by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In today's Digest, the 4-Point Agreement, the backstory, the Glad Tidings, the Unfinished Business, and reaction from the stakeholders as we parse out the impact on future volumes, waivers, backfills, RINs, E15, blender pumps and
Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS and RFS2)
Back TO HOMECourt: EPA Must Consider Environmental Impact When Setting Ethanol Mandate
by Chuck Abbott (Successful Farming) The U.S. appeals court in Washington unanimously ordered the EPA to reconsider its Renewable Fuel Standard for 2018 because it failed to account for the potential impact of full-throttle corn production on endangered species and
October 04, 2019 Read Full Article
President Trump Delivers on a Key Promise to American Farmers as EPA, USDA Announce Agreement on Promoting Biofuels
(Environmental Protection Agency) Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue issued the following statements after President Donald J. Trump successfully negotiated an agreement on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS): “President Trump’s leadership
October 04, 2019 Read Full Article
Survey Finds Strong Opposition to EPA Oil Refinery Waivers, Strong Support for RFS
(Renewable Fuels Association) Registered voters oppose the Trump administration’s actions to exempt oil refineries from renewable fuel blending obligations by a margin of nearly two to one, according to new polling data released today by the Renewable Fuels Association. The nationwide
October 03, 2019 Read Full Article
Ethanol’s Impact Lauded in Wake of Saudi Attack
by Candace Krebs (Ag Journal) ... “What people don’t realize is that shale provides a particular very light type of oil, and we can’t use that exclusively with the way our refineries are configured,” explains Scott Richman, chief economist for the
October 03, 2019 Read Full Article
Small Refineries Petition Courts: Agriculture, Biofuel Groups Await Announcement on White House RFS Deal
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Two small refiners not receiving exemptions to the Renewable Fuel Standard in EPA's latest round of waivers announced on Aug. 9, continue to fight the agency's rejection in federal court. At the same time, agriculture
October 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Cruel Summer
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) A series of unfortunate events this summer—all caused by U.S. government action or inaction—has led to a precarious situation in the biodiesel sector, but there may be a silver lining. -- ... The volume of
October 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Farm-State Fury Creates Pressure for Trump as Trade, Energy Pain Collide
by David J. Lynch (Washington Post) ... After two decades, Siouxland (Energy Cooperative) this month halted operations following the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to exempt 31 small oil refiners from a federal law requiring them to blend ethanol in their
October 02, 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
September 30, 2019 Read Full Article
Farmers Urge Trump to Address ‘Economic Crisis’ Facing Biofuels Industry
by Ken Anderson (Brownfield Ag News) Leaders in the renewable fuels industry say it’s urgent that President Trump fix the demand destruction and “economic crisis” created by RFS waivers. Ron Heck of Perry, Iowa, secretary of the National Biodiesel Board, says there’s
September 27, 2019 Read Full Article
Wondering What If -- Real-World Fuels Are Needed as Part of Real-World Testing to Prove Ethanol's Worth in Helping to Boost Octane and Lower Emissions.
by Steve Vander Griend (Ethanol Producer Magazine/Urban Air Initiative) ... While we are all glad Reid vapor pressure (RVP) relief for E15 was finalized, limiting us to E15 makes this a small victory rather than the game-changer it could have
September 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Report: U.S. Biofuels Help Drive Environmental Progress
(Growth Energy) Growth Energy, the nation’s largest association of biofuel producers, released a new report examining the potential impact of a growing role for U.S. biofuels in America’s clean energy future. The report was authored by Ramboll, a global research and management firm
September 26, 2019 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK -- Stephanie Mercier
Supporters of the US biofuels industry should not ignore markets in addition to cars, light trucks, and commercial trucks as they advocate for proper enforcement of the Renewable Fuel Standard, writes Stephanie Mercier, senior policy and advocacy adviser for the
September 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Prospects for Biofuels Use by Other Transportation Modes
by Stephanie Mercier (Farm Journal AgWeb) ... While supporters of the U.S. biofuel industry will no doubt continue to advocate for some remedial action by the administration on the SRE/RFS issues, they should not overlook the fact that the U.S.
