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by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/The Gazette) … Renewable liquid fuels and renewable electricity are highly complementary ways to reduce America’s carbon footprint. We can have clean renewable energy from solar and wind, as the authors want, and still take advantage of the greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions that come from
Iowa
by Marc Heller (E&E News) To Sen. Chuck Grassley, only one prospect may be scarier than putting the politics of ethanol before the Supreme Court: letting his colleagues in Congress vote on it. READ MORE
January 15, 2021
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Renewable Energy Group is the largest operator of renewable diesel and biodiesel plants in the US, with 12 refineries and a fast-growing capacity, especially in red-hot renewable diesel. In today’s Digest, we take a DigestData DeepDive™ with Actionable, Relational, Granular, Global Hard Data on REG’s Bioeconomy
January 8, 2021
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by Ron Kotrba (Biobased Diesel Daily) As 2020 comes to a close, Renewable Energy Group Inc., North America’s largest biodiesel producer, is celebrating a quarter-century in soybean oil refinement and biodiesel production. Back in 1995, the company from which REG would be formed several years later—West Central Cooperative—made its first investment
December 29, 2020
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) Renewable Energy Group and Optimus Technologies recently partnered to help Ames, Iowa grow its fleet of sustainable vehicles. The City of Ames is adding seven new all-purpose dump trucks to their fleet that have the Optimus Technologies advanced fuel system integrated into their new vehicle specification. The Optimus
December 23, 2020
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by John Herath (Farm Journal AgWeb) Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack has been officially tapped by the Joe Biden transition to return to USDA as Secretary. Vilsack was listed as the USDA nominee on the Biden transition Website Thursday morning. Vilsack, currently the CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, served as USDA
December 11, 2020
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(Renewable Energy Group/BusinessWire) Municipal Fleet Adds Seven Additional Heavy-Duty Trucks Running on 100% Biodiesel — The City of Ames is adding seven new all-purpose dump trucks to their fleet that have the Optimus Technologies advanced fuel system integrated into their new vehicle specification. The Optimus system enables the engines to operate
December 9, 2020
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by Jacqui Fatka (Farm Progress) Reports indicate Obama’s 8-year agricultural secretary Tom Vilsack could be interested in the job. — As President-elect Joe Biden continues to make announcements regarding his cabinet, former Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack looks to now be a front runner to return. According to media reports,
December 8, 2020
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by Clifford Krauss (New York Times) Used cooking oil is one of the ingredients in renewable diesel, which generates far less emissions than conventional diesel and allows refineries to take advantage of federal and state incentives. — … Companies that refine crude oil into fuel are increasingly using such putrid
December 4, 2020
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by Senators Tom Udall (D-N) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) (New York Times) One hundred years ago, Congress passed the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, setting up a system in which companies lease public lands to wrest valuable oil and gas from the ground. In the century since, the royalties and rent
December 3, 2020
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by Natalina Sents (Successful Farming) Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig rolled out the Renewable Fuels Retail Recovery program that includes $7 million in CARES Act funding for renewable fuel retailers in the state today. Relief funds are intended to help gas stations, truck stops, co-ops, and other renewable fuel
December 1, 2020
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(Renewable Energy Group) This week REG is celebrating 25 years of operations! We will be releasing videos all week recounting the last quarter century of hard work and dedication that got us here. Here is how it all started: Hear from Myron Danzer, current REG General Manager, and Matt Schultes,
December 1, 2020
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by John Gaines (The Hawk Eye) There is more fuel than just ethanol fuel being made at Big River Resources in West Burlington. In 2018, the company began a project to create acreage by the facility at 15210 103rd St. into a Monarch Fueling Station. The work has been completed and this
November 23, 2020
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(WNAX) Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley told farm reporters Thursday that 2020 has been a tenuous year for renewable fuels. He says ethanol demand has been hurt by the pandemic and gap year waiver requests for refiners has created a lot of questions. He says the EPA Administrator announced this week they
November 16, 2020
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by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Add six more ethanol companies to the list of plaintiffs suing Archer Daniels Midland, alleging one of the nation’s largest ethanol producers manipulated the market. Wisconsin producers United Wisconsin Grain Producers, Didion Ethanol, Ace Ethanol, Fox River Valley Ethanol, Badger State Ethanol and Iowa producer Pine
November 16, 2020
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by Rod Swoboda (Wallaces Farmer) … Poet’s cellulosic ethanol plant at Emmetsburg was named Project Liberty. Following Poet’s lead, two other companies built cellulosic ethanol plants — one in Kansas and one at Nevada in central Iowa. The owners of those two plants ended up selling their facilities by the end
November 4, 2020
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by Meghan Gordon (S&P Global Platts) Republican played key role in biofuel mandate talks; Opponent supported clean energy, denounced ‘Big Oil’; Ernst took heat for commodity prices, EPA confirmation — US Senator Joni Ernst, Republican-Iowa, held onto her seat after a tight race that tested her support of biofuel makers and knowledge of
November 4, 2020
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(RFD TV) A prominent Republican Senator says that he is in favor of gas-free cars, but Senator Chuck Grassley says that buying one should not be a mandate. … Last week, a group of Democrats introduced a bill that would require automakers to only produce electric cars by 2035. Grassley
November 2, 2020
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by Kim Chipman and Jennifer A Dlouhy (Bloomberg Green) Presidential, Iowa Senate races put biofuel in spotlight; Renewable Fuel Standard uncertainty clouds ethanol outlook — … The winner will oversee a “reset” of the congressional mandate to blend biofuels with gasoline. This new phase of the Renewable Fuel Standard, created in 2005
November 2, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Iowa is an agriculture superstar. With 85% of the state’s total land area being farmland, $29 billion in total agriculture receipts in 2017, ranking #1 in the nation in corn production, #2 in soybean production, it is the epicenter of the U.S.’s crop growing region
