No Better Time than Now

by Anna Simet (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... While “accelerate” was the theme of the American Coalition for Ethanol’s 34th annual conference—market growth being vital—the myriad policy, investment and operational issues explored at the event orbited largely around the industry’s overarching low-carbon ambitions. And with the rise of electric vehicles (EVs) seeming imminent, ACE leaders tackled the central question of why policymakers and consumers remain fixated on emerging climate change solutions when ethanol and other biofuels are here today and widely available. That and related concerns were thoroughly and thoughtfully dissected during the opening general session, which began with remarks by Dave Sovereign, ACE president.

Despite the big push toward EVs and their seemingly pristine image, lawmakers and consumers generally have a murky understanding of the many challenges that accompany their widespread adoption, said Sovereign, who pointed out the irony in using EVs that run on power generated from fossil fuels. “People see the clean, green car and are excited,” he said. “But what’s behind the curtain? They don’t see that the electricity is being generated from coal. And how are the batteries going to be disposed of? The public doesn’t know this, and some choose not to know.”

During an extreme heatwave this summer, Californians were asked to avoid charging EVs to protect the grid. Sovereign suggested this problem indicates the electrical grid needs a tremendous amount of investment and upgrades to withstand the kind of load that is expected with widespread EV adoption, work that will take years to complete. One of the industry’s priorities should be to educate the public that clean-burning fuel like ethanol is also an alternative, Sovereign said.

As for SREs, it may seem as though the Supreme Court is keeping the flood gates open for them, Jennings (Brian Jennings, ACE CEO) said. ... The justices did not make it easier for refiners to get waivers, and they did not say the U.S. EPA must rubber stamp every exemption request they get.

Jennings highlighted the bipartisan E15 legislation sponsored by Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig—who was at the event and later took the stage—and said there is hopeful optimism that she or other supporters in Congress will find a way to attach it to the infrastructure appropriations bill, the omnibus spending bill or any other legislation between now and next summer. Appeals have already been filed, he said, and ACE expects E15 to continue to be on the market.

If the Biden administration is not willing to ensure the RFS calls for 15 billion gallons of low-carbon ethanol that is already being produced and able to replace petroleum at the pump, Jennings continued, legitimate questions will and should be asked about the merits of nonbinding goals for less-deployable technologies. “And yes—I’m talking about EVs.”

“In other words, we refuse to concede the climate conversation to EVs,” he said. “That is why we have been highlighting how smart farming practices, efficiencies at the ethanol plants and the capture and sequestration of biogenic CO₂ from facilities can help ethanol on this unique trajectory, to not only reach net zero emissions, but net negative emissions.”

Jennings said ACE has also helped mobilize diverse coalitions comprised of environmental groups and EV advocates to propose new, technology-neutral, clean fuel policy at state and federal levels to ensure a growing market for ethanol, even as overall petroleum use shrinks or declines.

Ron Lamberty, senior vice president of ACE, highlighted the success of ACE’s Flex Check online tool, flexfuelforward.com, launched in September 2020. Focused on making it easy and convenient for fuel retailers to determine if their equipment is E15 compatible, the tool was built off National Renewable Energy Lab studies and ACE’s research with other companies.

By entering the manufacturer or model number of tanks, piping and other equipment, retailers can identify compatible parts and equipment, and ensure the equipment they are told needs replacing actually needs to be. “We knew the number of compatible E15 sites was a huge number,” Lamberty said. “In fact, almost all underground storage tanks and lines installed since 1994 are compatible with 100% ethanol … We know widespread E15 use can only happen with massive conversion of stations, not just putting in new stuff.”

Lamberty said out of approximately 150,000 U.S. gas stations, approximately 120,000 could sell E15 with little or no expense. READ MORE