South Dakota – Advanced BioFuels USA

New Bipartisan Legislation to Reduce Digester Costs for US Farmers

(Bioenergy Insight) Bipartisan legislation has been introduced by US Senators to encourage investment in biodigester and nutrient recovery systems while establishing a new market for farmers. The Agricultural Environmental Stewardship Act, a bill brought forward by US Senators John Thune and Sherrod Brown, will help expand the market for renewable biogas

July 27, 2021 Read Full Article

Carbon-Capture Pipelines Offer Climate Aid; Activists Wary

by Stephen Groves (Associated Press) Two companies seeking to build thousands of miles of pipeline across the Midwest are promising the effort will aid rather than hinder the fight against climate change, though some environmental groups remain skeptical. The pipelines would stretch from North Dakota to Illinois, potentially transforming the Corn

July 26, 2021 Read Full Article

Governors Ask Biden Administration to Expand the Market for Higher-Octane Gasoline in New Fuel Economy Rule

(Governors’ Biofuels Coalition) High-Octane Ethanol Should Replace Carcinogenic Gasoline Aromatics — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem sent a letter to the Biden Administration pointing out the role that higher-octane ethanol could play in meeting the Administration’s climate and public health goals. Governor Walz is the chair and Governor

July 23, 2021 Read Full Article

Groups Urge EPA to Propose Higher Octane Fuel Standard

(South Dakota Farmers Union) South Dakota Farmers Union is among a coalition of agriculture and biofuel groups urging the administration to propose a higher octane fuel standard as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updates its greenhouse gas emissions standards for passenger vehicles and light duty trucks. “It’s been a long-standing position

July 19, 2021 Read Full Article

Corn Farmers Captured, Stored Carbon before It Was Cool, Industry Learder Says: Farmers and Ethanol Plants Can Benefit from Reducing Carbon Use.

by Jerry Perkins (Successful Farming) … After years of research into the data about farming’s contribution to carbon emissions, that’s the conclusion reached by Ron Alverson, a South Dakota corn farmer and ethanol plant director, who spoke Wednesday at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo (FEW), which wraps up today at

July 16, 2021 Read Full Article

Blocked By EPA, Biofuels Group Asks OMB For Octane Limit In Vehicle Rule

by Stuart Parker (Inside EPA/Governors’ Biofuels Coalition) A coalition of biofuels and farm groups, led by former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), is poised to press White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials to include a high-octane standard to boost fuel economy in EPA’s upcoming light-duty vehicle rules

July 13, 2021 Read Full Article

Biofuels Big Day on The Hill

by Matthew Choi (Politico’s Morning Energy) Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) will unveil a package of bills today with two of her Republican colleagues to boost biofuels infrastructure. Klobuchar and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) will introduce the Biofuel Infrastructure and Agricultural Product Market Expansion Act of 2021 to provide grants for activities that expand the

June 30, 2021 Read Full Article

Auto Alliance Underlines Importance of High Octane Low Carbon Fuels

by Doug Durante (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/Governors’ Biofuels Coalition) Commends Daschle HOLC Alliance Fight for National Higher Octane Gasoline Standard in SAFE-2 Rule — The Clean Fuels Development Coalition (CFDC) called a recent letter from automakers in support of high octane low carbon fuels further validation that ethanol has a key

June 25, 2021 Read Full Article

QUOTE OF THE WEEK — Tom Daschle

“What I do know is — for the foreseeable future, and I would say several decades yet to come — the internal combustion engine is still going to play a role and will be part of the transportation landscape. We see E30 and high-octane, low carbon fuel as a segue

June 15, 2021 Read Full Article

Daschle: New Administration Could Put Ethanol into ‘Orbit’

by Mikkel Pates (AgWeek) Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., talks about corn ethanol opportunities in the Biden administration and reflects on the recent passing of Orrie Swayze, a farmer and former Marine fighter pilot from Wilmot, S.D., who Daschle described as a “mentor” in his passion for an

June 15, 2021 Read Full Article

Navigator Announces Momentum Building Larger Carbon Capture Project

(Navigator CO2 Ventures/CISION) Successful non-binding open season of Midwest carbon capture and sequestration project complete; pipeline project would benefit agricultural, liquid fuels and other industrial emission sources — Navigator CO2 Ventures (“Navigator”) announced today the successful conclusion of the non-binding open season of its carbon capture pipeline system (“CCS”). The proposed

June 4, 2021 Read Full Article

Switching to Switchgrass: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Next-Gen Feedstocks in Midwest

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Bioenergy switchgrass feedstock – can it be the next-generation feedstock we’ve been looking for in the Midwest? University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is looking at perennial bioenergy feedstock production on marginal croplands across geographic locations in the Midwest. What did they find? What had the highest-yield?

May 19, 2021 Read Full Article

POET+FHRe=HUGE: POET in ‘Exclusive Discussions’ to Buy FHR’s 800m Gallon Portfolio: Advanced Biorefining, Economies of Scale in Focus

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) From South Dakota, The Digest has learned that POET is in exclusive discussions with Flint Hills Resources over the possible acquisition of their biofuels business. Flint Hills Resources is the nation’s fifth-largest bioethanol producer, and this acquisition would include all six of their bioethanol production

May 14, 2021 Read Full Article

Cenex to Offer E15 through Rock Rapids Terminal, Making It More Accessible to Cenex Retail Locations

by Scott Van Aartsen (KIWA Radio) An area pipeline terminal will be helping to get more E15 fuel into our part of northwest Iowa. CHS, formerly known as Cenex-Harvest States is expanding access to higher ethanol blend fuels by offering E15 through 10 additional fuel terminals starting soon. In early 2021, CHS

April 28, 2021 Read Full Article

Study Shows Higher Ethanol Blends Reduce CO2 Emissions

by Lura Roti (SDPB Radio) Results from a recent University of Nebraska Study could dramatically increase demand for ethanol. This is optimistic news for South Dakota corn farmers, ethanol manufacturers and family farm advocates. Redefining Renewable Fuels was a year-long study conducted by researchers from the University of Nebraska Department of Chemical

April 9, 2021 Read Full Article

Data Collection Project to Help Farmers Address Greenhouse Gas Emissions

by Leslie Reed (University of Nebraska–Lincoln/Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute/Nebraska Today) University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers affiliated with the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute have received a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to better quantify carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions connected with corn production

