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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
South Dakota
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
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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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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
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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
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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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(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
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“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
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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
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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
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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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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
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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
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(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
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(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
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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
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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
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(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
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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
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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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(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
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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
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(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
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(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
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(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
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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
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(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
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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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(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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(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
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(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
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(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
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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
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(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
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(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
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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
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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
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(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
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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
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(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
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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
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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
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(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
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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
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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
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(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
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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
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(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
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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
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(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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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(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
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by Humeyra Pamuk, Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) Massive flooding in the U.S. Midwest has knocked out roughly 13 percent of the nation’s ethanol production capacity, as plants in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota have been forced to shut down or scale back production following the devastation. Production facilities owned by large companies like
March 22, 2019
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by 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
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) GROWMARK Energy is adding to the number terminals around the Midwest offering pre-blended E15, according to the Renewable Fuels Association, which has worked closely with the farmer-owned cooperative on related issues such as regulatory compliance and adoption of RFA’s Misfueling Mitigation Plan (MMP). GROWMARK will now offer pre-blended E15
February 26, 2019
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(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
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by Jordan Godwin (OPIS/Governors’ Biofuels Coalition) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has been involved in preliminary conversations around the possibility of a collaborative effort of Midwest states seeking to establish a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program similar to the West Coast Collaborative, RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper said Tuesday. In
February 18, 2019
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by 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
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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
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by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) …(W)ith the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency expected to extend the Reid vapor pressure (RVP) waiver to E15, hopefully before next summer’s driving season. Retailers will have to decide not only if they will offer the blend, but how they’ll dispense it. For those who
January 25, 2019
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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
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(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
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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
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(Illinois Farmer Today) Faster conversion of land into agricultural production in recent years has raised the region’s carbon cost of producing grains, according to recently published research from an Iowa State University scientist. The study, published in the academic journal Environmental Research Letters, shows that increases in crop production due
January 8, 2019
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(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
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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