October 29, 2020
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by Matt Russell (Des Moines Register) … We don’t produce fossil fuel in Iowa. However, Republicans are clear they support Big Oil. They have done almost nothing to stop the Trump administration from handing out benefits to oil companies while he has sucker-punched Iowa’s ethanol industry. The world will continue to need
October 28, 2020
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by Mike Naig (Iowa Department of Agriculture/The Rock Island Dispatch Argus) … I want to bring awareness to the recent executive order signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. In his order, Newsom plans to ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035. This follows previous announcements of the “Green New
October 27, 2020
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by K. Johnson (Storm Lake Times) … I hear a lot of political lip service these days about reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and cleaning up the air. Alcohol from corn and grains should be a major part of that reduction. Ethanol should be key to transitioning to a clean
October 26, 2020
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by Mike Dorning (Bloomberg) Surveys show Trump’s margin fading versus 2016 exit polls; Biden campaign making efforts to play for rural votes — The big margin of support among rural voters that helped Donald Trump secure victory four years ago is looking less firm in 2020 with the potential to
October 26, 2020
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(National Biodiesel Board) BF Receives Grants through US EPA’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act Program — The National Biodiesel Foundation was awarded two U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grants through the 2021 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program. The first is in partnership with the District of Columbia (DC) Department of Public Works and DC
October 23, 2020
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by Erin Murphy (The Courier) Campaigning in Iowa on Wednesday night, President Donald Trump touted his administration’s work to boost the ethanol industry and help farmers in Iowa. Trump’s administration this year issued a rule that allows gas stations to sell a higher ethanol blend year-round. “They were killing ethanol,”
October 16, 2020
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(Renewable Energy Group) Do you know how clean burning biodiesel is made? Take a tour through an REG biorefinery to see the process happen from beginning to end, and learn about the continuously improving, sustainable biodiesel production process. Learn more about biodiesel and all of its benefits at regi.com. READ
October 14, 2020
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(Convenience Store News) Kum & Go LC is once again upping its commitment to promoting E15 by partaking in the new “Look for the Blue Hose” campaign. In collaboration with Colorado Corn, the American Lung Association and Kum & Go, the “Look for the Blue Hose” campaign is aimed at increasing awareness and sales of
October 14, 2020
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by Rachel Frazin (The Hill Overnight Energy) During the second day during the politically-charged confirmation hearing for Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination for the Supreme Court, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) invoked environmental issues to ask the nominee for her views on administrative rulemaking. … Ernst, who has been an outspoken opponent of
October 14, 2020
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(U.S. Department of Agriculture) U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has invested $22 million out of the up to $100 million in grants available to increase American ethanol and biodiesel sales. These funds were made available through the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) to
October 9, 2020
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y Lisa Grouette (Globe Gazette) At a press conference in Mason City on Wednesday, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig expressed enthusiasm over recently launched plans to advance biofuel infrastructure projects within the state. Ernst and Naig, along with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) toured the
October 8, 2020
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by Art Cullen (Washington Post/Storm Lake Times) One big reason Republicans are shoving a Supreme Court appointment through the Senate before the election is their rising fear of losing the upper chamber — and the White House — in November. Those fears are well-founded. Two weeks ago, one of the
September 29, 2020
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by Chris Clayton (DTN Progressive Farmer) …What did become clear was Democrats in both the House and the Senate are paying more attention to biofuels at the moment. And yet, given that Congress is going to pass a temporary funding bill, and then go campaign, it’s probably going to take
September 28, 2020
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by Stephanie Kelly and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) President Donald Trump, looking to shore up support in the U.S. Farm Belt during a tight race for re-election, is taking steps to help producers of corn-based ethanol using a list of policy goals that a group of Midwest senators discussed with him a
September 24, 2020
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(Mankato Free Press) President Donald Trump and his Environmental Protection Agency have about six weeks to keep their promises to farmers on ethanol, which have been broken for the past three years. While farmers have backed Trump in varying degrees since he took office, their wellspring of patience seems to be running
September 23, 2020
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by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In New York state, Reuters reports that RIN prices skyrocketed a two-year high of 55 cents for D6 credits on the back of its exclusive story that President Trump told the EPA to deny all gap-year SRE applications. The RIN prices, not seen that high since
September 10, 2020
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(Houston Chronicle) Using current and past Census data, Stacker tracks the way the American farming industry has changed over the past century. Over the past century, American farming has changed dramatically. Crops with long histories like tobacco are still prevalent throughout the South, while many farmers across the country are now
September 5, 2020
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(Daily Nonpareil) … RENEWABLE FUELS ENDORSES: The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association’s political organizing arm recognized 15 state lawmakers up for re-election, a mixture of Republicans and Democrats who the group said “maintained a clear voting record of support for renewable fuels and displayed leadership on biofuels issues in the Iowa
September 4, 2020
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(KMA Land) A key U.S. Senator says Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue should act to help the pandemic-damaged biofuels industry, despite Perdue’s disputed claim he lacks authority without Congress to do so. Senate Finance Chair Chuck Grassley says he’s personally urged Secretary Perdue to provide direct aid to biofuels, ravaged by the pandemic.