September 26, 2019 Read Full Article
RFA Corrects Wheeler’s Misstatements about Ethanol Demand, SREs
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The Renewable Fuels Association sent a letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler Sept. 25 criticizing statements he made during a Sept. 19 congressional hearing where he claimed small refinery exemptions (SREs) are not impacting
September 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Minnesota Releases Plan to Reduce Harmful Vehicle Emissions
by Kim Wynn (Grand Forks Herald) The Department of Transportation aims to tackle vehicle pollution in an attempt to bolster use of electric cars and increase biofuels infrastructure. -- As Minnesota has failed to meet its goal of a 15% reduction
September 25, 2019 Read Full Article
Market Movers
by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Projections for E15 have been inconsistent since the May 31 Reid vapor pressure waiver. Ethanol Producer Magazine explores some of the factors that will influence the blend's trajectory in the coming years. ... Before the waiver,
September 24, 2019 Read Full Article
RFA to Lawmakers: Thanks for Letter to EPA
by Carrie Muehling (Energy.AgWired.com) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is applauding lawmakers for support of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). RFA thanked a bipartisan group of 25 members of the U.S. House of Representatives for asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to prospectively restore
September 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Your Vegan Diet and Paper Straws Aren’t Going to Save the Planet, But These Three Policies Can
by John Cumbers (Forbes) When it comes to action on climate change, what’s good for the planet must also benefit the economy and the livelihoods of people, which are more often than not at the forefront of the minds of voters
September 23, 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
September 23, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump’s Billion-Dollar Gambit: An Ethanol Deal to Meet the Demands of Farmers and Big Oil
by Tim Mullaney (CNBC) President Trump is planning an ethanol deal to please U.S. farmers angry that many oil refiners have been freed from obligations to use oil-based fuel. The deal, still not yet reduced to a written bill, is
September 23, 2019 Read Full Article
GZ Energy to Launch Digital Credit-Trading Platform in Q4
(GZ Energy LLC/Biodiesel Magazine) Physical commodities brokerage GZ Energy LLC plans to launch its groundbreaking digital trading platform, GZX, in October. GZX will provide renewable fuel market participants with a means to discreetly trade separated (K2) renewable identification numbers (RINs), California Low
September 23, 2019 Read Full Article
'Very Engaged' Trump Talks Biofuels Policy with U.S. Oil-State Senators
by Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) President Donald Trump on Thursday discussed biofuels policy with senators from U.S. oil states, including Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, who said the president was engaged on the issue that has pitted Big Oil and Big Corn
September 20, 2019 Read Full Article
Market Outlook for Low Carbon Fuels
by Nora Goldstein (BioCycle Magazine) Overall, demand for RNG is strong in spite of an oversupply of D3 RINs in 2018. -- In 2018, cellulosic biofuel producers, including those making renewable natural gas (RNG), outperformed the annual Renewable Volume Obligation
September 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Davis Introduces Pro-Ethanol Legislation
(The Telegraph) Local ethanol officials are lauding the Small Refinery Exeption Fairness Act of 2019 introduced Wednesday by U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville. Davis introduced the bill after the EPA continues to increase the number of small refineries exempted from the Renewable
September 19, 2019 Read Full Article
New Study Stresses Ethanol’s Benefits for Energy Security
(Renewable Fuels Association) A new study shows that the Renewable Fuel Standard not only saves drivers money at the gas pump every day, but also enhances energy security by greatly reducing or even eliminating the blow to our nation’s drivers when
September 19, 2019 Read Full Article
NBB Member Testifies on Biodiesel’s Clean Energy Contribution
(Biofuels International) A member of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) has testified to the House Small Business Committee on Rural Development on the contribution of biodiesel to the clean energy economy. Thomas Brooks, general manager of Western Dubuque Biodiesel, spoke at
September 19, 2019 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK -- Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
"I've been hoodwinked so many times, not just by the EPA on this issue, but by other bureaucracies as well, so I'm going to see if what we talked about is the end product," Senatory Chuck Grassley (R-IA) told reporters
September 18, 2019 Read Full Article
Will the RFS Deal Protect Innovation and Our Planet?
by Stephanie Batchelor (Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)/Biofuels Digest) As we speculate on the details and implications of the administration’s renewable fuels deal, the future of an entire green industry hangs in the balance. The debate over the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has
September 18, 2019 Read Full Article
Forest Products Industry Barriers to Producing Biofuels
(Biorenewable Deployment Consortium) BDC is a 501c3 organization focused on education and brokering partnerships in order to accelerate the deployment of economic bioprocesses and assist the forest products industry to get the most value from the tree. BDC membership represents
September 16, 2019 Read Full Article
USDA Numbers Confirm Declining Demand For Ethanol
by Amy Mayer (Iowa Public Radio) The national average price for corn this season is back to $3.60 a bushel, about where it’s been most of this year except for an early-season spike ($4.16 in July) before the size and quality of the
September 16, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump Weighs Boosts to Biofuels
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) The White House is considering a plan that could limit the number of small refinery exemptions to the RFS, increase the volumes of biofuels that must be blended into gasoline and boost the spread
September 16, 2019 Read Full Article
Cooperative Relies on RFS Waivers: CountryMark Sits on Both Sides of Small-Refinery Waiver Controversy
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) The farmer-owned CountryMark cooperative and fuel refinery is caught in the middle of the small-refinery exemption controversy. The company operates in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky -- most of its customers at more than 100
September 13, 2019 Read Full Article
Oil Refining Representatives to Rally in Toledo against Trump Biofuels Policy
by Jon Chavez (The Blade) Members of Ohio’s oil refining industry will rally in Toledo Thursday at One Government Center downtown to urge President Trump not to tamper with laws regulating U.S. biofuels policy, because doing so could put smaller refineries,
September 12, 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
September 12, 2019 Read Full Article
Landfill, Skyfill and the Opportunities, Dangers Within
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Many have asked, why do we need mandates for renewable fuels, carbon prices, and all that. Isn’t that a government subsidy, a hand-out for politician-friendly technologies that can’t make it in the marketplace? Well, that depends, my
September 12, 2019 Read Full Article
White House to Meet With Biodiesel Producers in Quest for a Deal
by Mario Parker and Jennifer A. Dlouhy (Bloomberg) Trump administration officials are set to meet with renewable fuel producers on Wednesday, as they seek to entice industry endorsements for a plan to bolster corn-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel. The meeting is slated
September 11, 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
September 10, 2019 Read Full Article
King Willing to Debate Feenstra, Taylor
by Ty Rushing (NWestIowa.com) ... During his town hall, King addressed multiple topics including immigration, trade negotiations and the struggles of the agricultural renewable fuels community. POET Biorefining, the nation’s largest ethanol producer, has a plant south of Ashton, which King made
September 09, 2019 Read Full Article
