(Renewable Fuels Association) Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Geoff Cooper told nearly 1,000 National Ethanol Conference attendees today that while the U.S. ethanol industry had a “tough year” in 2018, it “continued to deliver huge wins for consumers,” including
small refinery exemption (SRE)
Back TO HOMERFA Releases 2019 Ethanol Industry Outlook, Pocket Guide
(Renewable Fuels Association) Today at the 24th annual National Ethanol Conference, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) released its 2019 Ethanol Industry Outlook and Pocket Guide, known around the world as the go-to sources for reliable information and data on America’s ethanol industry. The annual Outlook publication
February 11, 2019 Read Full Article
NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores) Favors Giving Consumers Options at the Pump
by Matt Thompson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) For the National Association of Convenience Stores, selling E15 is a matter of giving consumers plenty of fuel options. “We like the optionality of being able to have lots legal choices and really sell what
February 07, 2019 Read Full Article
Biofuels Group Growth Energy Sues U.S. EPA over Small RefineryExemptions
by Humeyra Pamuk (Reuters) Biofuels group Growth Energy filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday, challenging the agency’s renewable fuel mandate for 2019 as failing to address rising waived biofuel volumes. “EPA’s inaction on addressing lost gallons
February 05, 2019 Read Full Article
RFA Asks EPA to Use Reset Rule to Restore Lost RFS Gallons
by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) ... Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) CEO Geoff Cooper sent a letter to (Andrew) Wheeler this week to provide input on the agency’s upcoming RFS reset proposal. RFA is asking Wheeler to use the reset rule as an opportunity to restore
February 05, 2019 Read Full Article
Ethanol Industry Prepares for a ‘Crazy Year’ Trying to Sway the Trump Administration
by John Siciliano (Washington Examiner) Ethanol producers are preparing for major action at the federal level in the months ahead, both in terms of litigation against Trump administration actions on the nation’s renewable fuel mandate and lobbying to finalize rules regarding
January 29, 2019 Read Full Article
Interview: RFA Hoping EPA Will Be More Restrained on SREs
by Jeff Barber (Opis Biofuels News) The U.S. ethanol industry, which spent most of 2018 dealing with the fallout from EPA's decision to allow a record number of small refineries to escape their Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) compliance obligations, believes the
January 29, 2019 Read Full Article
Rounds: Corn Ethanol Production Plays Important Role in South Dakota’s Economy
by Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) (Brookings Register) Corn and corn ethanol production are vital components of South Dakota’s economy. The corn ethanol industry supports thousands of jobs in our state and contributes a significant amount of revenue to our local
January 25, 2019 Read Full Article
Moving the RFS Forward
by Amie Simpson (Brownfield Ag News) There is a false notion that the Renewable Fuel Standard ends in 2022, but that is not the case. Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, says even those in the industry sometimes misunderstand
January 25, 2019 Read Full Article
The Energy 202: Potential 2020 Candidates Test Climate Messages on Trump's EPA Pick
by Gino Grandoni (Washington Post) ... Nominally, the hearing was convened to consider the nomination of former coal lobbyist and ex-Senate aide Andrew Wheeler to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. ... In the past six months alone the EPA under Wheeler has
January 18, 2019 Read Full Article
Biodiesel an Underutilized Solution as US Carbon Emissions Climb
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) ... The transportation sector remained the largest source of U.S. emissions for the third year in a row, “as robust growth in demand for diesel and jet fuel offset a modest decline in gasoline consumption,” the
January 14, 2019 Read Full Article
A Fox Guarding the RFS Henhouse
by David Kruse (The CommStock Report/Spencer Daily Reporter) From a subscriber: "I asked my local Cenex manager why the price of E85 was still high. E10 has dropped 43 cents in the last couple of months and E85 hasn't changed from $1.94. He
January 04, 2019 Read Full Article
Outlook 2019: RINs Market Looks toward Washington in 2019
by Wesley Swift (S&P Global Platts) The market for Renewable Identification Numbers looked for relief in 2019 after a tumultuous 2018. Uncertainty over the nation's renewable fuel policy created a volatile market for RINs, the credits used by refiners and fossil
January 03, 2019 Read Full Article