September 4, 2020
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(Iowa Biodiesel Board) Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced today that the state will dedicate more than $15 million of funding for Iowa renewable fuels producers as part of the pandemic economic recovery effort. “Virtually every industry has felt the negative economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the pandemic’s corresponding
August 31, 2020
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(Biofuels Digest) Recorded presentations for your on-demand review and enjoyment. Just Pick and Click! On BioChannelTV RENEWABLE DIESEL & DME Saola Energy – Adam Belyamani Axens- David Schwalje Oberon – Rebecca Boudreaux Honeywell UOP-Dan Szeezil NextChem-Valerio Coppini Velocys – Jeff McDaniel ENGINE TECH What if everything with a diesel
August 28, 2020
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by Donnelle Eller (Des Moines Register/Ames Tribune) … “I’ve sat in front of the president, and he does look you in the eye, and he does listen to you,” (Bill) Couser said, adding, “It just makes you wonder what happens after that.” He holds out hope Trump will heed the requests
August 28, 2020
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by O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa) Theresa Greenfield, the Iowa Democratic Party’s nominee for the U.S. Senate, says federal policy should expand the use of biofuels in boats and planes. “Ask the Department of Defense to use biofuels as part of a reduction of their carbon footprint, too,” Greenfield says. “…There’s
August 28, 2020
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by Pat Rynard (Iowa Starting Line) Sen. Joni Ernst’s undying loyalty to Pres. Donald Trump was rewarded tonight with a high-profile speech at the Republican National Convention. She repaid Trump for the political boost to her reelection campaign by betraying the Iowans she’s serving, vouching for the President on the exact
August 27, 2020
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(Iowa Farm Bureau) … “The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) applauds Gov. Kim Reynolds’ assistance and focus on agriculture with the CARES Act funding,” said Craig Hill, a Warren County crop and livestock farmer and IFBF president. “This has been a very difficult year in Iowa agriculture. Farmers are battling
August 26, 2020
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by Jacqui Fatka (Feedstuffs) … It was nearly a year ago when farmers’ cries started getting louder demanding that President Donald Trump and his Administration stand up for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and defend the interests of biofuels over big oil. Fast forward to today, and the biofuel industry
August 21, 2020
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) EPA’s online dashboard shows the agency has now received nearly 100 petitions for small refinery exemptions to the Renewable Fuel Standard mandates dating back to 2011, Pro’s Eric Wolff reports. Since June, EPA has received two new petitions for each of 2011 and 2012,
August 21, 2020
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by Chris Clayton (DTN Progressive Farmer) Democratic leaders put a heavy emphasis on rural broadband and health care while criticizing the Trump administration and President Trump directly on trade, biofuels, climate change and the pandemic response. A western Pennsylvania soybean and hay farmer who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 spoke
August 20, 2020
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) Night 3 of the Democratic National Convention featured a lengthy 11-minute take on Joe Biden’s climate and clean energy strategy that hammered home some of his big themes rather than the wonky details (which you can read here). The segment was heavy on optimism and
August 20, 2020
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by Abby Smith (Washington Examiner) Iowa corn farmers could get a boost in a long-running dispute with oil refiners as President Trump pledged to talk to Environmental Protection Agency officials overseeing biofuels requirements on their behalf. Trump said Tuesday during a visit to Iowa that he’ll personally weigh in with EPA
August 19, 2020
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by Jacqui Fatka (Feedstuffs) Vice President Mike Pence visited Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday to re-launch the Trump campaign’s Farmers & Ranchers for Trump. However, to a room full of farmer supporters his message came off more as a campaign speech, and less understanding of the devastation that just swept through
August 14, 2020
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by Timothy Cama (E&E News) One of the year’s most consequential Senate races could hinge on the candidates’ allegiance to the biofuel industry and ability to secure favorable policies for the sector. READ MORE Democrats are seeing a much better chance of retaking the Senate in 2020 (Public News Update)
August 12, 2020
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(American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Today (August 6, 2020), Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., introduced the Adopt GREET Act, which would require U.S. EPA to update its decade-old greenhouse gas lifecycle modeling for ethanol and biodiesel. American Coalition for Ethanol CEO Brian Jennings issued the following statement in support of
August 11, 2020
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(KMA Land/Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network) … During a virtual forum with the Iowa Farmers Union on Wednesday, Third District Congresswoman Cindy Axne was asked whether fossil fuel companies should be eligible for pandemic relief funds. “Listen, my personal belief is no,” Axne said. “Our fossil fuel companies have been getting handed
August 8, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At ABLC Digital in July, Stephanie Batchelor, Vice President of the Industrial & Environmental Section at Biotechnology Innovation Organization shared this illuminating slide guide on how BIO is advocating for a resilient future, promoting LCFS in states and sustainable fuels at the federal level, advanced
August 7, 2020
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by Chris Clayton (DTN Progressive Farmer) Ethanol is undoubtedly playing a role in 2020 politics in Iowa, including the presidential race. Getting the word “ethanol” into the next aid package also might become a tipping scale in the Iowa U.S. Senate race. The airwaves in Iowa are filled with a constant barrage
August 5, 2020
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by Jackie Pohlman (Renewable Fuels Association) When a group of dynamic individuals come together to make a difference, there’s no limit on the impact that they can make. This was the case when CTE Global’s employees came together with a single purpose: to make a difference by supporting the communities they
August 3, 2020