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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
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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
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by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) In the U.S. ethanol industry, three plants are under construction, while a fourth makes its way through the permitting process. — In an industry with more than 200 existing plants, four new projects is a small figure. Greenfield ethanol plant development is in a lull,
October 24, 2018
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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
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) IEA Bioenergy Task 42’s goal is to contribute to the development and deployment of integrated biorefineries as part of highly efficient sustainable value chains (co-)producing food/feed ingredients, chemicals, materials, fuels, power and/or heat out of sustainably sourced biomass (wood, crops, residues, etc.) as base for a global
October 2, 2018
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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
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(Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment) … A U of I Crop Scientist will lead a team of researchers on a five-year study of new crops that could contribute to the production of affordable, sustainable sources for market-ready fuels and other valuable products. U of I College of Agricultural, Consumer, and
September 20, 2018
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by 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
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by David Vander Griend (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Urban Air Initiative) Dave VanderGriend, president of Urban Air Initiative, doesn’t mince words in his column this month, calling out EPA for what he says is collusion with the oil industry. — … The 15.8 billion gallons of ethanol we produce and the economic benefits it
September 5, 2018
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by Mikkel Pates (Forum News Service/Bismark Tribune) Now more than ever, farmers who believe in the future of ethanol need to speak up for it, says Gerald Bachmeier, president of the North Dakota Ethanol Producers Association. Bachmeier, who also serves as chief executive officer of Red Trail Energy LLC, in
September 3, 2018
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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
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(U.S. Energy Information Administration) Six states accounted for 72% of U.S. fuel ethanol production in 2016, according to the most recent estimates from EIA’s State Energy Data System. Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, and South Dakota collectively produced 265 million barrels of fuel ethanol out of the U.S. total of 367 million
September 1, 2018
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(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
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(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
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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
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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
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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
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by Dave VanderGriend (Urban Air Initiative/ICM/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Urban Air Initiative President Dave VanderGriend says increasing the availability of ethanol blender pumps and higher blends will keep ethanol in the Midwest, pumping millions of dollars into the economy. — … The problem lies in the fact that Iowa consumes 1.4 billion gallons
June 4, 2018
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by 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
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(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
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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
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(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Today (May 3, 2018) five Midwest biofuels associations sent a letter to the EPA asking the agency to shift administrative time and staff away from demand-destroying Renewable Fuel Standard exemptions and toward pathway approvals for cellulosic ethanol. The letter was signed by the Iowa Renewable
May 9, 2018
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by Mike Carr (The Hill/New Energy America) As the drip, drip of Pruitt scandals becomes a deluge, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s supporters continue to claim that he should be protected because he’s “advancing the president’s agenda.” But because he’s breaking a key Trump promise made to Iowa voters, he is losing the support
May 7, 2018
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by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico’s Morning Energy) A coalition of Midwest biofuels associations sent a letter Thursday to EPA asking it to move administrative time and staff away from Renewable Fuel Standard exemptions and instead toward approvals for cellulosic ethanol. “The discrepancy between the way EPA is handling RFS exemptions and
May 4, 2018
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(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
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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
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
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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
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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
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(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
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(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
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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
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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
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(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
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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
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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
by Orrie Swazye (Argus Leader) This is America: Contrary to EPA statements, all auto owners have the self-evident, unalienable constitutional right to save typically several dollars/tank by choosing splash blended 94 octane thus premium half E85/ E30’s more power, same mileage and cleaner engines lower maintenance costs. It protects them and
December 15, 2017
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by Dan Crisler (Watertown Public Opinion) Glacial Lakes Corn Processors welcomed a strong ethanol advocate in Emily Skor at its annual meeting Wednesday afternoon at the Codington County Extension Complex. Skor, the CEO of Washington, D.C.-based ethanol trade association Growth Energy, spent more than 20 minutes touting the benefits of
December 8, 2017
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by Dan Crisler (The Public Opinion) Watertown automotive and fuel retailers and technicians got a special visit from one of the most respected automotive reviewers in the country in Marc Rauch. Rauch, an executive with internet automotive research website and television channel The Auto Channel, spoke Thursday night at the
December 5, 2017
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by Carol Spaeth-Bauer (Wisconsin State Farmer) A University of Wisconsin-Madison study released on Nov. 15 has officials in the ethanol industry frustrated, disputing the methodology of the study saying the claims of the study are not supported by fact. The study showed a shift of more than 7 million acres into cropland that led to massive
November 29, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Australia, Qantas will operate the world’s first biofuel flight between the United States and Australiaearly in the new year in collaboration with World Fuel Services and Altair Fuels. Qantas’ new Dreamliner is being powered by Brassica Carinata (carinata), a non-food, industrial type of mustard seed that