Recognizing Today’s Reality to Shape a Better Tomorrow
by Brian Jennings (American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Looking back to one year ago, ethanol renewable identification numbers (RINs) were fetching nearly 70 cents (a valuable incentive for ethanol blending), exports were swelling to record volumes, and EPA was promising
January 02, 2019 Read Full Article
EPA: 8 New Small Refinery Waivers Filed
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On Dec. 20, the U.S. EPA released updated data on small refinery hardship waivers filed under the Renewable Fuel Standard, reporting that seven new waivers for the 2018 compliance year and one new petition for
December 26, 2018 Read Full Article
Exclusive: Exxon Mobil Secured U.S. Hardship Waiver from Biofuels Laws - Sources
by Humeyra Pamuk and Chris Prentice (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted oil major Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) a financial hardship waiver this year temporarily freeing its Montana refinery from U.S. biofuel laws, three sources familiar with the matter told
December 20, 2018 Read Full Article
Demand Destruction from Small Refinery Exemptions is Clear and Continuing
(Renewable Fuels Association) There has been a media blitz lately by the oil industry saying that ethanol demand has been unaffected by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rampant grants of Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) exemptions to small refineries. Recently, even some
December 06, 2018 Read Full Article
Exclusive: EPA Lifts Advanced Biofuel Mandate for 2019 - Document
by Humeyra Pamuk (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lifted its annual blending mandate for advanced biofuels by 15 percent for 2019, while keeping steady the requirement for conventional biofuels like corn-based ethanol, according to an agency document seen by Reuters on
November 30, 2018 Read Full Article
The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide ABLC Guide to Aemetis
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Aemetis owns and operates 110 million gallons per year of ethanol and biodiesel facilities in the US and India, and is upgrading the plants using patented technology to produce lower carbon, higher value advanced biofuels and
November 23, 2018 Read Full Article
Exclusive: Chevron Granted Waiver from U.S. Biofuel Laws at Utah Plant - Source
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted oil major Chevron Corp a 2017 hardship waiver from U.S. biofuel laws for its Utah refinery earlier this year, according to a source familiar with the company’s operations. Chevron, which reported a
November 21, 2018 Read Full Article
More RFS Exemption Requests Monroe Energy, Pennsylvania Gov. Wolf Want Full RFS Waiver
by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Pennsylvania's governor and state refining interests are putting pressure on EPA to grant waivers to the Renewable Fuel Standard program, just ahead of the agency's Nov. 30 deadline to finalize new biofuels volumes for
November 16, 2018 Read Full Article
Biofuel Groups Ask Federal Judge to Freeze U.S. Refinery Waiver Program
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) A group representing biofuel companies asked a federal judge on Tuesday to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to stop exempting small refineries from renewable fuel laws until a lawsuit challenging the agency’s actions is resolved. Producers United
November 15, 2018 Read Full Article
Iowa Senator Says Expect Fewer Biofuel Waivers from Wheeler's EPA
by Humeyra Pamuk (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may issue fewer biofuel waivers to small refineries under Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler than it did under its previous leadership, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa said on Tuesday. “I sense
November 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Heard on the Floor: Reflections and the Buzz from ABLC Global 2018
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) It was, at times, not unlike the old trading floor of the Chicago Board of Trade and that was no coincidence, for there was optimism abounding and the deal-talk that flows from a general feeling that
November 12, 2018 Read Full Article
2018 Midterm Elections—Implications for the Bioeconomy
by Jesse Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) And while the bioeconomy – biofuels, biobased products, chemicals, and more – enjoy bipartisan support, the new political landscape means that the biobased sector and stakeholders still need to be on their
November 10, 2018 Read Full Article
Ethanol Lobbying Is Up, and It Seems to Be Paying Off