Biofuel Plan Faces Fresh Backlash from U.S. Agricultural Trade Groups
by Chris Prentice, Stephanie Kelly and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) U.S. agricultural trade groups on Friday told the Trump administration a proposed biofuel reform package falls short of expectations, four sources familiar with discussions said, complicating plans the administration had for
September 08, 2019 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK -- Humeyra Pamuk and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters)
According to Reuters' reporters Humeyra Pamuk and Jarrett Renshaw, Terry Branstad, the former Iowa governor and now U.S. ambassador to China, showed a map of counties that had flipped in Trump’s favor in 2016 but were now considered at risk
September 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump in High-Stakes Balancing Act between Oil and Corn ahead of 2020 Bid
by Humeyra Pamuk and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) At a closed-door meeting at the White House on Aug. 19, President Donald Trump looked increasingly alarmed as his top envoy to China delivered evidence of rising Farm Belt frustration over his biofuel policy
September 06, 2019 Read Full Article
White House Weighs Biofuel Quota Boost Amid Appeals From Iowa
(Bloomberg) Trump officials honing plan to benefit ethanol, biodiesel; Latest initiative would spike 2020 quotas by 1 billion gallons -- Top administration officials have developed plans to give a 5% boost to U.S. renewable fuel-blending quotas in 2020, as President Donald
September 06, 2019 Read Full Article
National Chicken Council Submits Comments to EPA on the RFS Program Standards for 2020 and Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2021
(Biobased and Renewable Products Update) On August 30, 2019, the National Chicken Council submitted a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expressing concerns with the proposed required volume obligations (RVO) for 2020 combined with the recent waiver that will increase
September 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Petroleum Industry Warns Trump It Will Fight Ethanol Moves
by Dave Boyer (The Washington Times) A leading trade group for the petroleum industry warned President Trump on Tuesday to ditch his plan to boost ethanol production, saying it would be a “disastrous political decision.” ... He (Frank Macchiarola, a vice
September 05, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump, Biofuels, 2020 and the Prospect of a Farmer Flip
by Matt Carr (Biofuels Digest/New Energy America) ... President Trump has repeatedly buckled under pressure from fossil fuel interests and their Wall Street backers, giving an unprecedented number of “small refinery waivers” to oil refiners that have reported record profits year
September 04, 2019 Read Full Article
Circuit Court Rejects Challenges to EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standards
by Tim Ryan (Court House News) The D.C. Circuit on Friday upheld the Environmental Protection Agency’s renewable fuel standards in the face of challenges from energy companies, biofuel producers and industry groups. Under longstanding EPA policy, the burden of introducing more
September 03, 2019 Read Full Article
View from a Former Fed: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Multi-Slide Guide to Policy Nexus Advisors’ Federal Programs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) There’s nothing like a former fed to give a unique perspective on federal programs and policy. Paul Argyropoulos, President of Policy Nexus Advisors, gave this illuminating overview of what he thinks the future holds, influencing
September 03, 2019 Read Full Article
Booker: We Will Stop the Oil Refinery Waivers, as Part of $3 Trillion Clean Energy and Infrastructure Plan
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In New Jersey, Senator Cory Booker announced that, if elected as US President, he would “Immediately end the granting of unwarranted RFS small refinery waivers to big oil companies, and substantially increase funding for the Rural
September 03, 2019 Read Full Article
What’s the Plan to Increase Ethanol Use? Low Carbon Octane Standard Could Be the Way to Increase Ethanol Use beyond E15.
by Brian Jennings (Ethanol Producer Magazine/American Coalition for Ethanol) ... Are we simply going to play defense on the RFS and hope the E15 market develops quickly, or can we turn the page, go on offense and initiate a new
September 03, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA’s Final 2020 Volume Obligations Must Restore Lost Gallons
(Renewable Fuels Association) In formal comments submitted today (August 30, 2019) in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed 2020 renewable volume obligations, the Renewable Fuels Association called on the EPA to follow the law and make up for the
September 03, 2019 Read Full Article
Renewable Natural Gas: The Climate Change Solution with Limited Awareness of Its Potential
by Michael Bakas (Utility Dive/Ameresco) When it comes to addressing climate change, we must pursue the many diverse approaches for reducing carbon emissions. One of the most overlooked opportunities in our arsenal today is renewable natural gas (RNG). It's simply not getting
September 02, 2019 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK -- American Petroleum Institute
In a February 2018 letter to the EPA from the American Petroleum Institute: “…RIN costs are largely recovered by refineries, both large and small, through the increased value of gasoline and diesel fuel they supply to the market.” ... “These
September 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Five Reasons Why Big Oil Is Wrong
by Scott Richman (Renewable Fuels Association) On Wednesday, the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers and the American Petroleum Institute sent a letter to President Trump in response to reports that the administration is considering measures to mitigate the harm that the
September 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump Teases Work on Policy Package to Boost Ethanol
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) President Donald Trump issued a tweet Aug. 29 suggesting his administration is working on a “giant package” to boost demand for ethanol. He did not indicate what the timeframe for the release of that
September 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Iowa Governor Planning DC Meeting over ‘Short Term Crisis’ in Ethanol Industry
by O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa) Governor Kim Reynolds and Midwest governors are planning a trip to Washington, D.C. to talk with President Trump about unrest in farm country. “Let him know first-hand what’s happening on the ground,” Reynolds said this morning. The
August 28, 2019 Read Full Article
Klobuchar: In First 100 Days as President, Pledges Moratorium on Oil Refinery Waivers, Restoration of Renewable Fuels Tax Credit and More
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Klobuchar says “I will stop the oil refinery waivers”: In Iowa, US Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said that, if elected President in 2020, would in her first 100 days in office order a moratorium on oil
August 28, 2019 Read Full Article
Internal White House Documents: EPA Ignored Trump Administration Recommendations to Redistribute Small Refinery Waived Volumes
(Renewable Fuels Association) Documents obtained by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) show that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ignored strong recommendations from within the Trump Administration to redistribute Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) blending obligations lost to small refinery exemptions in the
August 27, 2019 Read Full Article
ACE Conference: An Update on Litigation Affecting the Industry
by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Bryan Stockton gave attendees of the American Coalition for Ethanol’s annual conference in Omaha, Nebraska, an update on some of the litigation affecting the ethanol industry. Stockton is an attorney at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
August 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump Orders Biofuel Boost in Bid to Temper Farm State Anger
by Jennifer A Dlouhy and Mario Parker (Bloomberg) 2021 quotas will jump to make up for oil refinery exemptions; Move could alienate Rust Belt refinery workers in Pennsylvania -- President Donald Trump, seeking to tamp down political fallout in U.S.
