because he’s “advancing the president’s agenda.” But because he’s breaking a key Trump promise made to Iowa voters, he is losing the support
May 7, 2018
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(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) Renewed program to boost consumer choice for higher biofuel blends — Last night (May 2, 2018) the Iowa Legislature voted to secure another year of funding for the Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program (RFIP) – a move that will spur economic activity across the state and support Iowa
May 7, 2018
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) A coalition of Midwest biofuels associations sent a letter Thursday to EPA asking it to move administrative time and staff away from Renewable Fuel Standard exemptions and instead toward approvals for cellulosic ethanol. “The discrepancy between the way EPA is handling RFS exemptions and
May 4, 2018
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by Camille von Kaenel (E&E News) … The Trump administration’s efforts to weaken vehicle pollution requirements could set up a split U.S. market, concentrating fuel-efficient cars in mostly Democratic states and gas guzzlers in the red states. President Trump’s plans could drastically skew how much consumers pay for the same cars,
May 4, 2018
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by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, mentioned on Tuesday he wants to change language in recent appropriations bills approved by Congress in the past three years. Grassley told agricultural journalists the language may be one of the reasons why the EPA has expanded the number of
May 3, 2018
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by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters/Successful Farming) The Trump administration has invited a group of U.S. senators to the White House early next week to discuss biofuels policy, the latest in a series of such meetings aimed at helping refiners cope with the Renewable Fuel Standard, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The senators
May 3, 2018
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by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) GAIN Clean Fuel and BioResource Development (BRD) have announced the start-up of a renewable natural gas (RNG) production facility located at Water and Resource Recovery Center in Dubuque, Iowa. The facility will transform biomethane produced at the wastewater treatment plant into RNG for the transportation fuels
May 3, 2018
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by Raphael Orlove (Jalopnik) Our emissions standards are probably the biggest booster to automotive performance in the past half century, making our cars not only more eco-friendly but more powerful, too. Trump has been trying to cut it all down, but now California and 16 other states suing to stop him. … …
May 1, 2018
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(Hero BX/Biodiesel Magazine) Biodiesel producer Lake Erie Biofuels LLC, doing business as Hero BX, recently announced a strategic partnership with Iowa Renewable Energy LLC based in Washington, Iowa, to manufacture and market biodiesel from IRE’s Iowa facility. “It has been my ambition to expand the biodiesel expertise harvested from our flagship plant
April 25, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ABLC 2018 wrapped up with the ABLC Wolfpack including James Iademarco from Strategic Avalanche, David Dodds with Dodds & Associates, Ron Cascone from NEXANT, independent consultant Paul Bryan, and Joel Stone from ConVergince. While they didn’t howl at the moon, they were voracious, vicious wolves analyzing 8 major projects with
April 24, 2018
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(Iowa Biodisel Board) Iowa Biodiesel Board launches program to meet industry need; Webinar takes place May 10 — Biodiesel producers who want to sell glycerin that can end up as an animal food ingredient will soon be up against the deadline to comply with new government regulations. The Iowa Biodiesel Board has
April 23, 2018
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by Terry Anderson (Midwest Messenger News) … One day after President Trump told a group of governors and lawmakers invited to the White House that he supports sales of E15 — 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline — all year, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts told a gathering of ethanol leaders
April 20, 2018
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by John Siciliano and Josh Siegel (Washington Examiner) A study showing that U.S. ethanol leader Iowa doesn’t use a lot of its own corn-based fuel is exciting some in the anti-ethanol crowd in Washington. “Iowa — the number one ethanol producer and corn grower in the United States — reaps arguably the
April 20, 2018
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(4-Traders) Congressman King Pledges Continued Biofuel Support to Iowa Renewable Fuels Association — Congressman Steve King, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, released the following statement after meeting today with members of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. During their meeting, Congressman King re-affirmed his strong support for biofuels, telling participants that
April 18, 2018
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by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The winners of the first-ever Ethanol Producer Awards have been chosen. Ethanol Producer Magazine collected nominations in five categories: The Good Neighbor Award, Board of the Year, Project of the Year, Collaboration of the Year and Workplace of the Year. Editorial staff and the magazine’s editorial
April 17, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For a number of years we have been pointing to Iowa’s intriguing combination of feedstock, infrastructure and political consensus on renewables as a potent force in bioeconomy deployment. But these days, toss in some serious innovation chops, too — a corridor of invention stretching from St.
April 5, 2018
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(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) RFIP Spurs Over $138 Million in Private Economic Investment — Due to rising retailer interest in offering higher blends of biofuels, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program (RFIP) yesterday awarded all of its remaining FY18 funds during its third quarter meeting. During the third of its four scheduled
April 2, 2018
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by Amy Mayer & Erica Hunzinger (Harvest Public Media) … Since 1980, the amount of land being farmed or grazed in the U.S. has dropped 13 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Much of it now is covered by housing subdivisions, big-box stores and computer-server farms. … “Everybody
March 30, 2018
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(DSM/Newswire Today) Royal DSM announces its commitment to bring innovative solutions to the biofuels industry with a full portfolio offering of yeast and enzymes for starch, fiber and biomass conversions – DSM.com. Euronext: DSM KON — Royal DSM, a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials, announces its commitment to
March 30, 2018
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(National Biodiesel Board/Biodiesel Magazine) … In the U.S., nearly 3 billion gallons of clean, renewable fuel replacing its petroleum counterpart. A thriving and growing diesel vehicle market. And 64,000 jobs supported by biodiesel, many the highest paying jobs in the area. Diesel, who invented the engine that bears his name,
March 15, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sustainable Bioeconomy for Arid Regions (SBAR) is a multi-level research project that will cultivate two desert-dwelling crops, guayule and guar, for a sustainable bioeconomy. Combined, guayule (perennial) and guar (annual) feedstocks can provide biomass year round for biofuel production. Both crops are drought and heat tolerant,
March 15, 2018
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by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) EPA chief Scott Pruitt raised the idea Monday of limiting Wall Street’s ability to trade the government-issued credits for ethanol and other biofuels in an effort to aid oil refineries. … In a meeting with reporters at the Environmental Protection Agency’s headquarters in Washington, Pruitt seemed to
March 13, 2018
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We have a breakthrough in pyrolysis to report today that could reduce the estimated cost of producing fuel from $3.27 per gallon to $2.58 per gallon. And no one quite understands how the new process works — but it works. “What we have achieved is process
March 13, 2018
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by Chris Clayton (DTN The Progressive Farmer) A study commissioned by the country’s largest oil refiner explains how a waiver credit would freeze ethanol demand. Ethanol industry groups are pointing to several statements in the oil industry’s own report to make the case that arguments over regulatory waivers or caps are
March 12, 2018
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(Renewable Fuels Association) Another White House meeting has been scheduled for Monday, March 12, to continue discussions between oil refinery and biofuels interests over the price of Renewable Identification Numbers, or RINs, which were created under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) as a way to encourage refiners to blend more biofuels.
March 9, 2018
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(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) E15 now available at 158 stations across the state — Since the end of 2017 Iowa has added a dozen new E15 stations. Drivers can now buy the fuel at 158 fueling stations statewide. Iowa-based Casey’s General Store added the most new stations, including locations in Sioux Center,
March 9, 2018
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by Anngie Steinbarger (The Republic) I was dismayed to read the Feb. 16 letter from Mark Brown and Travis DeFries, managers at Valero, who want U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., to help oil companies gut the market for Indiana farmers by dismantling the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). As RFS-defender Mike Buis noted
March 7, 2018
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