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(Renewable Energy Group) The city snowplows in Ames, Iowa, have worked in all types of winter weather. Blizzards. Ice. Subzero temperatures. You name it, they’ve been out in it. In early 2020, they did something they’ve never done before: run on fully renewable fuel. Using a simple, affordable piece of technology,
July 31, 2020
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by Micheal Clements (NAFB News Service/NewsDakota) Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to make E15 available at every U.S. gas pump. Specifically, Ernst calls on EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to certify biofuel infrastructure for E15 and remove unnecessary labeling which will increase consumer access
July 31, 2020
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by Patty Judge (The Gazette) Rural voters are growing tired of Donald Trump. Recently, the Iowa Poll put Vice President Biden one point ahead of President Trump and Iowa moved from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican” on the Cook Political Report. Even Fox News polls show Trump and Biden in a
July 30, 2020
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by Mark Anderson (Sacramento Business Journal) Sacramento fuel distributor Hunt & Sons Inc. has begun selling domestically produced clean biodiesel at some locations in Northern California. The REG Ultra Clean diesel is made by Ames, Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group Inc. and is made mostly from recycled and refined deep fryer oil.
July 30, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, sent a letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler on July 28 urging him to initiate a rulemaking to certify biofuel infrastructure for E15 and remove unnecessary labeling requirements for the fuel blend. “Two years ago, I worked successfully with
July 29, 2020
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by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The U.S. biofuel industry may have to depend on Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for aid, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa said on Tuesday, after Senate Republicans unveiled a coronavirus relief package without specific appropriations for the industry. A provision of the $1 trillion HEALS Act, introduced
July 29, 2020
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(Biofuels Vision 2020/Ethanol Producer Magazine) In the run up to the November election, Biofuels Vision 2020 is launching a new ad campaign raising the alarm over a major regulatory threat to the economic recovery in Iowa. The new sizable, five-figure digital ad buy calls on Iowa voters to share their concerns about the Trump administration’s
July 28, 2020
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by Nat Williams (Illinois Farmer Today) The ethanol industry has a long, complicated history. But supporters believe the best days are ahead. “Fuel ethanol was a thing as early as early as automobiles. Henry Ford made his automobiles to run on ethanol and called it the fuel of the future,” said Monte
July 27, 2020
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by Linda Qiu (New York Times) … Likewise, Mr. Trump has sought to curry favor with corn farmers in Iowa and the Midwest by claiming to have “kept our promise on ethanol” and falsely charging Democrats with wanting to “wipe out, totally, Iowa ethanol.” Mr. Trump did lift a summertime ban on the
July 27, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … In today’s Digest, rev up the engines for these 5 projects – feedstock supply for renewable fuels and high protein feed; fats, oils, and grease separation technology; waste-to-energy facility that just entered full commercial operation; tech deployment for ethanol plant efficiency; and a
July 27, 2020
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by Anna Marie Tomczyk (Argonne National Laboratory/Phys.Org) … The practices that grain farmers use to produce their crops—managing fertility, tillage practice and crop rotations—influence the overall carbon footprint of U.S. agriculture. By using sustainable practices, farmers could substantially reduce their carbon footprint and become a vital partner to the biofuel
July 24, 2020
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(Penn State News) Transdisciplinary research team aims to create new value chains on U.S. farms, with emphasis on the generation of renewable natural gas, improved rural economic outcomes and protection of the environment. — A new federal grant will allow a research team led by Iowa State University, Penn State and
July 22, 2020
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(Fairfield Sun Times/NAFB) … (U.S. Energy Secretary Dan) Brouillette argued there were differing legal opinions on the ruling’s impact on ‘gap-year’ waivers, but conceded DOE’s method for analyzing and recommending EPA reject the same waivers in earlier years hasn’t changed. Which gave (Dave) Loebsack (D-IA 2nd District) an opening. “Well,
July 20, 2020
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by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) U.S. lawmakers from Iowa are trying to add aid for the biofuels industry into a pending coronavirus relief package in the Senate, U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley said on Friday. Grassley and his Iowa colleague, Senator Joni Ernst, hope to include a subsidy for feedstock for the ethanol industry
July 20, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … Just this week, Green Plains shifted one of their Nebraska facilities to make FCC grade alcohol to be used for producing hand sanitizer. Lactips developed a solution to produce water-soluble strips for sealing COVID-19 contaminated hospital linen bags. ENGlobal started providing the world’s
July 20, 2020
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(Kansas Ag Connection/US AgNet) U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) are pressing U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to allow businesses that have received grants under the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) to use grant funds to cover project costs incurred any time in
July 17, 2020
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by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A novel engine technology could make it possible for ethanol to be used in compression-ignition engines, opening up a potential multi-billion-gallon market. With $3 million in financing secured, Clear Flame Engines is poised for commercialization. — It sounds almost too good to be true,
July 14, 2020
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by Greg Henderson (Drovers) America’s economy is showing signs of recovery from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but any economic surge is likely over, according to a quarterly report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange. “Economic data prior to the recent resurgence of coronavirus cases has shown a consistent, steady improvement in the U.S.
