(Renewable Fuels Association) Sadly, drivers are expected to see skyrocketing gas prices this Independence Day as analysts at GasBuddy predict that Fourth of July prices will reach their highest level in six years. Tom Kloza, GasBuddy’s chief oil analyst, remarked, “Fear about what
gasoline price
Back TO HOMEDeclining Gasoline Prices Still Costing Americans $1.4 Billion Every Day During This Holiday Week Celebrating Independence
by John Funk (The Plain Dealer) ... One reason for this year's decline in prices since May is the price of ethanol. Ethanol, which is mixed into every gallon of fuel sold at a level of 10 percent, is much less costly
July 02, 2014 Read Full Article
California Low-Carbon Rule Survives Big Legal Challenge
By Dale Kasler (Sacramento Bee) California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, one of the centerpieces of the state’s fight against global warming, survived a significant legal challenge Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a lawsuit brought by oil-industry and out-of-state farm
July 01, 2014 Read Full Article
Ethanol, Oil, Corn Duke It Out in “The Battle of the Benjamins”
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Corn producers, ethanol producers and crude oil refiners: locked in a rollercoaster of commodity prices, and a battle for market share and profits. As the EPA readies to unleash its view of the future volumes
June 13, 2014 Read Full Article
Recent Ethanol Blending Margins
by Scott Irwin (University of Illinois/FarmDocDaily) Ethanol prices went on a tear in March and April 2014 and reached new record levels exceeding $3 per gallon (see earlier farmdoc daily articles here and here). A single factor did not appear explain the price rise, but
June 02, 2014 Read Full Article
Mandate on Ethanol Fuel Costs Drivers Dearly: Study
(Drive.com.au) NSW'S E10 unleaded fuel mandate is a ''debacle'' and is costing the state's motorists millions, according to an international study. The Texas Tech University research found motorists had a ''significant aversion'' to the ethanol blended product. With the push
April 29, 2014 Read Full Article
Analysis: Nine Reasons the Spring Price Spike Will End Early
by Tom Kloza (CSPNet.com) ... Speculative Futures’ Froth: NYMEX futures’ markets find less participation than they’ve seen in recent years, but that hasn’t stopped huge financial “funds” from embracing crude oil and RBOB futures with irrational exuberance. Data from the Commodity Futures
April 24, 2014 Read Full Article
Iowa Economists: 2014 Ethanol Prices Drop to 58% of Retail Gas
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The continuing shifting relationships between ethanol, corn and gasoline are the subject of two analyses done by Iowa agricultural economists for the AgMarketing Resource Center newsletter. Don Hofstrand takes a look at the increase in corn
April 15, 2014 Read Full Article
Value of Biofuels Goes Beyond Those With Direct Investment
(25 x '25) Feedstock, Equipment, Conservation, Farm and Energy Groups Tell EPA Not to Compromise Full Potential of Biofuels Concerns over the future of biofuels in a future national energy strategy were aired before some pretty influential parties this week, as
April 11, 2014 Read Full Article
No Logic in Blaming Ethanol for High Gas Prices
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association/US News and World Report) Ethanol is less expensive than gas, and consumers will benefit more if it's used. Logic is nowhere to be seen in petroleum analyst Gregg Laskoski’s call to reduce or revise the
April 04, 2014 Read Full Article
The Real Cost of Food
by Tom Buis (Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) First-generation ethanol reduces our dependence on foreign oil, revitalizes our rural communities, improves our environment and employs nearly 400,000 workers while driving down fuel costs. The next generation will make an even greater
March 18, 2014 Read Full Article
It Pays to Shop for Ethanol
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) An informal survey of gasoline retail locations in greater Des Moines, Iowa, revealed that while 87-octane gasoline prices remain relatively uniform across several retail brands, the price a consumer pays for premium gasoline varies greatly depending
March 06, 2014 Read Full Article
Growth Energy Features Two Retailers Expanding E15 Offerings
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) It was five years ago that Growth Energy petitioned for the E15 waiver, attendees at the organization's fourth annual leadership conference were reminded in Phoenix, Feb. 27. "And finally, the blend wall has
March 04, 2014 Read Full Article
Iowa Saves $23 Million by Using E10 Blends
by Isabel Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Iowa, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association announced that Iowa motorists saved more than $23 million in January alone using E10 ethanol blends, according to data recently released by the Iowa Department of Revenue. Actual
March 03, 2014 Read Full Article
A Biofuels Inflection Point
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Huge stock rallies in first-gen and next-gen biofuels last week — and tension over Ukraine with the potential for oil price spikes. Is this a turning point in the war over energy diversification? ... As Douglas
March 03, 2014 Read Full Article
CEO Todd Becker Has Faith in the Future of Ethanol Producer Green Plains
by John Lppert and Mario Parker (The Washington Post/Bloomberg) ... Political challenges are piling up, too. Big Oil lists minimum ethanol requirements as its top policy concern for 2014 and wants to eliminate them. Government officials are already backtracking. A week
March 03, 2014 Read Full Article
The Energy YoYo: When Will Renewables Replace Oil & Gas?