Elvin Anawaguna (Roll Call/MSN) Biofuel groups upped their spending on lobbying this year as they pressured lawmakers and the Trump administration on issues related to the Renewable Fuel Standard, which sets minimum volumes of biofuels to be used to power cars
November 07, 2018 Read Full Article
Another Year of Uncertainty for Biofuels
by Michael McAdams (Biomass Magazine/Advanced Biofuels Association) As we approach the end of 2018, we reflect on a year that was full of surprises for the biofuels industry. What stands out the most was former U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s application of
November 06, 2018 Read Full Article
NFU Urges Administration to Honor Commitment to Biofuels
(National Farmers Union) Throughout his campaign for and tenure as president, Donald Trump has consistently pledged to support American-grown biofuels. However, his administration has too often failed to follow through on those promises in a timely fashion. In the most recent of
November 01, 2018 Read Full Article
Clean Octane Alliance Sees Open Road for Higher Blends
(Urban Air Initiative) ... South Dakota Farmers Union President Doug Sombke and Urban Air Initiative President Dave VanderGriend said an update to the master list of future federal regulatory actions called the Unified Agenda does not include a previously proposed rule that
October 31, 2018 Read Full Article
EPA: Additional Small Refinery Petitions Filed for 2017, 2018
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA has released updated data on small refinery waivers filed under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The new data shows that additional petitions were filed for 2017 and 2018 compliance years over the past
October 29, 2018 Read Full Article
Ethanol Rule Change Likely to Take Months, Even Years
by Charles Dunlap (The Mexico Ledger) ... “The question is whether there will be a restraining order prohibiting the rules to go forward or not,” Murphy (Steve Murphy, POET general manager at the Laddonia refinery) said, adding the EPA is trying to
October 29, 2018 Read Full Article
Concept to Construction and Exports are Crucial
by Lisa Gibson (Ethanol Producer Magazine) In the U.S. ethanol industry, three plants are under construction, while a fourth makes its way through the permitting process. -- In an industry with more than 200 existing plants, four new projects is a
October 24, 2018 Read Full Article
Dems Ask Trump Administration to Honor Renewable Fuel Standard Commitments
(Office of Congressman Ruben Gallego D-AZ))... Reps. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Danny Davis (D-IL) led a letter signed by 17 of their colleagues to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expressing concern over the Trump Administration’s widespread issuance of waivers to
October 20, 2018 Read Full Article
NBB Letter to EPA: Small Refinery Exemptions Destroy Demand for Biodiesel
(National Biodiesel Board) New EPA dashboard confirms more than 300 million gallons of lost demand for biodiesel -- National Biodiesel Board (NBB) delivered a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler asking that the agency fully account for small refinery
October 19, 2018 Read Full Article
D.C. Circuit Will Be All Ears for RFS Arguments
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) A panel of D.C. Circuit appellate judges today will hear yet another iteration of arguments over the Renewable Fuel Standard. The court has allowed an hour and 40 minutes to delve into the issues
October 05, 2018 Read Full Article
Midterm Elections, RVO Decisions, and Lame Duck Tax Relief
by Michael McAdams (Advanced Biofuels Association) ... When testifying recently before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the acting administrator was judicious in answering questions about EPA’s small refinery exemptions (SREs). He has publicly stated that there should be more
September 21, 2018 Read Full Article
NBB, ASA Ask President Trump to Support Biodiesel Producers, Soy Farmers
(National Biodiesel Board) Allowing year-round use of E15 is a positive step for ethanol, but doesn’t support biodiesel -- Today, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) and the American Soybean Association (ASA) wrote President Donald Trump asking that he “provide additional help to
September 21, 2018 Read Full Article
UPDATE 2-EPA Details Broad Expansion of Biofuel Waiver Program
by Chris Prentice, Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published new data detailing how it drastically expanded a biofuels waiver program for oil refiners since President Donald Trump’s administration took office, responding to pressure from the corn lobby to
September 21, 2018 Read Full Article
EPA to Make RFS Waiver Info Public
by Anna-Lisa Laca (AgWeb) Over the past year, farmers and ethanol advocates alike have pressed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be more transparent when it comes to Renewable Identification Number (RIN) waivers for small refineries. Today, EPA recognized that concern