November 20, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Last week, DowDuPont said it was exiting the cellulosic biofuels business and you’d think that the company just burned down the warehouse with the original text of the Renewable Fuels Standard — the coverage of the announce in few cases focused on the changes in DowDuPont’s
November 14, 2017
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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) … In South Dakota, POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels achieved a major breakthrough in cellulosic biofuels production at its Project LIBERTY plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa. The company has solved the critical challenge in pretreatment, overcoming what has been the No. 1 hurdle to commercialization for producers around the world, according
November 6, 2017
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(U.S. Grains Council) Three ethanol trade teams consisting of ministry and industry delegates traversed the U.S. ethanol value chain from the field to the pump ahead of the Ethanol Summit of the Americas. The three teams included representatives from 12 countries that explored the U.S. ethanol industry in Missouri, South Dakota
October 29, 2017
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by Julie Harker (Brownfield Ag News) The nation’s largest ethanol producer says it’s made a breakthrough in cellulosic ethanol production. Matt Merritt with POET-DSM tells Brownfield they are using a combination of heat, pressure and acid to break down materials to get the sugar out of corn stover and other feedstocks,
October 24, 2017
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by Shannon Marvel (Farm Forum) Brown County officials will develop a plan to use a 30-percent ethanol blend in the county’s vehicle fleet. The move, discussed at Tuesday’s county commission meeting, is in response to Glacial Lakes Energy’s E30 Challenge. Watertown-based Glacial Lakes operates ethanol plants in Mina and Watertown. Brad
October 18, 2017
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by Anthony Adragna (Politico’s Morning Energy) Seven corn-state Republican senators emerged smiling from what they deemed a “good” meeting with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt on Tuesday but they got no concrete policy promises on the Renewable Fuel Standard from him, Pro’s Eric Wolff and your ME host report. Iowa Sen. Chuck
(National Biodiesel Board) “We Were Drawn to Your Explicit Promises to Our Farmers… But Now We Are Concerned” — Today four Republican Governors sent a letter to President Trump with concerns on the recently proposed changes to America’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), urging the president to keep his promises to rural America
October 17, 2017
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(University of Wyoming) Agricultural economists at the University of Wyoming will generate models of what economies in the Upper Missouri River Basin might look like if raising biofuels and carbon capture technologies were implemented. UW is part of the four-year, $6 million National Science Foundation project working with Montana State University
October 9, 2017
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(American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) … Each of the governors shared initiatives their states are implementing to support the use of ethanol-blended fuels during the conference. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds mentioned a test program for E30 in the Iowa Energy Plan. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, who recently keynoted ACE’s 30th
October 4, 2017
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(Phys.Org/South Dakota State University) The oil extracted from ground seeds of camelina and carinata, oilseed plants from the mustard family, can be used as jet fuel. However, with oil prices at an all-time low, that is economically challenging. These promising biofuel sources may be one stop closer to reality due to
October 3, 2017
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(U.S. Department of Energy) Today (September 20, 2017), U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) has selected eight projects to negotiate for up to $15 million in total DOE funding to optimize integrated biorefineries. These projects will work to solve critical research and developmental challenges encountered
September 21, 2017
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by Dale Christensen (Glacial Lakes Energy/Argus Leader) How long can the Environmental Protection Agency ignore clean air and soaking auto owners with high priced inferior gas? It seem to me those EPA (‘dirty rotten scoundrels’) as described by Doug Sombke, South Dakota Farmers Union president, for deceptively claiming E-30 use in
September 18, 2017
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by Caitlynn Peetz (The Daily Republic) … Thirty years into a career in biofuels, (Jeff) Broin has built POET from a one-plant operation that started in Scotland, S.D., to today’s 28 plants that produce more than 1.75 billion gallons of ethanol annually, making POET the largest producer of biofuels in the
September 13, 2017
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by Dale Christensen (The Public Opinion) How long can the Environmental Protection Agency ignore clean air and soak auto owners with higher-priced, inferior gas? It seems to me the EPA, those “dirty rotten scoundrels” as described by S.D. Farmers Union President Doug Sombke, deceptively claim e30 use in standard autos is
August 29, 2017
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by Lon Carrier (Argus Leader) … The ethanol volume requirements will likely remain at this level until the EPA takes over the program entirely in 2023. At that point, the agency could cut corn ethanol out of the mandate altogether, which would be devastating to South Dakota’s economy. Thus, raising the
August 23, 2017
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by Orrie Swayze (The Public Opinion) … In this case government verbally declared ethanol’s optimal, lower cost best performance blend E30 is illegal. Never before has a major industry resource so successfully quashed the competition by having the competition declared illegal by government. Interestingly with the permission of the people. Actually
August 17, 2017
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by Doug Sombke (South Dakota Farmers Union/Argus Leader) … On behalf of rural communities and family farmers, I am calling out the EPA and those who still drink the Kool-aid of EPA’s fraudulent assessments that E30 is illegal for and damages standard auto engine systems. We also counter EPA’s propaganda with South
August 10, 2017
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(American Coalition for Ethanol) The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) announces and congratulates the 2017 scholarship winners: Carrie Kemmet, Hailea DeJong and Keithen Drury. Each student receives a $1,000 scholarship through ACE’s Scholarship Program to help further their collegiate education. “ACE congratulates these bright, young students and wishes them the best
August 9, 2017
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by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) Ten percent ethanol is the official fuel of the Buffalo Chip Campgroundfor the 77th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Aug. 4-13 in Sturgis, S.D. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is teaming up with the Buffalo Chip for the ninth consecutive year to promote the benefits of high-octane, low-cost ethanol to
July 31, 2017
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(Sioux City Journal) Announcement earlier this month by the Environmental Protection Agency on new volumes under the Renewable Fuel Standards program produced a mixed bag of news for farm states like Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. The federal RFS began with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and was expanded
July 24, 2017
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(Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Motorcycle riders traveling around Sturgis, South Dakota, now have the ability to fuel with 93 octane, 10 percent ethanol. As part of an overall effort to educate motorcyclists on ethanol, the Renewable Fuels Association has donated a permanent fueling station to the Buffalo Chip Campground.