July 14, 2020
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by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has put on hold indefinitely a proposal for the amount of biofuels refiners must blend into their fuel next year, two sources familiar with the matter said. Many anticipated the proposal would come out in late June or early July. The EPA
July 6, 2020
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(Office of Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)) U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today issued the following statement on the nomination of Doug Benevento to be Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): “The price of RINs has more than quadrupled since the beginning of the year, and now sits around
July 2, 2020
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by Timothy J. Rudnicki (Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) … That is why it is imperative for the Senate to include the financial aid package for the ethanol industry that was introduced by Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the next COVID-19 relief bill. While this aid package is much needed
July 1, 2020
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(Mankato Free Press) … Here’s what rural Minnesota does need: It needs clean water and subsidized wastewater systems. It needs good government that gets state and federal subsidies to provide a life that provides a solid base of services but few luxuries. It needs good roads that can support more traffic and
June 29, 2020
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by Glenn Minnis (The Center Square) … The president was there to help industry executives celebrate his administration’s removal of a regulation that up until then prohibited companies from selling gasoline containing 15% ethanol year-round. “It was a terrific event for my company and the renewable fuels industry, drawing nearly
June 25, 2020
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by Ronald Langston (Clinton Herald) … To truly increase the sale of E-15, Iowa’s leaders should help bring this home-grown fuel to every community in Iowa – “rural” and urban. Fuel Iowa estimates 85% of the retail fuel facilities do not have dispensing systems compatible with the sale of E-15. There
June 22, 2020
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(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) Failure to address tax differentials will raise fuel taxes for consumers, hurt farmers and producers — As Iowa’s elected leaders prepare to return to the State Capitol and wrap up the 2020 legislative session, Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) members urge legislators to take action on key
June 4, 2020
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(Iowa State University) Tracking COVID-19’s economic impacts, especially in the state of Iowa, is now possible thanks to resources on a new web hub. The webpage “COVID-19 Pandemic: Research and Resources” developed by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development and the Department of Economics at Iowa State University, examines the pandemic’s impacts
May 26, 2020
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(Journal Standard) Adkins Energy LLC recently announced Aaron Folk, Kayla Runkle and Hannah Pickard as the recipients of this year’s scholarship awards. The scholarship provides each student with $500 scholarships to help them further their higher education. Entries for this year were judged on academic achievement and an essay answering the
May 19, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … Leading the defenses is Joan of Ernst, er, Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa along with Tina Smith of Minnesota, Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. Two Republicans, two Democrats, now urging the Trump Administration to uphold the Renewable Fuel Standard and
May 15, 2020
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(Farm Journal/AgWeb) Bankruptcies are rising and are expecting to increase due to problems associated with COVID-19. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, Chapter 12 family farm bankruptcies for the 12 month period ending in March totaled 627 filings. That’s a 23% increase from the previous 12 months. It also marks five
May 12, 2020
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by Art Cullen (The Guardian/Storm Lake Times) … “A lot of voters wanted to believe Trump – that out there in Washington it’s all BS, and that a savvy businessman could straighten it out,” (Drake) Custer said. It’s hard for many to admit that it didn’t work out. A tragic comedy
May 12, 2020
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(Office of Senator Joni Ernst) Ernst and her colleagues write, “We urge you to direct the EPA to reject all calls to waive the RFS. The RFS is more important now than ever as farmers, the biofuel sector, and rural America struggle to remain operating amid the COVID-19 crisis.” — U.S.