April 8, 2021 Read Full Article

Net Zero Drop-In Fuels: The Digest’s 2021 Multi-Slide Guide to Gevo

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Low-carbon, drop-in fuels with a pathway to “net zero” is what Gevo is all about. Capturing renewable energy and transforming it into energy dense, liquid hydrocarbons that can be drop-in fuels is a game changer, especially with net zero GHG footprint. How they do it,

April 8, 2021 Read Full Article

OPINION: Infrastructure that Makes a Difference

by Cassie Mullen (Renewable Fuels Association) … At the same time—flying under the radar—has been the latest round of grants approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under its Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program, also known as HBIIP. This is an important effort begun last year by the USDA to

April 2, 2021 Read Full Article

Biofuel Groups, States File Amicus Briefs in SCOTUS SRE Case

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Advanced Biofuels Association, Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas, the National Biodiesel Board and a group of eight states on March 31 filed amicus briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court urging the court to affirm the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals’ January 2020 ruling

April 1, 2021 Read Full Article

CHS Grows Access to High Ethanol Blend Fuels

(CHS) High ethanol blend E15 gasoline is available at about 50 Cenex locations and that number is expected to grow. — In early 2021, CHS announced it had taken steps to make E15 fuels more accessible to the company’s Cenex® branded retail locations by registering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

March 30, 2021 Read Full Article

E30 Safe for Non-flex Fuel Vehicles & Cuts CO2 Emissions According to University of Nebraska Study

(South Dakota Farmers Union) If 10 percent of Nebraskans fueled up their non-flex fuel vehicles with 30 percent ethanol, CO2 emissions would decrease by 64,000 tons per year. This is according to results of a year-long University of Nebraska Study, Redefining Renewable Fuels, released February 2021. If these same Nebraskans fueled

March 22, 2021 Read Full Article

Valero and BlackRock Partner with Navigator to Announce Large-Scale Carbon Capture and Storage Project

(BusinessWire) Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO, “Valero”) and BlackRock Global Energy & Power Infrastructure Fund III announced today (March 16, 2021) that they are partnering with Navigator Energy Services (“Navigator”) to develop an industrial scale carbon capture pipeline system (“CCS”). The initial phase is expected to span more than 1,200 miles

March 17, 2021 Read Full Article

Gevo Selects Polynaphtha TM Technology and Engineering from Axens for its Net-Zero 1 Project in South Dakota for Renewable Gasoline and Sustainable Aviation Fuel

(Chemical Engineering) Axens (Rueil-Malmaison, France) today announces that Gevo, Inc. (Englewood, Colo.) selected its Polynaphtha oligomerization technology for its Net-Zero 1 project in Preston, South Dakota. Axens scope will include technology license, basic engineering, and catalyst supply for the conversion of renewable olefins into a flexible slate of renewable gasoline and jet fuel. “As

March 8, 2021 Read Full Article

Iowa Company Plans to Capture Midwest Ethanol Plants’ Carbon Dioxide, Store It Underground

by Katie Piekes (National Public Radio/Harvest Public Media) A new business in Iowa wants to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions from ethanol plants. It would pave the way for biorefineries in Iowa, Minnesota, and the Dakotas to deliver carbon-neutral fuel to the market. Summit Carbon Solutions, a business platform

March 3, 2021 Read Full Article

SDFU Calls for Repeal & Replace of Fuel Economy Rule to Include Octane and Higher Ethanol Blends

by Rusty Halvorson (KFGO) Speaking at the National Farmers Union National Convention February 26, 2021, South Dakota Chapter President Doug Sombke said ethanol advocates need to prioritize support for a high octane standard in the new fuel economy rule that could triple demand for ethanol over the next decade. Sombke and NFU

March 3, 2021 Read Full Article

Gevo and Scandinavian Airlines System Amend Agreement to Increase Off-Take of Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Valued at over $100 Million

(Gevo/Globe Newswire) Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO), announced today (February 22, 2021) that it and Scandinavian Airlines System (“SAS”) have signed an amendment to increase SAS’s minimum purchase obligation to purchase sustainable aviation fuel (“SAF”) to 5,000,000 gallons per year. Gevo and SAS signed the original fuel sales agreement in October

March 3, 2021 Read Full Article

Biofuels Can Contribute Now to a Cleaner Energy Future

by Tom Daschle (Roll Call/The Daschle Group) Smart agriculture policy that has a role for ethanol can help advance Biden’s agenda on all fronts — Growing up in South Dakota, agriculture has always been in my blood. For nearly three decades, I had the honor of representing South Dakota — where

February 26, 2021 Read Full Article

POET Urges Biden Climate Team to Grasp E15 Philosophy

(Biofuels International) POET has urged the new Biden administration to embrace E15. The world’s largest biofuels producer, based in Sioux Falls in South Dakota, has also welcomed the new President’s leadership in making climate a top priority. … Rob Walther, vice president of Federal Advocacy at POET, said each member

February 19, 2021 Read Full Article

Brightmark RNG Holdings Aims to Expand U.S. Biomethane Offerings

by Matthew Mercure (NGT News) Brightmark LLC, a global waste solutions company, and Chevron U.S.A. Inc., a subsidiary of Chevron Corp., have expanded their previously announced joint venture, Brightmark RNG Holdings LLC, to own projects across the U.S. to produce and market dairy biomethane, a renewable natural gas (RNG). … Brightmark

February 18, 2021 Read Full Article

Crushing Ethanol’s CO2 Footprint: Summit Carbon Launches 10MT Carbon Capture & Storage Monster; Green Plains Is in

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sometimes, as the song says, you gotta bury your troubles, and when your trouble is the cost of carbon dioxide emission, and you’re in the ethanol business, you were stymied until a few minutes ago, when news crossed the wires that Summit Carbon Solutions is building

February 18, 2021 Read Full Article

50 Renewable Diesel Projects and the Technologies Behind Them

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Renewable diesel, all 9 billion gallons built, under construction, in planning – Take a deep dive into the latest hot renewable diesel news and a special Digest presentation that asks will all of these billions of gallons fleet get built? If not, who are the potential