(High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal) Since 2012, Husker Ag in Plainview, Nebraska, has contributed more than $250,000 to Nebraska’s fuel infrastructure by funding higher-blend ethanol pumps at stations across the state. “The goal is not just to produce ethanol, but to give every Nebraskan the opportunity to use it,” said Seth
(Business Wire/Biotechnology Innovation Organization) Broin to accept award and deliver remarks at 2017 BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology — The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) today announced that POET Founder, Chairman and CEO Jeff Broin will receive the 10th annual George Washington Carver Award for Innovation in Industrial Biotechnology. The
May 31, 2017
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(NewsCenter1.tv) … The automated skid system receives biodiesel fuel from rail cars and stores it. Utilizing a code, contracted customers can pump the fuel into trucks that normally transport diesel to then take back and distribute elsewhere. … Victory Renewables officials said the new blending facility could stimulate the local economy.
May 9, 2017
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by Jonathan Ellis (Argus Leader) Ethanol producer Poet is suing an international engineering company that was hired to create a system to help convert biomass into ethanol, underscoring the challenges of creating inexpensive cellulosic ethanol. Poet Design & Construction Inc. hired Andritz Inc. of Georgia in 2010 to design a system
May 1, 2017
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by Kent Frerichs (Argus Leader) … Why don’t we encourage retailers to convert limited use E85 pumps to E30? Better yet, simply add an inexpensive flex fuel kit to enable dispensing both E85 and ethanol’s super premium 94 octane E30? All auto owners can use E30 effectively gaining better performance at a
April 28, 2017
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(Farm Forum) … Through Senior Capstone Design projects, the senior engineering students partner with innovators in the ag industry using the latest technology. The experience provides an opportunity to work on projects that will impact agriculture for future generations. The designs and work involved in these projects will be showcased at
April 25, 2017
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by Troy Knecht (Rapid City Journal) Columnist Frank Carroll recently took shots at the corn/ethanol industries so I’d like to share some facts. Carroll opines that corn ethanol isn’t environmentally friendly. On the contrary, a recent federal study concluded that greenhouse gas emissions from corn-based ethanol are 43 percent lower
March 27, 2017
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by Tom Bryan (Ethanol Producer Magazine) National Farmers Union called for the U.S. EPA to open the market to higher blends of ethanol in a landmark resolution passed during the group’s annual meeting held last week in San Diego. “National Farmers Union, as an organization, considers increased ethanol use one
March 20, 2017
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(Law 360) Ethanol production conglomerate Poet LLC slapped its competitor Nelson Engineering and an ex-employee with a lawsuit in South Dakota federal court Monday, claiming the employee violated a confidentiality agreement by sharing proprietary fermentation tech with Nelson. In a complaint demanding a jury trial and alleging Nelson and former
by Ann Bailey (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Glacial Lakes challenge in Watertown, SD, demonstrates E30 is a winner. The midlevel ethanol blend caused no check engine lights, mileage was virtually unchanged and resulted in real savings. — The E30 Challenge passed the test—from the organizers to the participants, praise was
February 20, 2017
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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