by Peter Brown (Biodiesel Magazine/International Procurement Tools Inc.) We may already be over the tipping point where greenhouse gases (GHG) have so altered the delicate balance in nature that climate changes are irreversible. Two worlds have collided and what may
February 06, 2014 Read Full Article
Ethanol Plunges Most in Two Weeks as Cheaper Corn Reduces Costs
by Mario Parker (Bloomberg) Ethanol futures plunged the most in two weeks as cheaper prices for corn, the worst-performing commodity this year, made it more profitable for distillers to increase output. ... Ethanol’s discount to gasoline widened 2.91 cents to 87.48
January 02, 2014 Read Full Article
Energy Self-Sufficiency in Brazil
by Roberto Coelho* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The global energy demand will rise 35% by 2035 due to population and economic growth, taking into account environmental and countries’ regulations. Brazil's part of this forecast growth in energy demand can be significantly provided
December 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Gains With Demand Rising Amid Low Inventories
by Mario Parker (Bloomberg) Ethanol gained on speculation that rising production won’t be enough to keep up with demand and bolster stockpiles. The additive’s discount to gasoline, based on January contracts, narrowed 0.47 cent to 96.07 cents a gallon. Motor fuel consumption is
December 04, 2013 Read Full Article
Brazil Sugar-Mill Shutdowns Seen Enduring After Fuel Subsidy Cut
by Isis Almeida (Bloomberg) Sugar and ethanol mills in Brazil probably will keep shutting even after the government raised prices for gasoline, because it won’t be enough to lift demand for the competing biofuel. About 20 mills are likely to shut in the next two
December 03, 2013 Read Full Article
Brazil Ethanol Needs to Fall Below 60% of Fuel to Boost Demand
by Isis Almeida (Bloomberg) Ethanol prices in Brazil, the world’s second-biggest producer, need to fall below 60 percent of gasoline costs for motorists to switch to the biofuel, boosting domestic demand, according to consultants Datagro Ltd. Brazil’s flex-fuel cars can be filled up with
November 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Relief at the Pump, Begins with the Pump
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) High gas prices?! They’re a scandal, all right. Turns out, alternative fuels are affordable fuels. And getting them distributed — well, here’s a chance for Iowa to show the way. ... As the noted energy writer, Robert
November 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Big Oil Reaps $23 Billion Windfall - In One Day
(Americans United for Change) What a difference a day makes for Big Oil. The oil industry scored a big victory on Friday, November 15 as the U.S. EPA released a draft rule that – if allowed to stand – rolls
November 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Are You a Fuel Smartie? Which Money-Saving Fuel Did You Buy, and When?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) If you were buying higher blends of renewable fuels this year, you saved on dollars per mile. So many blends, so many fuels, and a commodity price roller-coaster to navigate. Who’s the biggest fuel smartie? We
November 21, 2013 Read Full Article
Gas Gap: Changes Make E10 Cheaper, Regular Pricier
by Jim Offner (Cedar Valley Business Monthly online) Motorists across the Cedar Valley are seeing the lowest gasoline prices of the year, as the price of unleaded with a 10 percent blend of ethanol -- E10 -- descends below the
November 05, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Refutes AAA Claims
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) The American Automobile Association (AAA) is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to “lower the amount of ethanol required to be blended into gasoline for 2014″ in order to “protect drivers by preventing a possible surge in gas
October 29, 2013 Read Full Article
National Security Experts Agree: Bust up Big Oil Monopoly
by Gary Haer (The Hill Congressional Blog) For decades, the lack of a sensible U.S. transportation fuels policy hampered our ability to develop alternatives to oil’s stranglehold on the market. That all changed when the Renewable Fuel Standard was implemented
October 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Corn Prices Pressured by Both Supply and Demand Factors
by Darrel Good and Scott Irwin (University of Illinois/FarmDocDaily) Corn prices continue the long retreat from the peak of September 2012, declining to the lowest level since late August 2010. The most recent price weakness reflects both supply and demand
October 15, 2013 Read Full Article
From RINs to Supply to Demand to Seasonality…Why Gasoline is Heading Lower
by Matt Smith (Fuel Fix) Let’s end at the beginning: retail gasoline prices are going to continue to head lower, and this post simply presents the case as to why, through some simple visuals. But before we do that, here are
October 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Letters to the Editor: Supporting Ethanol; Bumper Corn Crop; Corn for Feed
(Chicago Tribune) by Martin Barbre (National Corn Growers Association) Your Oct. 5 editorial "Crop politics; Government subsidies promote corn over common sense" reflects several things: The Tribune is not the pro-business/jobs advocate you pretend to be, you have no grasp of