May 12, 2020
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(Nexstar Media Wire/Fox40) Midwest lawmakers say biofuel producers should be getting the same support and protection as oil companies. Coronavirus shutdowns have slashed the demand for gasoline, and while the White House is pledging to buy 75 million barrels of oil, ethanol producers say their requests for help have gone ignored. “We’re
May 5, 2020
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by Karl Plume (Reuters) Global commodities trader Cargill Inc [CARG.UL] starting this spring will pay American farmers for capturing carbon in their field soils and cutting fertilizer runoff, an executive said. The Soil & Water Outcomes Fund, a partnership with the Iowa Soybean Association and third-party verification company Quantified Ventures,
May 1, 2020
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by Rhiannon Branch (Brownfield Ag News) A University of Illinois ag economist says he does not expect a bounce back from ethanol demand destruction anytime soon. “I think it’s going to be a long, hard road to recovery.” Todd Hubbs tells Brownfield COVID-19 related stay at home orders have dropped ethanol production
April 30, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Rep. Abby Finkenauer, D-Iowa, on April 28 announced the introduction of the Clean Fuels Deployment Act of 2020. The bill aims to provide funding for installing and converting fuel pump infrastructure to deliver higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel. The bipartisan legislation is cosponsored by
April 29, 2020
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by Austin Cannon (Des Moines Register) The domino effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are widespread, but here’s a peculiar one: Having fewer cars on the road has caused a shortage of a crucial component at Iowa’s water treatment plants. Follow along: Across the country, people are staying home to avoid
April 28, 2020
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by Kelby Wingert (The Messenger) … With fewer cars on the roads, fewer people commuting to work and fewer families traveling for vacations, gasoline prices across the nation began to drop. And while consumers at the pump are enjoying the lowest gas prices in a decade, the nation’s ethanol biofuels industry
April 24, 2020
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(Renewable Fuels Association) As the COVID-19 pandemic and crude oil glut continue to ravage world fuel markets, U.S. ethanol sales in 2020 could fall by more than $10 billion and the industry’s contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) could drop by nearly one-third, according to a new analysis released today by the Renewable
April 21, 2020
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by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) … “We are surviving day by day,” Peterson (Chris Peterson, president of Hero BX) said. “All our people are still employed.” According to Peterson, Hero BX owner Pat Black strives to provide stability for his staff to assure them with confidence that, no matter what
April 15, 2020
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by Jenna Higgins Rose (River Cities’ Reader) Iowa Biodiesel Board points to successful state policies behind growth — A report released by the Iowa Department of Revenue shows biodiesel-blended fuel represented 69.9 percent of the total reported sales of on-road diesel last year in Iowa. Furthermore, blends of 11–20 percent biodiesel
April 10, 2020
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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) The Midwestern Clean Fuels Initiative, facilitated by the Great Plains Institute, is a broad coalition of fuels producers and marketers, nonprofit and research organizations, scientists and engineers, and agriculture and industry stakeholders. The coalition works to create economic benefits for the region through policy,
April 10, 2020
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by Kurtis Harms (Nebraska Corn Board/KNEB) Motorists living near or traveling through Lexington now have opportunities to refuel their vehicles with higher blends of ethanol. Through an infrastructure development program, the Nebraska Corn Board (NCB) provided Country Partners Cooperative with grant dollars to convert four existing fuel pumps into blender pumps
April 10, 2020
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(The Hagstrom Report/The Fence Post) Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said today that he will send a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue urging him to use the Commodity Credit Corporation to help the ethanol industry. Grassley said he did not know exactly how the ethanol industry should
April 8, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) At last week’s Digest webinar, Mark Laurenzo from the Iowa Economic Development Authority shared this illuminating presentation on Iowa’s key value propositions, activity from the biosciences industry in the state where bioscience R&D expenditures per capita is 30% higher than the national figure, how there
April 7, 2020
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(The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association/Biodiesel Magazine) Iowa’s spring planting season is just around the corner and Renewable Energy Group’s biodiesel plant near Newton is getting a head start with a unique kind of planting. Local Pheasants Forever representatives recently conducted a seeding of native grasses, milkweed and other plants that attract pollinators.
April 1, 2020
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by Alex Snodgrass (Independent Commodity Intelligence Service) US fuel ethanol producer and refiner Valero is closing two of its ethanol plants and declaring force majeure on shipments of dried distillers grains or corn purchases, according to sources. The force majeure is due to lack of storage availability for corn or ethanol
March 27, 2020
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(Renewable Fuels Association) The number of fuel stations now offering Flex Fuel E85 has reached an important milestone, as a Casey’s store in Ankeny, Iowa, became the 5,000th station nationwide to sell E85. While offering significantly lower emissions than traditional fuel, the E85 flex fuel blend also offers a price advantage
March 24, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) created exemptions allowing certain alcohol fuel permit holders to sell ethanol (alcohol) for use in the production of hand sanitizers. Consequently. Aemetis, Inc. said its 65 million
March 24, 2020
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(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) Many of the often-touted benefits of biodiesel – from cleaner air and reduced carbon emissions to high-paying jobs in rural communities – benefit the next generation beyond all others. In recognition of the important role students and young professionals will play in the future of the biodiesel
March 19, 2020
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by Ken Anderson (Brownfield Ag News) Earlier this week the Trump Administration was granted a two-week delay in deciding whether to appeal a court ruling on small refinery exemptions. Does that mean an appeal is likely? Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley doesn’t think so. “No, I read it as just the opposite,” Grassley
March 13, 2020
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(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) Economic benefits hampered by RFS exemptions — Today (March 11, 2020) a new study finds despite challenges, Iowa biofuel production continues to have a significant impact on Iowa’s economy, supporting over 48,000 jobs and more than $2.4 billion in household income. The study, authored by John Urbanchuk
March 13, 2020
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(Biofuels International) Biodiesel producers, soybean farmers and other supporters in Iowa have urged state lawmakers to extend a break in fuel tax for diesel that contains at least 11% biodiesel. To date, the policy has almost tripled the number of retailers selling biodiesel fuel in the US state of Iowa,
March 12, 2020
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by Jennifer A Dlouhy (Bloomberg) Appeal would be ‘a stunning betrayal’ of farmers, groups warn; Move allows EPA to keep waiving refineries from biofuel quotas — President Donald Trump’s decision to defend the U.S. government’s power to broadly exempt oil refineries from biofuel-blending requirements is triggering a backlash in Iowa and
March 9, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Hydrogen Digest) There are two places in the world we thought there would long have been a hydrogen project built or announced. One, at the Port of Amsterdam in The Netherlands, and one at the Prairie View Industrial Center complex near Ames, Iowa. The absence of projects reminds us
March 4, 2020
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(Office of Congresswoman Angie Craig (D-MN2)) Today, U.S. Reps. Angie Craig (MN-02) and Dave Loebsack (IA-02) delivered a letter signed by 11 members on the bipartisan Congressional Biofuels Caucus urging the Select Committee on Climate Crisis to include biofuels as a cost-effective and readily available solution for further decarbonization. “The Select
February 27, 2020
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(Office of Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)) On the 100 year anniversary of the Mineral Leasing Act, senators introduce the Fair Returns for Public Lands Act of 2020 to modernize the country’s antiquated public lands royalty system, increase return to federal and state taxpayers by $200 million each in the next
February 27, 2020
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by Jeffrey Bair and Michael Hirtzer (Bloomberg/Yahoo! Finance) BP Plc and Royal Dutch Shell Plc are exploring adding more ethanol in gasoline in top corn state Iowa to take advantage of how cheap the biofuel has become. The oil majors are gauging driver interest at a small number of stations in 15%
February 20, 2020
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by Bruce Comer (Ocean Park/Biofuels Digest) Biofuels Merger and Acquisition (M&A) activity in North America was subdued in 2019. Only four operating biodiesel, ethanol and advanced biofuels plants were sold during the year. These four acquired plants were relatively small with a combined capacity of only 133 Million Gallons Per Year.