February 9, 2021 Read Full Article

Thune, Shaheen Reintroduce Bill to Advance Renewable Fuel Technologies

(Office of Senator John Thune (R-SD)) Bill would require EPA to approve proven technologies, expedite review of others — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) today reintroduced their bipartisan legislation to approve certain advanced biofuel registrations that have gone without approval by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) despite the fuels already being

February 5, 2021 Read Full Article

Gov. Reynolds Plans to Build ‘Relationships’ with President Biden to Protect Biofuels

by John Steppe (The Gazette/SoutherMinn.com) Gov. Kim Reynolds is looking forward to “building those same relationships” with President Joe Biden and his Environmental Protection Agency staff that she had with the Trump administration to protect biofuels, Reynolds said during Tuesday’s virtual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit. … “I will hold this

January 28, 2021 Read Full Article

Iowa’s Governor Calls for E10, B11 to Be Offered from All New Fuel Pumps

by O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa) Governor Kim Reynolds says any new fuel pumps installed in Iowa should be able to dispense gas with at least a 10 percent blend of ethanol and the governor says B11 — 11 percent biodiesel — should be the standard for diesel pumps. …

January 27, 2021 Read Full Article

Energy-Dense Liquids, Drop-in Fuels: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to Gevo

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Tying in with today’s top story, this is one slide guide you don’t want to miss from Dr. Patrick Gruber, CEO who recently shared this with investors. From the latest in market traction and demand for Gevo fuels, their first world scale project in South

January 27, 2021 Read Full Article

Ethanol Blog: Supreme Court to Hear Small-Refinery Exemption Appeal

by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) The Supreme Court will review a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver that found EPA mishandled the small-refinery exemptions program in the Renewable Fuel Standard. The 10th Circuit ruling in January 2020 led the EPA to reject more

January 11, 2021 Read Full Article

Oil Refineries See Profit in Turning Kitchen Grease into Diesel

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 Read Full Article

RNG Heats up with Slurry of 2020 Deals, Big Players Involved, Chevron, BP, Brightmark, Aemetis, Verbio, Greenlane Renewables

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) Brightmark and Chevron just formed a joint venture to own projects across the United States to produce and market dairy biomethane. Greenlane Renewables signed a $5.8 million contract with Brightmark. Construction started in Ohio on a $33 million RNG project. Verbio’s RNG facility slated to

October 12, 2020 Read Full Article

How Farming Has Changed in Every State the Last 100 Years

(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 Read Full Article

Farmers Business Network to Spin Out New Venture to Track Carbon Footprints of Crops And Help Farmers Make More for Low-Carbon Ones

by Amy Feldman (Forbes) Agtech unicorn Farmers Business Network is spinning out a new sustainable farming company, called GRO Network, that will track and score the carbon footprint of specific crops down to the bushel and allow farmers to make more for their crops that have lower carbon footprints. In a

September 4, 2020 Read Full Article

Low Carbon Cash Cover Crop: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to CoverCress

The Digest recently reported on CoverCress and why the U.S. Department of Energy’s $13 million grant for new high-value feedstock, pennycress, is so key. For an in-depth visual guide on how CoverCress is delivering new farm income and low carbon intensity feedstocks while producing cover crop benefits, how it fits between

August 28, 2020 Read Full Article

ACE: Legislation Would Require EPA to Update GREET

(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 Read Full Article

Axne: Fossil Fuel Companies Shouldn’t Receive Covid Relief Funds

(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 Read Full Article

RFA Promoting Ethanol at 80th Sturgis Rally

(AgNewsWire) The 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally gets underway in South Dakota this weekend, and the Renewable Fuels Association will be setting up once again at the legendary Buffalo Chip Campground to spread the good news about ethanol and motorcycles. “We know things will look a little different at Sturgis this year, thanks to COVID,

August 8, 2020 Read Full Article

Ethanol Leaders Urge Noem, Trump to Open Door to “E30 by 2030”

(South Dakota Farmers Union) Compliance with Existing Law Would Inject $8 Billion Per Year into South Dakota Economy — In a Rapid City Journal ad, a Sioux Falls Argus Leader editorial, and a letter to Governor Kristi Noem, South Dakota ethanol leaders said that a transition to “E30 by 2030 Nationwide” would more than double

August 5, 2020 Read Full Article

QUOTE OF THE WEEK — Doug Sombke and Jim Seurer

“For many years now, South Dakota has led the way in proving that E30 blends can be used effectively in any vehicle. In fact, our Watertown E30 Challenge conclusively proved that E30’s high octane and more complete combustion improves vehicle performance, enabling more power, emitting less pollution, and saving consumers

August 3, 2020 Read Full Article

Turbocharging South Dakota’s Economy while Making Americans Healthier

by Doug Sombke and Jim Seurer (South Dakota Farmers Union/Glacial Lakes Energy/Argus Leader) During President Trump’s Fourth of July visit to Mount Rushmore, our organizations sponsored an ad in the Rapid City Journal that urged the President to “tear down the wall” that his Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unlawfully erected to

August 3, 2020 Read Full Article

Letter: ‘It Should Have Never Happened’

by Orrie Swayze (Aberdeen News) … A similar “it should never have happened” that unnecessarily kills or maims millions costing trillions of dollars today was the move from Ford’s Model Ts ethanol fuel to the forbidden fruit or Rockefeller’s “cheap gasoline.” All can be reversed profitably as already demonstrated in

July 27, 2020 Read Full Article

Pivotal Research Discovers Practices, Technologies Key to Sustainable Farming

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 Read Full Article

Ethanol Prophet Tilts at Petroleum

by Mikkel Pates (AgWeek) South Dakota ethanol promoter Orrie D. Swayze likes to hear promotions for 30% ethanol blends in gasoline but thinks 50% would be better for the environment and human health. — … Swazey, 76, … became worried about Middle Eastern oil imports, and thought ethanol made from

July 13, 2020 Read Full Article

Ethanol Ad Urges Visiting Trump to ‘Tear down That (Blend)’ Wall’

by Mikkel Pates (Ag Week) Ethanol proponents try to make some political hay with President Donald Trump when he visits Rapid City. They ask that he “tear down that wall” of 10% ethanol blends, and allow ethanol to climb to 30% blends. They say the Environmental Protection Agency should do