October 15, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Fails to Lower Gas Prices, Study Finds
by Julia Pyper (Scientific American/ClimateWire) Blending ethanol brewed from corn into gasoline stocks is not bringing down fuel prices, an M.I.T. study finds The renewable ethanol fuel blended into the United States' gasoline supply does not lower prices at the pump
October 14, 2013 Read Full Article
Column: Ethanol Mandates Are Working for the Economy
by Adam Monroe (Gaston Gazette) The Gazette’s Oct. 4 editorial says the nation’s renewable fuel mandate – called the “RFS” – was “intended to reduce dependence on foreign oil, make emissions cleaner and decrease gasoline prices.” Contrary to the writers’
October 14, 2013 Read Full Article
Abengoa Bioethanol Arm Raided in EU Manipulation Probe
by Aoife White (Bloomberg) Abengoa SA (ABG), owner of continental Europe’s biggest bioethanol plant, said that it’s being investigated as part of the European Union’s antitrust probe into possible manipulation of oil and biofuel prices. The company and its Rotterdam-based Abengoa
October 10, 2013 Read Full Article
E85 Prices Falling Faster than Gasoline Prices
by John Funk (The Cleveland Plain Dealer) Happy days are here for motorists driving "FlexFuel" cars that can use the high-ethanol blend of fuel known as E85. The price of E85 by Monday had tumbled to about $2.50 a gallon in
October 09, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Prices Plummet, Pressuring Gasoline
(Lincoln Journal Star) A "somewhat meager rally" may be underway for spot gasoline prices, but oil market expert Tom Kloza said lower corn prices are causing "radical changes" for ethanol, and even for Renewable Identification Numbers, the currency of ethanol
October 03, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Now Being Mixed into Some Premium Blends of Gasoline
by Matt Kelley (Radio Iowa) ... Due to a national change in how gasolines are being refined, some premium blends will now contain corn-based ethanol. Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, says it’s been a quiet, yet monumental,
October 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Are Ethanol Fuels Better than Petroleum?
by Robert Moffitt (Twin Cities Daily Planet) In response to “Ethanol is a not long term solution,” I’ll begin by saying the author made some valid points. No, ethanol is not an environmental, economic and political cure-all, nor is it
September 26, 2013 Read Full Article
Pounding the Table
by Ron Lamberty (Ethanol Producer Magazine/American Coalition for Ethanol) An old lawyer’s adage says: “If you have the facts, pound the facts. If you have the law, pound the law. If you don’t have either, pound the table.” The people who
September 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Analyzing the Influence of Energy Policy
by Jake Ferris (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... The change in stock levels from 2001-’05 accounted for about $1.28 of the $2.49 per bushel increase in corn prices (Table 2)—just over 50 percent. About 18 cents per bushel can be attributed
September 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Uneven Crop, Shifting Markets: Considering the Prospects for the Corn and Ethanol Markets Ahead.
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... (Bruce) Babcock (the Cargill endowed chair of energy economics at Iowa State University) is more optimistic about the potential for E85 consumption to grow. If corn prices stay low and gasoline prices stay
September 25, 2013 Read Full Article
E85′s Value Is Looking Better and Better: Can the Good Times Last?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Instead, it is now gasoline that is upside down, economically — and flex-fuel drivers who value their dollars ought to be considering E85 based on the wholesale prices we’re seeing. The most startling example comes from
September 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Commentary: Renewable Fuels Legislation Cuts Crude Prices
by Philip K. Verleger, Jr. (PKVerlegerlLLC.com) Just as only Richard Nixon could ironically break the US taboo on trading with China, only George W. Bush could have successfully introduced measures to drive down crude prices. These prices today are between $15 and $40
September 24, 2013 Read Full Article
EIA: E85 Fuel Becoming Price-Competitive with Gasoline in US Midwest
by Conglin Xu (Oil & Gas Journal) E85 motor fuel—gasoline blended with as much as 85% ethanol and commonly used by flexible-fuel vehicles (FFV) in the US and Europe—is becoming increasingly price-competitive with gasoline in several Midwestern states on an energy-content basis,
September 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Show Me the Gallons: KiOR’s Progress towards Steady-State Operations
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Landmark cellulosic drop-in biofuels producer releases update on early-stage production: is the increasing gallonage enough to silence the critics? ... In July and August, the Columbus facility produced 172,398 gallons of fuel, bringing the 2013 production
September 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Blend Wall? What Blend Wall?