February 19, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Green Plains Inc. officials announces plans to transform into an ag tech-focused company that produces sustainable high-protein and novel feed ingredients in addition to biofuels during a fourth quarter earnings call held Feb. 11. “As 2019 continued to be a very challenging year for the
February 18, 2020
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(Renewable Fuels Association) Policy obstacles—especially ongoing trade disputes and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s granting of RFS compliance waivers to dozens of small refineries —dampened the U.S. ethanol industry’s economic contributions in 2019, according to a new study released today at the Renewable Fuels Association’s 25th annual National Ethanol Conference. Still,
February 13, 2020
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by Miranda Green (New Republic) If politicians no longer coveted that early “Iowa bump,” would they still feel compelled to support ethanol subsidies? In the wake of Iowa’s caucus vote-counting disaster, political staffers and pollsters alike are reconsidering the state’s “first in the nation to vote” status. The quaint caucuses
February 10, 2020
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by Marc Heller (E&E News) Fifteen years ago, farmers produced so much soybean oil they couldn’t figure out what to with it all. It was good for cooking and salad dressing — and not much more. “We were throwing it away,” recalled Bill Shipley, a farmer and district director with the
February 7, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Digest published today a 2020 Deal Review and Outlook Bioeconomy M&A visual guide that looks at the slurry of recent mergers and acquisitions in the bioeconomy like Lygos and Librede, NuSeed and Agrisoma, FinCo Fuels and GoodFuels, The Andersons and Marathon Petroleum, Aemetis and Goodland
February 5, 2020
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by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Des Moines Register) When Ted Cruz, a strong opponent of the Renewable Fuel Standard, won the Iowa caucuses four years ago, political pundits said it was the “beginning of the end” for national biofuels policy. After all, Cruz had walked into the lion’s den of corn country
February 3, 2020
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by Ed Wiederstein (Real Clear Energy) … Like clockwork, candidates on the stump in Iowa — and even at the recent democratic debate at Drake University — are making a point to show their support for our ethanol industry. But for voters who care about the renewable fuels industry and the 50,000 jobs it
February 1, 2020
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by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Nebraska Ethanol Board offers workshops to help retailers learn more about E15 and higher blends. Other states offer help with grant application processes, or are pushing for for mid-level blends. — Considering updating his fuel dispensers, Dan O’Neill, president and CEO of Kwik
January 30, 2020
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(Renewable Fuels Association) The 2020 season of the Crappie Masters Tournament Trail begins later this week, with the Renewable Fuels Association and the National Corn Growers Association signed on as co-title sponsors for the fourth consecutive year. The first tournament begins Friday, Jan. 31 at St. Johns River in Deland, Fla.