August 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump Set to Discuss Biofuels Thursday with USDA, EPA: Sources
by Humeyra Pamuk and Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) President Donald Trump, faced with mounting anger in the farm belt over policies that allowed oil refineries to use less corn-based ethanol, is set to meet with cabinet members on Thursday to discuss ways to
August 22, 2019 Read Full Article
2020 Dems Aim to Capitalize on Trump’s Ethanol Policy
by Brian Dabbs (National Journal) Democratic presidential candidates are exploiting a controversial White House ethanol policy to try to generate support among President Trump’s staunchest backers. The Environmental Protection Agency waived ethanol blending requirements for more than 30 petroleum refiners earlier
August 22, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Mulling Ethanol Reallocation, Sources Say
by Alex Guillén (Politico's Morning Energy) The Trump administration is considering reallocating the volumes of ethanol that were reduced when it allowed dozens of refineries to waive their Renewable Fuel Standard requirements to blend the biofuel with gasoline, four industry
August 22, 2019 Read Full Article
Biofuel Lobby Sues EPA Over Renewable Fuel Standard Exemptions
by Michael McGrady (Inside Sources) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is facing a legal challenge from a coalition of biofuel and agriculture industry groups regarding the agency’s proposal for reduced renewable fuel volumes. According to a press release from the coalition, the organizations filed a
August 21, 2019 Read Full Article
Wound up over Waivers
by Alex Guillén (Politico's Morning Energy) EPA's internal watchdog is being asked to determine how the agency decided to grant the vast majority of exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard that oil refiners have requested. EPA approved 31 petitions for waivers
August 21, 2019 Read Full Article
Addressing Two Objections to My Midwest Ethanol Plan
by Robert Rapier (Forbes) ... My proposed solution is for the Midwestern states to band together to provide sufficient state incentives to develop a major Midwest corridor where E85 -- a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline -- is
August 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Facts Not Furor: What the 2020 Candidates Should Be Focused On
by Daniel Gage (ACT News/NGV America) ... One candidate said we have less than 10 years to act. Many candidates agree that we don’t have time to wait. So why then are we waiting for large scale light-duty electric vehicle adoption
August 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Report: Trump Ordered Waivers: Ongoing Court Challenges May Be Only Avenue Left for Biofuels
by By Todd Neeley and Chris Clayton (DTN Progressive Farmer) ...The president sided with oil refiners over ethanol producers and corn farmers, just two months after reiterating his support for ethanol at a rally held at Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy
August 19, 2019 Read Full Article
E15, E30, and Blender Pumps May Become Generally Available, but Refinery Exemptions Make the RFS Irrelevant
by Doug Root* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Farm Fest in southern Minnesota is always a forum on the health of the agriculture sector of the economy and biofuels. This year was no exception as Rep. Colin Peterson hosted a listening session
August 17, 2019 Read Full Article
Trade Dispute Affecting Ethanol Production in Midwest
by Andy Knight (The Herald Bulletin) Officials with POET Biorefining in Alexandria are monitoring the ongoing trade dispute between the United States and China, which has resulted in significant tariffs on U.S. ethanol shipments to that country. POET employs more than 40
August 16, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump Intervention Triggered EPA's Surprise Biofuel Waiver Decision: Sources
by Humeyra Pamuk (Reuters) A phone call from U.S. President Donald Trump last week ended a nearly two-month-long review of the nation’s biofuels program, three sources familiar with the matter said, with the White House siding in favor of oil refiners over
August 16, 2019 Read Full Article
How to Fix the Ethanol Industry
by Robert Rapier (Forbes) ...In this model, the entities that control the model are the same as those that benefit from it: The Midwestern states that produce essentially all of the nation's ethanol. The key goal here is to get the federal
August 15, 2019 Read Full Article
Small Refinery Waivers: Is EPA Breaking The Law?
by Anna-Lisa Laca (Farm Journal's Ag Pro) For the past two years the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been issuing small refinery hardship waivers, which allow the awarded refiners to forgo blending ethanol with their fuels. Is EPA breaking the
August 15, 2019 Read Full Article
Pete Buttigieg: To Tackle Challenges Like Climate Change, Unlock the Potential of Rural America
by Pete Buttigieg (Des Moines Register) ... To empower farmers to confront climate disruption, we will dramatically increase agricultural R&D. As president, I will double these investments over four years, dedicating nearly $50 billion over a decade. With scientists indicating
August 14, 2019 Read Full Article
Innovate AND Implement: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to ICM’s Ethanol and Biorefining
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Innovation is great but without implementation, the story ends there. Not so for ICM, a Kanasas-based company that took its small business roots in a farming community and an idea and turned it into 1/3 of
August 14, 2019 Read Full Article
City in Colorado Develops Innovative Biogas Plant & CNG Station Project
(City of Longmont/NGV Journal) Steel rising on a site at the northwest corner of the city of Longmont’s Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is a sign of the future. The steel provides the frame for an approximately 23,000-square-foot building for Longmont’s Biogas
August 12, 2019 Read Full Article
The Problem with the Ethanol Industry
by Robert Rapier (Forbes) ... The ethanol industry would argue that if refiners weren't being forced to blend ethanol, they wouldn't. That's mostly true. Ethanol has a significantly lower energy content than gasoline, but ethanol is used to increase octane. Thus, refiners would
August 12, 2019 Read Full Article
The Real Fuel Issue
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Washington Post) I was surprised to see in Catherine Rampell’s July 26 op-ed, “The Grand Old Socialist Party,” a line about “big fat federal government subsidies for corn ethanol.” The last tax credit for ethanol, the
August 12, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Strikes Icy Blow to Ag & Biofuels: 31 Waivers Hit Heart of American Farmers and Biofuels
by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) EPA might have a new name in some circles – Exemptions for Petroleum Agency – thanks to the 31 small refinery waivers issued on Friday which has the biofuels and agriculture industries reeling after promises
August 12, 2019 Read Full Article
Managing LCFS Credits and Risk in Uncertain Times
by Michael Newman (Parhelion Underwriting Inc./Biofuels Digest) Trading in the climate finance market – the systems designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – sometimes create areas of uncertainty. The risk of invalidation of credits worry market participants – but insurance risk
August 08, 2019 Read Full Article
Fact Sheet - Jobs in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Resilience (2019)
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) This fact sheet focuses on employment in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors in the United States and around the world. According to the 2019 U.S. Energy Employment Report (USEER), 611,000 people worked in zero-emission
August 06, 2019 Read Full Article
A 'Golden Triangle': In Nebraska, Ethanol, Cattle and Agriculture Are Intertwined, with Major Impacts on the State's Economy.