by Ned Stowe (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) The oil industry has formally petitioned the EPA to reduce the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volume requirements for 2014, arguing that the ethanol market is saturated. But now that corn and ethanol
September 20, 2013 Read Full Article
Gas Prices Stuck at $3 and Above
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) Today (September 17, 2013) marks the 1,000th day in a row that gas prices have been above $3 per gallon. While ethanol provides drivers savings while filling up, AAA says that these gas prices are here
September 20, 2013 Read Full Article
API Releases More of the Same Old, Disproven Misinformation
(Growth Energy) Following the American Petroleum Institutes’ recent release of skewed data used to advance their flawed agenda to repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), Tom Buis CEO of Growth Energy released the following statement: “Once again, API has held another
September 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Letter, 9/4: Ethanol the Choice for Many Reasons
by Todd Sneller (Lincoln Journal Star/Nebraska Ethanol Board) The well-written article “Cost of gas could soar” (Aug. 25) explains that oil companies have made a business decision that will further increase their profits by reducing the octane rating of gasoline
September 04, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol-Free Fuel Will Cost More, May Be Scarce
by Richard Piersol (Lincoln Journal-Star) Demand for renewable credits helps change market Prices of premium and regular grades of gasoline without ethanol are likely to rise in Nebraska and Iowa, and those fuels may become harder to find as oil refiners
August 27, 2013 Read Full Article
Is 2014 the Year of E85?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) As a Perfect Storm of price problems ends, will E85 finally find its market and help end a divisive debate over ethanol distribution? 2014 is the year of E85, if there ever was one. Or will
August 16, 2013 Read Full Article
Secretary Moniz Announces New Biofuels Projects to Drive Cost Reductions, Technological Breakthroughs
(U.S. Department of Energy) During remarks at the Energy Department’s Biomass 2013 annual conference, Secretary Moniz today highlighted the important role biofuels play in the Administration’s Climate Action Plan to increase our energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation
August 06, 2013 Read Full Article
U.S. Sinks $22 Million into New Biofuels Research
(UPI) The U.S. Energy Department is teaming up with the energy industry and research institutes to help make biofuels competitive with gasoline, its leader said. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said the government is looking for ways to increase energy security and
August 06, 2013 Read Full Article
Summer Gas Prices Climb as 1 Gallon Costs an Average of $3.69 in Utah
by Kirby Brown (Deseret News) According to AAA, the average price for a gallon of regular gas in Utah runs about $3.69. By comparison, AAA says the average cost of a gallon of regular gas in the neighboring states of Nevada,
July 23, 2013 Read Full Article
Oil Industry Predictably Blames Ethanol as Prices Spike Again
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... In fact, ethanol actually reduces gas prices, as multiple analyses from a variety of sources have shown in the last few years. A 2008 government study showed, for example, that ethanol saved drivers
July 18, 2013 Read Full Article
House GOP Push Repeal of Government ‘Big Thumb’ Biofuel Program
by Julian Hattem (The Hill Reg Watch) A group of House Republicans are urging an end to the federal program that calls for gasoline to be mixed with renewable biofuel like ethanol. ... The lawmakers heard from industry representatives who argued that
July 18, 2013 Read Full Article
Corn Growers Talking RFS in DC
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) ...(NCGA President Pam ) Johnson says a gas station in her little community of Floyd, Iowa boasts the lowest price of fuel in the United States right now. “And it’s E85 and the price is $2.24 a
July 18, 2013 Read Full Article
Will We Ever See $3 Gas Again?
by Keith Wagstaff (The Week) Despite skyrocketing domestic oil production, petrol prices are unlikely to drop any time soon This has been a painful week at the pump. The national average gas price hit $3.64, up from $3.29 on Jan. 1,
July 18, 2013 Read Full Article
Gas Price Spikes Have Consumers Wondering, When Will We Be Energy Independent?