January 30, 2020
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by Marjorie Kulba (Farm Journal’s Ag Pro) An Iowa biodiesel plant is reopening after it shut down late last year. The Western Dubuque Biodiesel plant in Farley, Iowa started up production at the plant last week after shutting down for most of December and January. A representative told AgDay’s Betsy Jibben the small refinery exemptions
January 29, 2020
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … We need “idealism without illusion”, as President John F. Kennedy once defined it. … For that task, there is no better leader we’ve seen on the Democratic side this season than Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who was the runaway winner in our most
January 23, 2020
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by Jeff Biggers (Climate Narrative Project/Des Moines Register) The fate of our state is too important to leave in the hands of someone who doesn’t have the wherewithal to deal with our climate crisis. — … Despite massive wind energy production, Iowa is becoming a climate disaster story. (Iowa Governor
January 21, 2020
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by Jim Spencer and Mike Hughlett (Star Tribune) The biofuel’s intended uses for energy independence and greenhouse gas reduction have become matters of debate. But no one questions its political clout, economic importance or staying power. — … Janet McCabe is a former assistant administrator of the air and radiation office
January 20, 2020
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by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA released updated small refinery exemption (SRE) data on Jan. 16, reporting that five new SRE petitions have been filed under the Renewable Fuel Standard for compliance year 2019, up from 16 petitions that had been filed as of Dec. 19, 2019. A
January 17, 2020
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(Solutions from the Land) As discussions on climate change, clean water, hunger, poverty and biodiversity grow both on the domestic and global stages, the role of agriculture in addressing these mega-challenges is filling a growing role at the policy table. Statewide efforts facilitated by Solutions from the Land (SfL) and
January 16, 2020
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(FuelIowa) Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig presented Elliott Oil Company of Ottumwa and Diamond Oil Company of Des Moines with the 2020 Renewable Fuels Marketing Awards today at the FUELIowa Annual Meeting in Des Moines. The Ethanol and Biodiesel Marketing Awards were created by FUELIowa in partnership with the Iowa
January 15, 2020
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by Melody Mercado (WHOTV) … (Senator Amy) Klobuchar is claiming a home field advantage for next week’s Democratic debate in Iowa. She says she is looking forward to bringing rural issues to the debate such as the closings of biodiesel and ethanol plants in the region. Klobuchar says the issues in
January 13, 2020
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by Jeremy Martin (Union of Concerned Scientists) … Here are five reasons now is the time for Midwestern States to get started on a clean fuel standard. Accelerating Electric Vehicles: Electric vehicles are growing in the Midwest, but need a boost. While the Midwest leads the nation in biofuel and wind
January 10, 2020
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(Great Plains Institute) This Initiative is exploring a clean fuels policy, at the state or regional level, as a marketdriven approach to achieving our economic, energy security, climate, environmental, and public health goals. This white paper presents policy design considerations that are intended to inform further discussion of new and
January 8, 2020
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by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) … I do remain bullish, because I believe in ethanol. It’s the right fuel at the right time—and for the time to come. It’s the low-carbon, low-cost fuel America and the world need now. As long as we remain committed to the
December 31, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) From what is an advanced biofuel to why, we take a look at the gallons, the ethanol blend wall, the residue capacity, and over 30 advanced biofuels projects from around the world to watch. In today’s Digest, a Digest 2020 Multi-Slide Guide on advanced biofuels that
December 27, 2019
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Iowa State University is working on fast pyrolysis, and Robert Brown, Director of the university’s Bioeconomy Institute looks at how their work is making us rethink thermochemical processing. By looking at autothermal pyrolysis, and more, Brown shared this presentation at ABLC NEXT in San Francisco. READ
December 27, 2019
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by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Ethanol Producer Magazine talked to three experts about the past year, and what they see moving into 2020. — 2019 brought a Reid vapor pressure waiver for E15, but it also brought excessive small refinery waivers and low margins for ethanol plants. The year
December 24, 2019
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(Office of Senator Michael Bennet, D-CO) Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and U.S. Representative Cindy Axne (IA-3) announced they have introduced new legislation to create the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Terra (ARPA–Terra), a new agency at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to invest in innovative agricultural technologies that increase economic opportunity for
December 20, 2019
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(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) Following the harvest of a small corn field near Quad Country Corn Processors, the ethanol plant recently seeded it once more, only not with corn but with milkweed. Board member Alan Bennett conducted a dormant seeding of native grasses, milkweed, and other plants that attract pollinators on
December 20, 2019
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by Molly Ringberg (News8000) Top sustainable transportation leaders around Wisconsin were honored for their commitment to the environment at the Wisconsin Clean Cities 25th Annual Stakeholder Meeting and Awards. First place for the Forward Fleet Award went to Kwik Trip for the amount of petroleum it displaced by using alternative fuels and
December 19, 2019
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(Solutions from the Land) The global climate negotiating sessions in Madrid come to a close this week, and producer advocates remain gratified that delegates to the talks have demonstrated a growing acceptance of the agricultural sector’s role in addressing the climate crisis. As SfL steering committee member Ray Gaesser pointed
December 13, 2019
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(Solutions from the Land) … SfL Steering Committee member Ray Gaesser, an Iowa corn and soybean producer, and SfL President Ernie Shea appeared on the panel, which focused on climate change and the agriculture sector. They spoke of the role farmers are playing in addressing climate change, sharing with those
December 9, 2019
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by Jason O’Day (Daily Iowan) … Pumping gasoline with 10, 15, or 85 percent of a slightly less distilled version of the drink is bad for the health of your vehicle. It corrodes the gas tank and fuel line, especially in cars manufactured before 2001. Grain alcohol isn’t just bad
December 9, 2019
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) A meeting last June in Newburg, Md., represented a change for U.S. farmers, Pro’s Helena Bottemiller Evich reports . The event was hosted by the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, a group made up of the heavyweights in American agriculture. It brought together three
December 9, 2019
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USDA Seeks Input on New Ethanol Sales Infrastructure Incentive Program DEADLINE January 30, 2020
(U.S. Department of Agriculture) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking public input to help with the creation of the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP), a new program that will expand the availability of domestic ethanol and biodiesel by incentivizing the expansion of sales of renewable fuels. “Feedback from farmers, retailers and