by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) It’s fitting that the Cornhusker State should be an important player in the nation’s ethanol industry. Second only to Iowa in production, Nebraska’s ethanol industry has a big impact on the state’s economy. In addition to
August 06, 2019 Read Full Article
Letter: Protect Renewable Fuels
by Jim Lykam (Quad City Times) I respectfully disagree with Kerry Etringer’s July 18 letter in which he described homegrown ethanol as a "sop" to farmers rather than a "good renewable source of energy." The truth is that Iowa farmers deserve credit
August 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Biofuel Industry Testifies on Proposed RFS Levels -- Small Refinery Exemptions Still Main Point of Contention with Renewable Fuel Producers.
by Jacqui Fatka (Feedstuffs) The Environmental Protection Agency hosted an annual hearing in Ypsilanti, Mich., on next year’s biofuel targets under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Many members of the biofuel industry pushed for higher levels and for the agency to correct
August 01, 2019 Read Full Article
Coalition Seeks Court Action Forcing EPA to Account for Lost Biofuel Volumes
(Renewable Fuels Association) An agriculture and biofuels coalition has petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to lift a stay it placed on a joint 2018 petition asking the court to protect the renewable fuels industry
July 31, 2019 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuel Standard Program: Standards for 2020 and Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2021, Response to the Remand of the 2016 Standards, and Other Changes Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OAR-2019-0136 COMMENTS DEADLINE: August 30, 2019
Under section 211 of the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to set renewable fuel percentage standards every year. This action proposes the annual percentage standards for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable
July 31, 2019 Read Full Article
RFA Urges EPA To Address RFS Small Refiner Waivers and Court Remand
(Renewable Fuels Association) In oral testimony presented at a public hearing today in Ypsilanti, Mich., the Renewable Fuels Association urged the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that its 2020 Renewable Fuel Standard final rule prospectively accounts for expected small refinery exemptions
July 31, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Chief Defends Biofuel Waivers in Meeting with Farm Senators: Sources
by Humeyra Pamuk and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defended his agency’s expanded use of waivers exempting refineries from the country’s biofuel law during a closed-door meeting with farm state senators last week, arguing the program
July 31, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Posts Call-in Information for July 31 Hearing on RFS Proposal
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA has posted call-in information for its July 31 hearing on the proposed rule to set 2020 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) and the 2021 RVO for biomass-based diesel under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The
July 30, 2019 Read Full Article
An Agenda for Rural Communities
by John Hickenlooper (The Gazette) ... The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has been vital for rural economic growth. In Iowa alone, there are nearly 50,000 jobs related to ethanol production and nearly 40 percent of all Iowa corn is used
July 29, 2019 Read Full Article
U.S. Ethanol Industry Nearing Breaking Point: Green Plains CEO
by Jarrett Renshaw, Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) The U.S. ethanol industry is about to break under the weight of the Trump Administration’s trade war with China and the surge in the number of small refineries exempted from the nation’s biofuel laws, said Todd
July 29, 2019 Read Full Article
RFA Extends Ethanol Invite as EPA Head Visits Oil Refinery
(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association has invited U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler to visit an ethanol plant as a follow-up to his tour of a Pennsylvania oil refinery. Wheeler was scheduled to visit Monroe Energy’s plant in Trainer,
July 29, 2019 Read Full Article
Bill from U.S. Sens. Toomey, Feinstein Would Abolish Ethanol Mandate
by J.D. Prose (The Times) U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey is working to repeal the ethanol mandate with California Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The Restore Environmental Sustainability to Our Renewable Energy (RESTORE) Act would abolish the corn ethanol mandate in the Renewable
July 29, 2019 Read Full Article
American Coalition for Ethanol : ACE Calls on EPA to Rely on the GREET Model as It Considers Future RFS Volumes
(American Coalitin for Ethanol/Market Screener) American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings highlighted the important role corn ethanol could have in further reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions if properly valued under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in a letter to Environmental Protection
July 26, 2019 Read Full Article
QUOTE OF THE WEEK -- Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
"EPA is screwing around with the program to the detriment of agriculture and the ethanol industry. EPA needs to stop doing the bidding of big oil companies," Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) told reporters July 23, 2019, with regard to small
July 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Energy Department Says EPA Issued RFS Exemptions Against DOE Advice