July 3, 2020 Read Full Article

Farming, Biofuels, Health Groups Challenge EPA on SAFE Rule

(Morning Ag Clips/South Dakota Farmers Union) Broad coalition challenges the Safer Affordable Fuel Efficiency Vehicle Rule; In response to EPA’s failure to credibly consider and advance mid-level ethanol fuel blends as an alternative to conventional fuels, the groups filed a petition for review in the Superior Court of the District

June 30, 2020 Read Full Article

52 Petitions Filed by Refineries Seeking RFS Exemptions

(Renewable Fuels Association/National Biodiesel Board/Farm Progress) Renewable Fuels Association, National Biodiesel Board critical of these petitions, say refiners are trying to circumvent court ruling. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today disclosed that 52 new petitions have been received from small refineries seeking retroactive exemptions from their Renewable Fuel Standard requirements

June 19, 2020 Read Full Article

Bill Would Push Biofuels Innovation

by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) Sen. John Thune (R-SD) has introduced legislation, together with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), to approve some advanced biofuel pathways under the Renewable Fuel Standard, which have been delayed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Under the legislation, EPA would also be required to render a decision within 90 days on

June 18, 2020 Read Full Article

The Standoff for E30

by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy may be just a block or two apart on Independence Avenue in Washington, D.C., but they are miles apart on their long-term outlook for ethanol. Seemingly disparate objectives make E30s future less clear. The good: The

June 12, 2020 Read Full Article

Thune Introduces Bill to Support Hand Sanitizer and Ethanol Production By Extending FDA Guidance

(Office of Senator John Thune (R-SD)) U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today introduced legislation that would extend for two years The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) “Temporary Policy for Preparation of Certain Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer Products During the Public Health Emergency.” Extending the FDA’s guidance will grant additional certainty for ethanol operations

June 12, 2020 Read Full Article

15 Newest Projects – Who’s Got What Underway?

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) While the world may be at a standstill,there are still many projects going on and moving forward. But where are these projects? Who’s involved? How far along are they? What are they working on? From VTT BioFlex in Finland working on fuels oils and plastics

April 16, 2020 Read Full Article

Great Plains Institute’s Latest Report: The Digest’s 2020 Multi-Slide Guide to A Clean Fuels Policy for the Midwest

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 Read Full Article

Today’s Corn Farmers Leave A Zero Carbon Footprint

(South Dakota Farmer’s Union) In addition to feeding and fueling the world, farmers across the Corn Belt are helping sequester carbon by raising corn for ethanol, livestock feed and Fourth of July barbecues. “Corn is one of only a handful of grasses (C4) which are superior at extracting carbon dioxide from the

March 30, 2020 Read Full Article

Celebrating the Women of the Ethanol Workforce

by Jessica Bennett (Renewable Fuels Association) RFA works hard every day to represent all of our members and the hard-working men and women that make these companies, and our industry, successful. More than ever before, representing our industry also means representing women in the renewable fuels industry. The number of women working

March 9, 2020 Read Full Article

South Dakota’s First Dairy Renewable Natural Gas Project under Construction

(Brightmark/NGV Journal) Brightmark, a San Francisco-based waste and energy development company, has signed a manure supply agreement with two South Dakota dairy companies, Boadwine Farms, Inc. and Mooody County Dairy Limited Partnership, to capture methane produced by nearly 12,000 dairy cows and heifers and convert it into renewable natural gas. The

February 17, 2020 Read Full Article

Brightmark to Build Dairy RNG Project in South Dakota

(Brightmark Energy/Biomass Magazine) Brightmark, a San Francisco-based waste and energy development company, announced Feb. 5 that it has signed a manure supply agreement with two South Dakota dairy companies, Boadwine Farms Inc. and Mooody County Dairy Limited Partnership, to capture methane produced by nearly 12,000 dairy cows and heifers and convert

February 14, 2020 Read Full Article

Broin Named The American Biofuels Visionary by Growth Energy

(Ethanol Producer Magazine/Growth Energy) During the organization’s 11th Annual Executive Leadership Conference, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor honored POET Founder and CEO Jeff Broin as The American Biofuels Visionary. Tom Buis, who previously served as CEO of Growth Energy, joined Skor on stage to present the special recognition, which was awarded

February 11, 2020 Read Full Article

EPA Partners with Nebraska Engineers on Biofuels Study

by Curt Arens (Nebraska Farmer) The program will evaluate the use of E30 in conventional vehicles in the state fleet, including State Patrol cars. OOKING AT BLEND: A Nebraska biofuels state fleet study partners UNL engineers with EPA to research the effects of using E30 ethanol-blended gasoline in non-flex fuel

February 11, 2020 Read Full Article

Clean Air Benefits of Ethanol Focus of S.D. Farmers Union President Presentation to United Nations Foundation

(South Dakota Farmers Union) Ethanol lowers carbon emissions by 40 percent and reduces the need for carcinogenic gasoline additives. These health and clean air benefits will be the focus of South Dakota Farmers Union President Doug Sombke’s presentation to the United Nations Foundation in D.C. today, February 6, 2020. “I’m

February 7, 2020 Read Full Article

Blended Curriculum: The Nebraska Ethanol Board Offers Workshops

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 Read Full Article

A Clean Fuels Policy for the Midwest

(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 Read Full Article

POET Commits $2 Million for Precision Agriculture Initiative at SDSU

(POET) Today (December 17, 2019) POET Founder and CEO Jeff Broin announced a $2 million gift for construction of the precision agriculture facility at South Dakota State University (SDSU). POET and SDSU have a strong history of collaboration on innovative research projects and training the next generation to use agriculture

December 19, 2019 Read Full Article

Ethanol Industry Leaders to Governor Noem: E30 Ready for Prime Time

(South Dakota Farmers Union/Governors’ Biofuels Coalition) Following her remarks at the Glacial Lakes Energy annual shareholders meeting last week, a broad group of ethanol, agriculture, and clean air supporters commended South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem for her leadership in advancing 30% ethanol blends. Long considered the “sweet spot” for optimum ethanol

December 17, 2019 Read Full Article

Govs. Walz and Noem for Support of E30

(Grand Rapids Herald Review) Recently, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the chair of the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition, along with South Dakota Gov. and coalition vice chair Kristi Noem, sent a letter to President Trump urging the administration to consider 30 percent ethanol blends, or E30, as a way to reduce toxic aromatics