by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Industry Organization/Biofuels Digest) The United States is beginning a domestic energy boom and could become a net energy exporter within the next two decades. But U.S. consumers don’t expect to see a benefit – they still
July 16, 2013 Read Full Article
U.S. FTC Said to Open Probe of Oil Price-Fixing After EU
by Sara Forden (Bloomberg) The U.S. Federal Trade Commission opened a formal investigation into how prices of crude oil and petroleum-derived products are set, mirroring a European Union inquiry, two people familiar with the matter said. The investigation, now in a
June 25, 2013 Read Full Article
Freedom of Choice: E20 Ethanol Blends Take the Value Crown from Gasoline, E10
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Freedom of choice, it turns out, drives better value for drivers. The Digest goes in-depth to look at real-world data — and the power of free markets in fossil and alternative fuels. ...So it shouldn’t be
June 20, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Backers Propose E15 Tax Breaks
by Tim Landis (State Journal-Register) Ethanol supporters in Illinois want to trade a 20 percent sales tax break on E10 fuel sales in Illinois for a 10 percent break on E15, arguing it would mean jobs, cleaner air and more
May 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol a Target of Big Oil
by Paul Kenney (KAAPA Ethanol/Kearney Hub) Opinion: ...Ethanol blends are becoming a staple at pumps across the nation, and ethanol accounts for more than 10 percent of the country’s motor fuel supply. It’s a higher-octane alternative to gasoline and costs less. In
May 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Ethanol Helps Reduce High Gas Prices of Summer Months
by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine) As drivers head out for trips over Memorial Day weekend, increasing attention is being focused on gasoline prices. In the meantime, ethanol industry advocates are pointing to the power of ethanol, which helps Americans
May 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Zambia: Govt Resorts to Ethanol Fuel
by Judith Namutowe (AllAfrica.com) Government has said it will start importing ethanol from Zimbabwe with a view to lowering the high fuel prices in Zambia. And Government will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Zimbabwe-based firm, Green Fuel in
May 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Gasoline Prices Tied to Ethanol, Energy Information Administration States
(UPI) ...On a percentage basis, the EIA said the price spread was closer to 17 percent in 2001, and dipped to as low as 6 percent in early 2009. This decline is because of the increase in blending ethanol into
May 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Biodiesel's Position in the Unfair War on Ethanol
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) If RFS detractors get their way, biodiesel may become a casualty of the war against ethanol. It's up to all of us to make sure this doesn't happen In editorials and opinions circling the issue of
May 02, 2013 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuel Standard Under Attack
by RP Siegel (TriplePundit) Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Iowa Governor Terry Branstad appeared together recently defending the Renewable Fuel Standard from recent attacks from people like Robert Bradley Jr. who writes for Forbes. Bradley, an adjunct scholar of the fossil-fueled Cato and
April 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Bob Dinneen Gives the WSJ a Failing Grade
by Bob Dinneen (Renewable Fuels Association) If the editorial writers of the Wall Street Journal consider themselves students of mine, “An Ethanol Spring,” (April 17), I am saddened to report to you that you’ve failed. Apparently, you skipped too many
April 22, 2013 Read Full Article
Leading Democrat Says US May Not Be Able to Meet Biofuel Targets
by Ayesha Rascoe (Reuters) * Wyden says committee will explore ethanol mandate * Energy committee to look at gasoline prices this Spring * Lawmakers introduced bill ending corn ethanol targets The chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Friday questioned
April 19, 2013 Read Full Article
Biofuels to Cost U.K. Motorists $707 Million, Chatham House Says
by Sally Blakewell (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) Biofuels will cost U.K. motorists about 460 million pounds ($707 million) this year as the government increases their use in transport fuel, driving up food prices in poorer countries, Chatham House said. Britain’s program to expand
April 19, 2013 Read Full Article
RFA to House Energy & Commerce Committee: Let RFS Work and Solutions to Blend Wall Will Be Found!
(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) today (April 5, 2013) responded to the questions posed by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy and Commerce in a white paper entitled, “Examining ‘Blend Wall’ Challenges”. The Committee is
April 08, 2013 Read Full Article
Industrial Biotechnology in China Amidst Changing Market Conditions
by Elizabeth Nesbitt (Journal of International Commerce and Economics) The increasing use of industrial biotechnology by the Chinese liquid biofuels and chemical industries is expected to help offset energy security and environmental concerns generated by China’s robust economic growth. The expanding use of bioprocesses