(Office of Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)) Contrary to assertions by the EPA, the Energy Department confirmed in a letter to Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) that the EPA has issued so-called “economic hardship” exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to small refineries, often
July 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Negatonnes: Beyond the ZEV, the Negative Emission Vehicle and Its Amazing Hydrogen Fuel and Electric Drive
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... There’s the technically tougher path, which is to split ethanol and make CO2 and hydrogen. The point source, high-grade CO2 has value. The bio-based hydrogen has even more value than the ethanol. Conceptually, the recipe is
July 23, 2019 Read Full Article
Refiners: Cutting Ethanol Mandate Won't Hurt Corn Farmers
by Marc Heller (E&E News) Eliminating federal biofuel mandates wouldn't be the disaster for corn farmers that ethanol advocates predict, a study commissioned by petroleum refiners said. READ MORE An Assessment of the Renewable Fuel Standard Using EVA‐NEMS (Energy Ventures Analysis/The Fueling American
July 22, 2019 Read Full Article
Small U.S. Refiners Vow to Sue EPA If It Fails to Issue 2018 Waiver Rulings in 60 Days
by Humeyra Pamuk (National Post/Reuters) Small U.S. refineries plan to sue Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 60 days, if the agency by then fails to issue its decisions on 2018 petitions for waivers from the nation’s biofuel laws, refiners said in a
July 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Gillibrand Tours Plant
by Mike Putz (Dyersville Commercial) Democratic presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand might be trailing in the polls both in Iowa and nationally, but she believes stops like the one she made to Big River Resources in Dyersville will convince Iowans to send
July 17, 2019 Read Full Article
New University and Government Reports Set the Record Straight on Ethanol’s GHG Benefits
(Renewable Fuels Association) Two new academic studies released this week provide further evidence that grain-based ethanol is significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and call into question the reliability of recent “land use change” analyses based on flawed satellite imagery-based methodologies. These studies
July 17, 2019 Read Full Article
Law Firm Urges EPA to Keep Petitions Secret; Republican Senators Call on Trump to Keep Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue from Intervening
(Farm Progress) Perkins Cole, a law firm representing small U.S. refineries has urged the Environmental Protection Agency to keep refiners’ applications for waivers from the Renewable Fuel Standard secret from USDA, arguing that the petitions include confidential business information, according to BusinessWorld. A dozen Republican
July 16, 2019 Read Full Article
RFS Reset Plan from EPA Still Not Coming Soon
(DTN Progressive Farmer Washington Insider) The notice of proposed rulemaking for the reset of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is still a ways off as there are now additional meetings scheduled on the topic at the Office of Management and Budget
July 16, 2019 Read Full Article
A Political 'Fight to the Knife' over Ethanol Comes to Wisconsin
by Chris Hubbuch (Wisconsin State Journal) ... “There’s (a) civil war within the Republican Party,” said Scott Irwin, chairman of agricultural marketing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “It’s pitting two significant Republican constituencies of the president and neither one
July 15, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA to Hold Hearing on 2020 RFS Proposal July 31 in Michigan
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA has announced plans to hold a public hearing July 31 in Ypsilanti, Michigan, on its proposed rule to set 2020 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) and the 2021 RVO for biomass-based diesel under
July 12, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump Intervention Delaying EPA Biofuel Waiver Action, Sources Say
by Humeyra Pamuk (Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump’s request for a review of the administration’s expanded use of biofuel waivers for oil refiners is holding up its decisions on 2018 applications, according to three sources familiar with the matter, two of
July 11, 2019 Read Full Article
NBB Tells EPA, Stop Damaging the Biodiesel Industry
by Donnell Rehagen (National Biodiesel Board/Biofuels Digest) This year has been brutal for the biodiesel industry. As if the absence of the biodiesel tax credit wasn’t enough of a challenge, these unjust retroactive small refinery waivers are destroying the biodiesel market
July 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Ethanol Blog: ... Inadequate Domestic Supply
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) ... The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on July 28, 2017, https://www.dtnpf.com/…, ruled the EPA erred in how it interpreted an "inadequate domestic supply" waiver provision in the RFS on 2016
July 10, 2019 Read Full Article
US Biofuel Makers Expect Weaker Demand from 2020 Blending Mandate
by Meghan Gordon (S&P Global Platts) Ethanol RINs fall after EPA proposes 2020-21 volumes; EPA declines to restore 2016 volumes flagged by court; Platts Analytics sees ethanol inputs above 10% this summer -- The Trump administration's proposed 2020 biofuel mandate -- for refiners to blend
July 09, 2019 Read Full Article
AFPM Launches Ad Campaign Urging the President to Protect Refinery Jobs
(American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers) Today (July 8, 2019), AFPM launched an advertising campaign asking President Trump to keep his promise to protect U.S. refiners from unchecked ethanol mandates that threaten to kill our jobs. This campaign comes on the heels
July 09, 2019 Read Full Article
What Happened to Anaerobic Digestion in Rhode Island?