December 13, 2019 Read Full Article

Noem: State to Lead Charge for E30 Adoption

By Dan Crisler (Watertown Public Opinion) The South Dakota government plans to lead the charge in persuading the nation to adopt E30, Gov. Kristi Noem said Wednesday afternoon. Noem made that declaration to Glacial Lakes Energy shareholders, who convened for an annual meeting at the Codington County Extension Complex. READ

December 5, 2019 Read Full Article

ACE Urges EPA to Get RFS Back on Track

(American Coalition for Ethanol) The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) submitted comments today to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its proposed supplemental rulemaking to the 2020 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). ACE CEO Brian Jennings detailed three areas in which the proposal falls short in ACE’s written

November 29, 2019 Read Full Article

Governors Ask President Trump to Remove Gasoline’s Deadly Aromatics

(Governors’ Biofuels Coalition) Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem Say Poisonous Aromatics Put Our Health at Risk — In a letter to President Trump today, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem asked him to enforce a provision of the Clean Air Act that

November 25, 2019 Read Full Article

Ethanol Blog: Senators Ask Trump to Stick to Biofuels Agreement

by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) A group of United States senators asked President Donald Trump in a letter on Friday to make sure an EPA proposal to account for small-refinery exemptions to the Renewable Fuel Standard will account for actual gallons waived. The letter is signed by Sens. Charles Grassley,

November 18, 2019 Read Full Article

Whose Side Is Trump on? The Fight Continues…Corn Country and Oil Country Still Battling It out in Washington, DC

by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) … It’s a back and forth game of Trump’s promises to help farmers and agriculture and support ethanol and biofuels, EPA giving small refinery waivers to big oil companies, …. … (T)he latest responses from Midwest Senators, the American Coalition for Ethanol, how both

November 11, 2019 Read Full Article

Ernst Says President Trump Is Upset by EPA’s Biofuels Rules

by O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa) Iowa Senator Joni Ernst today said she’s talked directly with President Trump about the furor over proposed EPA rules which Ernst says do not fulfill the deal Trump struck in September on the renewable fuels standard. “I did visit with the president actually, again, two

November 8, 2019 Read Full Article

South Dakota Farmers Union Says RFS “Fixes” Lack Vision and Progress

(South Dakota Farmers Union) Following yet another disappointing announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on their management of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), South Dakota Farmers Union President Doug Sombke said it’s time to recognize the RFS Is broken. “The “big beautiful deal” EPA announced last week raised more

October 17, 2019 Read Full Article

An Identity Crisis—Ethanol Blending is a Refinery?

by Dave VanderGriend (Urban Air Initiative/Biofuels Digest) … (A)nyone who owns a blender pump woke up one day in June to find out they were a refiner! Actually, a “fuel manufacturer” to be exact, with all the numbing, strangling regulations that go with it. While the fire is raging throughout the

October 3, 2019 Read Full Article

Daschle, Sombke Call Pending SAFE Rule the Path to Higher Ethanol Volumes

(Safe Gasoline Campaign) In a wide-ranging interview on a popular South Dakota Business Radio program, Sombke and Daschle stressed that moving to high octane gasoline is a way to build on the success of the Renewable Fuel Standard. The path to get there is through the Safe Affordable Fuel Efficiency (SAFE) rule currently

September 30, 2019 Read Full Article

Ethanol Blog: Economist Proposes Two RFS Changes to Appease Oil, Ethanol

by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) With a reported big deal for biofuels in flux, an economist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign put forward a plan on Thursday to account for more than 4 billion gallons of biofuels exempted to small refineries from the Renewable Fuel Standard from 2016

September 23, 2019 Read Full Article

White House Presses Biofuel, Oil Executives for Compromise

by Mario Parker and Jennifer A Dlouhy (Bloomberg/Investors Business Daily) Discussions aimed at breaking logjam over biofuel plan; Friday deadline issued for ideas on potential compromise — Trump administration officials are squeezing biofuel and oil refining executives to agree to a plan to bolster corn-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel. In

September 12, 2019 Read Full Article

Ethanol Advocate & Former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle Meets with Farmers Union Members in D.C.

(South Dakota Farmers Union) It’s a critical time for the ethanol industry said former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle today, Sept. 9, 2019, when he met with more than 300 farmers, ranchers and agriculture supporters in D.C. as part of the National Farmers Union Fly-In. “It’s a critical time, not only for agriculture,

September 10, 2019 Read Full Article

In Iowa, Candidates Are Talking About Farming’s Climate Change Connections Like No Previous Election

by Georgina Gustin (Inside Climate News) About half the candidates have policy proposals or statements addressing climate change impacts on agriculture or farming’s potential as a climate solution. … They also brought an unprecedented focus on agriculture‘s connections with climate change—an issue that’s getting more traction among rural Midwestern voters and farmers in

August 16, 2019 Read Full Article

Bringing Biodiesel to BHSU

by Alex Portal (Black Hills Pioneer) A local senior at Black Hills State University is pioneering the use of biodiesel fuel on campus. “The idea is to take the cooking oil from A’viands cafeteria, convert it to biodiesel, and then use it to power facilities equipment,” said Nick Pappas, of Spearfish, who

August 6, 2019 Read Full Article

South Dakota Farmers Union Meets with EPA Director to Discuss E30

(South Dakota Farmers Union/Farm Forum) South Dakota Farmers Union, together with leaders from 13 South Dakota agriculture organizations, sat down with Gregory Sopkin, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional administrator for District Eight to discuss challenges facing South Dakota farmers and ranchers, as well as opportunities to be found through expanded

August 2, 2019 Read Full Article

Senate Biofuel Advocates Want a Piece of Transportation Bill

by Elvina Nawaguna (Roll Call) The bill would set aside $1 billion to build charging and fueling stations for electric-, hydrogen- and natural gas-powered vehicles — A provision in the Senate’s surface transportation bill that would help pay for charging and refilling stations for zero- or low-emissions vehicles should also support more stations for biofuels

August 2, 2019 Read Full Article

Ethanol Returns to Sturgis: RFA Continues Collaboration at World-Famous Motorcycle Rally

(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association is once again partnering with the Buffalo Chip Campground to host the 79th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, scheduled for Aug. 2-11 in Sturgis, S.D. Bikers are invited to be on the watch for the custom RFA ethanol bike designed by Paul Jr. Designs and