by Michael Eggleston* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Today it seems that the use of anaerobic digestion in the Ocean State is not as widespread as it once was. According to a recent survey conducted by the Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC), owner
July 09, 2019 Read Full Article
With 2020 Looming, Trump Weighs Boosting Farmers at Refineries’ Expense
by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) The future of an exemption shielding oil refining companies from a federal mandate that they blend corn-based ethanol into the nation’s fuel supply is looking increasingly uncertain amid increasing political pressure on the Trump administration ahead of
July 08, 2019 Read Full Article
ABA’s Take: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to RVOs & SREs
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In line with today’s top story on the EPA’s RVOs proposal for 2020, here’s the Advanced Biofuels Association’s take from ABLC 2019 on it all from a history perspective. Mike McAdams, President of Advanced Biofuels Association, looks
July 08, 2019 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Critical of EPA Proposed Volumes DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS: TBD
(Renewable Fuels Association/AgNewsWire) The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday issued proposed volume requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard program for calendar year 2020, with a total renewable fuel volume of 20.04 billion gallons, of which 5.04 billion gallons are advanced biofuel, including 540
July 08, 2019 Read Full Article
Decision 2020 Bioeconomy – 25 Declared Presidential Candidates and How They Stand on the Bioeconomy
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who's best for you? Who's best for us? Who supports what you do, and how strongly? In this guide, we've looked at the policies and activities of 25 declared presidential candidates, which we have listed in
July 03, 2019 Read Full Article
Pressure Builds on US EPA to Process e-RINs
by Bob Cleaves (Biomass Magazine/U.S. Biomass Power Association) The RFS Power Coalition met with the U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs as part of its public outreach process, to share a few thoughts about electric renewable identification numbers. Across from the
July 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Rooney Introduces Bill to Repeal the RFS
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Fla., introduced legislation June 21 that aims to eliminate the Renewable Fuel Standard. Rooney cited the impact of ethanol on boat engines and the U.S. EPA’s rule to allow year-round E15
July 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Grassley Statement on New Threats to RFS
(Office of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)) Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today released the following statement in response to recent media reports on new threats to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). “For years, Big Oil and its advocates on and off Capitol
July 02, 2019 Read Full Article
U.S. Senator Says He's Blocking USDA Nominees over Biofuel Waivers
by Chris Prentice and Richard Valdmanis (Reuters) Senator John Kennedy of oil refining state Louisiana is blocking the confirmation of three senior appointees to the Department of Agriculture until the department butts out of parts of the administration’s biofuels policy, according
July 01, 2019 Read Full Article
How Low Can You Go with Carbon?: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Aemetis
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Aemetis is an international renewable fuels and biochemicals company using patented industrial biotechnology for the construction and operation of advanced biorefineries. They own and operate a 60+ million gallon ethanol plant in California, a 50 million gallon
July 01, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Opens Section 610 review of RFS DEADLINE: August 22, 2019 REVISED DEADLINE: September 23, 2019
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA published a notice in the Federal Register June 24 announcing it has opened a review of the Renewable Fuel Standard under Section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. According to the notice, section
June 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Philadelphia Energy Solutions Seeks to Permanently Shut Oil Refinery
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) will seek to permanently shut its oil refinery in the city after a massive fire caused substantial damage to the complex, the mayor confirmed on Wednesday, a day after two sources told Reuters
June 26, 2019 Read Full Article
King Introduces Bills Protecting RFS from Small Refinery Exemptions
(Office of Congressman Steve King (R-IA-4th) Legislation Recovers Volume Lost to Waivers by Increasing RFS Requirement Gallon -for-Gallon -- Congressman Steve King releases this statement following his introduction of two bills that are designed to protect the volume requirements in the Renewable
June 25, 2019 Read Full Article
NBB Letter to EPA's Wheeler Highlights Economic Damage from Refinery Exemptions
(National Biodiesel Board) Demand destruction for biodiesel producers cannot be made up through E15 rule, NBB says -- The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) today (June 21, 2019) sent a letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, highlighting the economic damage to the biodiesel
June 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Trump Orders Review of Controversial Biofuel Waiver Program: Sources
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump has directed members of his Cabinet to review the administration’s expanded use of waivers exempting small refineries from the nation’s biofuel policy, after hearing from farmers angry about the issue during his recent
June 21, 2019 Read Full Article
NCGA Ups Pressure on EPA to Follow President's Lead on Ethanol
(National Corn Growers Association) The National Corn Growers Association today will begin airing an advertisement calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to follow President Trump’s commitment to farmers and stop giving Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) waivers to big oil
June 21, 2019 Read Full Article
Senator Amy Klobuchar Releases Plan of More Than 100 Actions for Her First 100 Days as President
by @AmyForAmerica (Medium.com) U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar released a plan outlining the more than 100 concrete steps she will take in her first 100 days as President of the United States to take on the biggest challenges we face at home
June 19, 2019 Read Full Article
Could the RFS Move Toward a Low Carbon Program Like LCFS?
by Jeff Barber (OPIS) The idea of revising the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to operate more like the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) appears to be getting a fresh look. The rise in prices for California’s LCFS credits may be a motivating factor. More about
June 18, 2019 Read Full Article
U.S. Farm State Senators Unveil Bill to Overhaul Biofuel Waiver Program
by Jarrett Renshaw and Richard Valdmanis (Reuters) Two Midwest senators said on Friday they have introduced a bill to reform the Environmental Protection Agency's opaque biofuel waiver program, which the corn industry says helps oil companies at the expense of farmers here by threatening
June 17, 2019 Read Full Article
Letter Urges EPA to Process Pending RFS Fuel Pathway Applications
by Erin Vogele (Biomass Magazine) A bipartisan group of 21 members of Congress, led by Reps. John Shimkus, R-Ill., and Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, sent a letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler June 4 urging the agency to take action on