July 31, 2019 Read Full Article

EPA Regional Eight Supervisor Greg Sopkin Visits Watertown Ethanol Plant

by David Law (MyKXLG) Cooperative board members and company employees spent most of Tuesday morning at the Glacial Lakes Energy plant in Watertown educating region 8 EPA head Greg Sopkin about the importance of ethanol to the state’s farm economy. Leading off was Mark Schmidt who is the president of the

July 31, 2019 Read Full Article

POET Outlines Lessons from 4-Year Long Startup of Project Liberty Cellulosic Ethanol Project

(Green Car Congress) Commercially viable cellulosic ethanol plants has proven devilishly difficult to bring to fruition. The primary outlier from the list of efforts that have shut down over the past few years is POET/DSM’s Project Liberty (earlier post). In an editorial in the journal Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, two POET team

July 22, 2019 Read Full Article

His Family Farm Was Failing. Now He Runs the World’s Largest Biofuel Producer

by Parija Kavilanz (CNN Business) At 22, Jeff Broin was just six months out of college and getting started in the banking industry when his family turned to him for help. His father was scrambling to figure out a way to save the 130-year-old Minnesota corn farm that Broin and his

July 9, 2019 Read Full Article

Project LIBERTY: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to POET

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) POET has been turning one big idea after another into biofuel and renewable alternative product solutions for thirty years. They have grown from a single, humble refinery in Scotland, South Dakota, to one of the world’s largest producers of ethanol and other biorefined products. Dave Bushong,

May 24, 2019 Read Full Article

Thune Discusses Climate Change and Other Questions with Sioux Falls High Schoolers

by Jackie Hendry (SDPB Radio) U.S. Senator John Thune made a classroom visit to New Tech High School in Sioux Falls. In January, students wrote letters to South Dakota’s congressional delegation, and Thune took them up on the invitation. He also answered a variety of student questions—most centering on climate change,

May 14, 2019 Read Full Article

Letter to Editor: Using E30 Necessary to Support Ag Economy

by Dale Christensen (Farm Forum) … Unless we all use the products that come from our fields, such as higher ethanol blends like E30, we are not fully supporting our local industries and producers. Renewable, clean-burning (with no cancer causing benzene, toluene or xylene octane boosters), higher octane, and lower cost

May 10, 2019 Read Full Article

POET Ads Spotlight Farm Crisis

by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) South Dakota-based ethanol producer POET, LLC, is launching a major advertising campaign directed at “leaders in the nation’s capital to confront the economic crisis in rural America and support crop-based products like ethanol to revitalize farm income.” “American farmers are no strangers to adversity,” said Kyle Gilley, POET Senior

May 10, 2019 Read Full Article

More States Follow California’s Lead with Low Carbon Fuel Standard Programs

by Cliff Gladstein (ACT News/GNA) … Following the example of California and other West Coast states and provinces, more and more states across the nation are considering the development of their own low carbon fuel programs. One of the most recent advances is in the state of New York. On February

May 9, 2019 Read Full Article

Midwest Sees Surge in Clean Energy Jobs

by Casey Leins (US News and World Report) The Midwest added more than 28,000 clean energy jobs in 2018, resulting in a 4 percent growth rate, according to a recent report released by national advocacy groups Clean Energy Trust and Environmental Entrepreneurs. The 12 Midwestern states employed more than 737,000 workers

April 17, 2019 Read Full Article

Sioux Falls-Based Ethanol Producer Poet Awarded Millions by Arbitration Panel

by Jonathan Ellis (Argus Leader) Sioux Falls-based Poet has asked a federal judge to confirm a multi-million dollar arbitration award it received from a company that it claims botched an ethanol production system at a plant in Iowa. A panel of three arbitrators from the American Arbitration Association held three hearings

April 12, 2019 Read Full Article

South Dakota Farmers Union: Say No to E15 Rule; Farmer Leader Says We Can Do Better

(South Dakota Farmers Union) On the eve of a public hearing to receive comments on the long awaited ruling to allow year round rvp relief for E15, the South Dakota Farmers Union (SDFU) called the rule a backdoor effort to limit ethanol blends. In a call with supporters today, SDFU President

March 28, 2019 Read Full Article

RPT-Floods Shut Nearly a Sixth of U.S. Ethanol Production

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 Read Full Article

Clover Improves Soil Quality, Feeds Biofuels Crop

by Christie Delfanian (South Dakota State University/Phys.Org) A four-leaf clover might bring good luck, but a stand of Kura clover can produce healthier soil—in the long run, according to a South Dakota State University study. Planting Kura clover, a pasture legume, with prairie cordgrass can improve microbial activity in the soil, thus reducing

March 1, 2019 Read Full Article

GROWMARK Offers Pre-Blended E15 at More Terminals

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 Read Full Article

SD Farmers Union Calls Out GM on Weak Octane Proposals

(South Dakota Farmers Union) In a letter to General Motors Chair and CEO Mary Barra today (February 21, 2019), South Dakota Farmers Union President Doug Sombke challenged the automaker on its claim that 98 RON (Research Octane Number) or higher gasoline was not feasible and called on them to look at

February 21, 2019 Read Full Article

Groups Exploring Potential Midwest LCFS Collaborative

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 Read Full Article

Governor Tim Walz to Chair Governors’ Biofuels Coalition

(MyAlbertLea) The Governors’ Biofuels Coalition will name Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to serve as the 2019 chair of the coalition, a move that has the support of Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen along with thousands of corn and soybean farmers throughout the state. “Midwest governors have played an important role on

February 18, 2019 Read Full Article

Open the Door to Higher Blends

by Doug Sombke (South Dakota Farmers Union and Farmers Union Enterprise/Biofuels Digest) … The reality is that the RFS is going backwards, we have effectively capped the use of corn ethanol in the United States, and the EPA continues to play lip service to the President they work for and the public

February 13, 2019 Read Full Article

Ethanol Conference Scholarship Winners

by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) The Renewable Fuels Association and the Renewable Fuels Foundation have awarded two student scholarships for the 24th annual National Ethanol Conference next month in Orlando. This is the tenth consecutive year in which this scholarship has been made available to students. This year’s scholarship winners are Krista Russell and

January 28, 2019 Read Full Article

On Tap: Retailers Preparing for Year-Round E15 Have Options for Pumps, Financing and Marketing.

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 Read Full Article

Rounds: Corn Ethanol Production Plays Important Role in South Dakota’s Economy

by Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) (Brookings Register) Corn and corn ethanol production are vital components of South Dakota’s economy. The corn ethanol industry supports thousands of jobs in our state and contributes a significant amount of revenue to our local communities. Corn ethanol has taken a hit in recent years,

January 25, 2019 Read Full Article

Thune Meets With Acting EPA Administrator

(Office of Senator John Thune) “Acting Administrator Wheeler is committed to the president’s efforts to provide greater regulatory relief and certainty to the American people, including through the EPA’s rewrite of the WOTUS rule and by providing for the year-round sale of E15.” — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today met with

January 25, 2019 Read Full Article

Ethanol Is the Safe Option

by Doug Sombke (South Dakota Farmers Union/Tri-State Livestock News) … Well, let’s hope we don’t see the price at the pumps go up. Instead, let’s use more ethanol. What I’m suggesting is oil companies increase the amount of ethanol blended into gasoline – from the mandatory 10 to 30 percent. And,

January 18, 2019 Read Full Article

Farmland Expansion Increases Carbon Footprint across Northern Corn Belt

(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 Read Full Article

Green Plains and Optimal Fish Food Announce Formation of Aquafeed Joint Venture

(Green Plains, Inc./Globe Newswire) Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) and Optimal Fish Food LLC. today announced the companies have formed Optimal Aquafeed, a 50/50 joint venture to produce high-quality aquaculture feeds utilizing proprietary techniques and high-protein feed ingredients. The joint venture brings together Green Plains’ production capabilities, commodity expertise, and back office

December 18, 2018 Read Full Article

Farm Carbon and Biofuels: Focus of Carbon Sequestration and Farming More Practical Than Global Climate Talks

by Chris Clayton (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Ohio corn farmer Fred Yoder returned late Friday from a frustrating week in Poland listening to foreign ministers and others talk about what they think farmers globally must do to address climate change. As chairman of the North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance, Yoder

December 11, 2018 Read Full Article

Immovable Objects: Railroad Delays …

by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Railroad delays in 2014 forced ethanol plants to slow production or find other ways to move their products. Four years later, the situation has improved, but rail traffic is on the rise again. … In late 2013 and through much of 2014, ethanol shipments were

December 6, 2018 Read Full Article

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to Visit Sioux Falls Area on Thursday

by Jeremy Fugleberg (Sioux Falls Argus Leader) Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will visit South Dakota on Thursday morning. An initial schedule from the Department of Agriculture indicates Perdue will visit several locations in the Sioux Falls area. He will: Tour the Poet ethanol plant in Chancellor and hold a roundtable

October 24, 2018 Read Full Article

Concept to Construction and Exports are Crucial

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 Read Full Article

Myth-Buster or Warranty-Buster? Nebraska Ethanol Test Will Push beyond Auto Manufacturers’ Specs

by Joe Duggan (Omaha World-Herald Bureau) Nebraska literally put the rubber to the road more than 40 years ago to give ethanol a shot of much-needed street cred. It was called the “Nebraska 2 Million Mile Gasohol Road Test Program.” It began on Dec. 23, 1974, when a roads department supervisor

October 6, 2018 Read Full Article

Development, Deployment of Integrated Biorefineries: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to Biorefining in the US

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 Read Full Article

Nebraska Will Test 30 Percent Ethanol Blend in State Vehicles

by Joe Duggan (Omaha World-Herald) Nebraska will run 50 state-owned vehicles on a 30 percent ethanol blend to see how the corn-derived fuel performs in conventional engines. The pilot program will monitor the effects of E-15 and E-30 blends on vehicle performance, fuel economy and emissions control systems in state

September 26, 2018 Read Full Article

iSEE Helps Secure $6M+ in New Research Grants for U of I Agriculture Studies: $5M DOE Grant for Energy Crops Study

(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 Read Full Article

A Worldwide Oil Mandate

by Orrie Swazye (Yankton Daily Press and Dakotan) Our gasoline market today is 90 percent gasoline and Brazil’s 75 percent gasoline but oil still supplies 99+ percent of transportation fuels worldwide. As we begin to net export oil, oil remains a mandated commodity nations will go to war to gain

September 18, 2018 Read Full Article

Making America Great Again Starts with the States

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 Read Full Article

Red Trail President Speaks up for Ethanol Production

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 Read Full Article

SD Mines Researcher Receives $2.2 Million DOE Grant to Turn Biorefinery Waste into Valuable Products

(South Dakota School of Mines and Technology) Rajesh Shende, Ph.D., associate professor in the chemical and biological engineering department at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology has received a $2.16 million grant from the Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office to research and demonstrate cost-effective ways to turn waste from biorefineries,

September 1, 2018 Read Full Article

Six States Account for More than 70% of U.S. Fuel Ethanol Production

(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 Read Full Article

Ethanol Promotion at #SturgisBuffaloChip

(AgNewsWire) The presence of ethanol and the Renewable Fuels Association is bigger than ever this year during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and especially at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip. For the tenth consecutive year, the Renewable Fuels Association is partnering with the Buffalo Chip Campground to host the 78th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, scheduled

August 10, 2018 Read Full Article

Marking Decade-Long Partnership, RFA and Buffalo Chip Campground Again Collaborate on Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

(Renewable Fuels Association) For the tenth consecutive year, the Renewable Fuels Association is partnering with the Buffalo Chip Campground to host the 78th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, scheduled for Aug. 3-12 in Sturgis, S.D. The event will also be the first time the motorcycling community will have a chance to view

July 31, 2018 Read Full Article

With Friends Like This… … EPA’s Proposed Renewable Enhancement and Growth Support Rule

by Doug Sombke (Ethanol Producer Magazine/South Dakota Farmers Union) South Dakota Farmers Union President Doug Sombke discusses how the EPA’s proposed Renewable Enhancement and Growth Support rule would hurt both the ethanol and agriculture industries — … There is no precedent for the anti-ethanol, pro-oil actions of a federal agency like we are

July 23, 2018 Read Full Article

Ethanol Provides Value to Everyone in the Chain

by John Duff (Delta Farm Press) … Regardless of policy, ethanol presents a value proposition to all involved. Ethanol gives farmers access to more markets and greater global market liquidity. In a world where 74% of the variance in the price of corn is driven by the price of crude oil,