June 12, 2019 Read Full Article
Senators Urge EPA Administrator Wheeler to Stop Issuing RIN Waivers
by Anna-Lisa Laca (AgPro) “We request that you cease issuing any further small refinery exemptions, immediately reallocate the remaining gallons, and make public the information regarding any recipients of these exemptions,” they wrote. ( Farm Journal ) U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and
June 12, 2019 Read Full Article
Letter Urges Extension of 3 Biofuel-Related Tax Credits
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Reps. Abby Finkenauer, D-Iowa, and Josh Harder, D-Calif., authored a letter June 3 urging the House Ways and Means Committee to extend, and retroactively apply, several expired biofuel tax credits. The letter was signed by
June 11, 2019 Read Full Article
US EPA Readies Proposal for 2020-21 Biofuel Mandate
by Meghan Gordon (S&P Global Platts) EPA says on track to release final volumes on time; Trump to tour Iowa ethanol plant Tuesday; Warren criticizes small refinery waivers -- The US Environmental Protection Agency is close to releasing its proposal for how much biofuel
June 11, 2019 Read Full Article
As Biden Tours Iowa, Farmers Want to Know Where He Stands on Ethanol
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) Joe Biden may have an ethanol problem. The former U.S. vice president has pledged support for advanced biofuels as part of his bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. But Biden, who leads the crowded Democratic field in opinion
June 11, 2019 Read Full Article
U.S. Refiner Group Sues Trump EPA over High-Ethanol Gasoline
by Richard Valdmanis (Reuters) The main U.S. refining industry association said on Monday it sued to block the Trump administration’s effort to expand sales of higher ethanol blends of gasoline, arguing the move exceeded the administration’s authority. The legal challenge from the
June 11, 2019 Read Full Article
Opinion: Presidential Candidates Need a Vision for Biofuels
by Rob Hogg, Amanda Ragan and Bill Couser (Des Moines Register/Biofuels Vision 2020) As presidential candidates visit Iowa ahead of the caucuses, Biofuels Vision 2020 – a coalition of biofuels supporters – is here to educate the candidates about how renewable, low-carbon
June 10, 2019 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuel Standard: Information on Likely Program Effects on Gasoline Prices and Greenhouse Gas Emission
(U.S. Government Accountability Office) We reviewed the effects of the Renewable Fuel Standard, which requires biofuels to be blended into U.S. transportation fuels in increasing volumes. The standard was associated with modest gas price increases in areas outside of the Midwest. Most
June 06, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Finalizes E15 Rule Agency Leaves Potential Biofuel Credit Reforms on Table for Later Time
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) EPA beat the clock in finalizing year-round E15 on Friday, one day ahead of the beginning of the summer driving season. The agency announced a final rule that also takes a much softer approach on
June 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuels Program Hobbled by Small Refinery Exemptions
by William C. Schillaci (EHS Daily Advisor) The EPA’s implementation of the small refinery exemption is one of the more disputed aspects of the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program. The major question associated with the exemption appears to be how does
June 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Strategy for Growth: The Digest’s 2019 Multi-Slide Guide to Pacific Ethanol
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The Digest’s new “Stocks Worth Tracking” Multi-Slide Guide Series highlights hot companies that are making strides in the bioeconomy. Today’s “Stock Worth Tracking” is Pacific Ethanol. Pacific Ethanol was originally founded in 2003 as the first
May 31, 2019 Read Full Article
Ethanol Blog Biofuels Group's Small Refinery Waivers Lawsuit Runs into Trouble in Court of Appeals
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) The EPA and a handful of small refiners won a partial victory in federal court on Friday, in a lawsuit filed by a biofuels interest group calling itself Producers of Renewables United for Integrity, Truth
May 28, 2019 Read Full Article
All For One: The American Coalition for Ethanol’s Annual Washington, D.C., Fly-In
by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) During a meeting with three attendees of the American Coalition for Ethanol’s 2019 Washington, D.C., fly-in, Jaqueline Schmitz, senior policy advisor for Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said New Jersey voters are against ethanol. They don’t
May 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Duckworth Accuses EPA of Deception, Calls for Probe into Ethanol Waivers
by John Siciliano (Washington Examiner) Illinois Democrat Tammy Duckworth asked the Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general Thursday to investigate whether the agency broke the law in granting dozens of waivers to the oil industry to not blend corn ethanol into the
May 24, 2019 Read Full Article
Bill Would Increase SRE Transparency, Reallocate Waived Volumes
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) Reps. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., introduced legislation May 23 that aims to increase transparency surrounding Renewable Fuel Standard small refinery exemptions (SREs) and ensure any waived volumes are reallocated. The bill, titled the “Renewable
May 24, 2019 Read Full Article
ACE Elevates Low Carbon White Paper to Senate AG Committee
(American Coalition for Ethanol) ACE CEO Brian Jennings sends Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) data on the positive impact agriculture and low carbon fuels like corn ethanol can have as a hearing takes up the policy
May 24, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA Sends RFS Reset Plan to OMB For Review
(DTN Progressive Farmer) EPA has sent its proposed plan for a reset of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), one of the final stages before the plan will be released. There are no indications regarding
May 23, 2019 Read Full Article
Federal Court Grants Oil Refiners a Victory in Ethanol Waiver Battle
by John Siciliano (Washington Examiner) A federal appeals court granted oil refiners a victory Friday by denying a renewable fuel group's attempt to block the Environmental Protection Agency from exempting oil companies from blending ethanol in gasoline. The U.S. Court of Appeals
May 21, 2019 Read Full Article
Pathways Await Priority:The U.S. EPA Hasn't Issued a New Pathway Approval in over a Year, but Technology Providers for Corn Kernel Fiber-to-Cellulosic Ethanol Remain Optimistic.
by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Pathway approvals by the U.S. EPA came to a screeching halt in 2018, putting the expansion of corn kernel fiber cellulosic ethanol in limbo. The EPA Part 80 Fuels Program List shows no new
May 21, 2019 Read Full Article
US Fuel Mandates No Salve for Farm Trade Losses
(Argus Media) Higher US biofuel blending mandates cannot make up for lost export trade opportunities, according to farm groups caught in the crossfire of the country's trade war with China. US independent refiners show little concern that the administration will blunt sharply
May 21, 2019 Read Full Article
Exclusive: Trump EPA Did Not Await Court Ruling to Loosen Biofuel Rules for Refiners - Documents
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The Trump administration made it easier for oil refineries to get waivers from the nation’s biofuel law at least four months before a 2017 court decision it often cites to justify the move to the corn lobby,
May 16, 2019 Read Full Article
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