June 26, 2018 Read Full Article

Pruitt Heads out on Ethanol Visit

by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is expected to travel to Kansas this morning, where he’ll stop by East Kansas Agri-Energy’s ethanol plant in Garnett. The trip comes a week after the White House quashed the release of a plan to change the Renewable Fuels Standard amid

June 12, 2018 Read Full Article

A Blueprint for Keeping Midwest Dollars in the Midwest

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 Read Full Article

Ethanol Report on Biker and Boater Education

by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) A custom-made motorcycle will be the centerpiece of a new educational campaign by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) to inform consumers about the proper use of ethanol-blended fuels in boats, motorcycles, and other small engines. RFA has partnered with American Chopper‘s Paul Teutul Junior to design a custom bike that

May 30, 2018 Read Full Article

South Dakota State Vehicle Fleet Burned Nearly Two Million Gallons of Ethanol in Last Year

(Go Watertown) The South Dakota state vehicle fleet burned nearly two million gallons of ethanol-blended fuels in the last year, according to the South Dakota Bureau of Administration. From mid-May 2017 through mid-May 2018, its fleet of almost 4,000 vehicles utilized 1.91 million gallons of E-10, E-30 and E-85 fuels during

May 17, 2018 Read Full Article

A Higher Market for Ethanol Former Author of RFS Legislation Sees Octane Levels as Advancement for Ethanol

by Chris Clayton (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle keeps close tabs on what’s happening with biofuels even though he’s been out of the U.S. Senate more than a decade now. Daschle, who is working with the High Octane Low Carbon Alliance, told DTN in an

May 15, 2018 Read Full Article

Groups Ask EPA to Prioritize Cellulosic Pathway Approvals

(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 Read Full Article

Pruitt’s Renewable Fuel Attacks Cost Him GOP Support in Congress

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 Read Full Article

Mail Call! Biofuels Write to EPA on Strategy

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 Read Full Article

POET Honored with Biorenewable Deployment Consortium’s Achievement Award

(Biorenewable Deployment Consortium) The Biorenewable Deployment Consortium (BDC) honored POET, a privately held corporation headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and the world’s largest producer of ethanol and other biorefined products, with the organization’s Spring 2018 Achievement Award at its spring meeting in Omaha on May 1, 2018. POET is recognized for its

May 2, 2018 Read Full Article

Hatching Higher Protein

by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Technologies for feed coproducts are evolving, pumping out high-protein ingredient alternatives. Experts assure the market is ripe. — The pile of distillers grains at nearly a dozen plants is about to get smaller. Production of Fluid Quip Process Technologies LLC’s high-protein feed ingredient is expected

April 26, 2018 0 comment Read Full Article

Farm Bill Delays, Ethanol Waivers Worry SD Sen. Rounds

by Barry Amundson (Grand Forks Herald) U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D, is concerned about two major issues that can affect farmers and ranchers this year. One is the farm bill that faces an uncertain future as it’s set to expire in September. The other is waivers that some small U.S. refineries have

April 23, 2018 Read Full Article

Your Turn: South Dakota Ethanol Policy Genius

by Orrie Swayze (Argus Leader) Sen. Kent Frerichs looked to further capitalize on the genius of our incredibly successful ethanol policy taxing imported petroleum one cent/gallon at the pipeline to fund incentives to build a strong South Dakota ethanol industry. His Senate Bill 210 used $1 million of those remaining funds to

April 2, 2018 Read Full Article

Blender Pump Legislation to Go before SD Senate Committee

by Tim Albrecht (Ethanol Producer Magazine) A new legislative bill to fund more ethanol blender pumps across South Dakota is set to go before the state Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee Thursday, Feb. 20. The bill is being proposed by Sen. Jason Frerichs, of Wilmot, South Dakota. The bill, SB

February 20, 2018 Read Full Article

Biofuels Feedstock Study Supports Billion-Ton Estimate

(South Dakota State University/Biomass Magazine) Can farmers produce at least 1 billion tons of biomass per year that can be used as biofuels feedstock? That’s the question that researchers are trying to answer, according to North Central Regional Sun Grant Center Director Vance Owens. The goal is to replace 30 percent of

February 11, 2018 Read Full Article

Broin Brings E15 Message to Pence Summit at Trump Hotel

(The Fence Post/Hagstrom Report) Jeff Broin, founder and CEO of POET, the South Dakota company that builds and manages ethanol plants, brought his view that the government needs to authorize the sale of E15 blend year-round to a State of the Union summit chaired by Vice President Mike Pence at the

February 2, 2018 Read Full Article

City Vehicles Filling up on E30, Saving Money

by Dan Crisler (The Public Opinion) As Glacial Lakes Energy and its partners continue to promote 30 percent ethanol (E30) fuel blends for use in gas vehicles, two City of Watertown departments have jumped on board. Housing two of the largest vehicle fleets in city government, the Watertown Police Department and

January 29, 2018 Read Full Article

My Voice: A ‘Swing and a Miss’ from the USDA

by Doug Sombke (Argus Leader/South Dakota Farmers Union) Our esteemed U.S. Department of Agriculture recently released a report of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity. While it is hard to get excited over any government report, I had high hopes for this particular effort given the title and the supposed

January 18, 2018 Read Full Article

MKU Inks MoU with US-Based Institutions

(The Hindu) Madurai Kamaraj University on Tuesday has signed memorandum of understanding with US-based institutions to facilitate collaborative research and faculty exchange. According to a statement issued by the university here on Thursday, the first MoU was signed with Extreme ProTech, a company formed based on the research output from South

January 8, 2018 Read Full Article

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

In a special to the Biofuels Digest, South Dakota Farmers Union president, Doug Sombke, pointed out that “Section 202(l) provision (of the Clean Air Act) requires EPA to regulate and reduce toxics in gasoline to the “greatest degree achievable”. In a review of air toxics in 2007 the agency acknowledged that other

January 3, 2018 Read Full Article

A New Years Resolution for EPA: Do Your Job!

by Doug Sombke (South Dakota Farmers Union/Biofuels Digest) … I am referring to the mandatory requirements in the Clean Air Act that EPA enforce section 202 (l), the “clean octane” provision designed to reduce the use of toxic aromatic compounds in gasoline. These Mobile Source Air Toxics are derived from a family

January 3, 2018 0 comment Read Full Article