September 20, 2018 Read Full Article
Small Refinery Exemptions and Ethanol Demand Destruction
by Scott Irwin (FarmDocDaily) Small refinery exemptions (SREs) represent the latest controversy to engulf the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). When the U.S. Congress first created the RFS in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-58) it included a temporary exemption
September 17, 2018 Read Full Article
Why Donald Trump Is Feeling the Heat From Midwestern Farmers
by Justin Worland (Time Magazine) On the campaign trail, Donald Trump made two big promises: renegotiating free trade agreements and helping corn growers by supporting ethanol. ... As tensions over trade have proven painful to Midwestern farmers in the short term, demands
September 14, 2018 Read Full Article
It’s Time for Action to Unlock Growth of Biofuels in Kansas
by Jesse McCurry (Wichita Eagle/Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission & Producers Association) ... Our grains reach markets around the world and feed production at a dozen Kansas ethanol plants that produce nearly 500 million gallons of clean, renewable biofuel each year. Ethanol
September 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Ethanol Blog: Bill Would Require EPA to Reallocate Biofuels Gallons Lost to Waivers
by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) While EPA remains in an impasse on requests to reallocate biofuels gallons lost to small refinery waivers of the Renewable Fuel Standard, a bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would require
September 10, 2018 Read Full Article
EPA Needs to Reallocate Gallons from RFS Waivers
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) : Incoming RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper addresses the small refiner exemptions issued by the U.S. EPA last year, and how they affect the ethanol market -- The U.S. EPA remains committed to
September 07, 2018 Read Full Article
New Analysis Shows RFS Waiver Price
by Kelly Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) EPA's small refinery waivers under the Renewable Fuel Standard could cost the ethanol industry 4.6 billion gallons of domestic demand and close to $20 billion in sales revenue over the next six years, according
September 07, 2018 Read Full Article
RFA, Growth Energy Demand Transparency for Small Refinery Exemptions in New Lawsuit
(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth Energy today filed a lawsuit in federal district court, alleging that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE) have improperly denied agency records requested by RFA, Growth
September 04, 2018 Read Full Article
An Open Letter to EPA Acting Administrator Wheeler
by Brian Jennings (American Coalition for Ethanol/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... Consider this a blueprint for restoring the trust EPA has broken with farmers and rural America. 1. Make good on the president’s promises to allow E15 use year-round. Trump has made three or four
September 03, 2018 Read Full Article
Red Trail President Speaks up for Ethanol Production
by Mikkel Pates (Forum News Service/Bismark Tribune) Now more than ever, farmers who believe in the future of ethanol need to speak up for it, says Gerald Bachmeier, president of the North Dakota Ethanol Producers Association. Bachmeier, who also serves as
September 03, 2018 Read Full Article
Ethanol Blog -- Ethanol Groups Seek EPA Documents on Small Refinery Waivers
by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Two leading ethanol interest groups and one of the nation's largest ethanol producers asked a federal court on Thursday to force two federal agencies to hand over records related to the issuance of small
August 31, 2018 Read Full Article
USDA Stands With Ethanol on Waivers
by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Federal Agencies Disagree on Accounting for Small-Refinery Waivers in 2019 -- EPA has made clear it is not considering public comments on small-refinery waivers and how they affect the Renewable Fuel Standard. But a USDA
August 28, 2018 Read Full Article
Senators Ask EPA to Increase Biodiesel Volumes
by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) A bipartisan group of nearly 40 U.S. Senators led by Patty Murray (D-WA), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have sent a letter urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to increase volume obligations for biomass-based diesel and
August 24, 2018 Read Full Article
AFBF Welcomes Boosts to Biofuels Volumes, but Cautions against Overuse of Small Refinery Waivers
(American Farm Bureau Federation) Though pleased with EPA’s proposal to increase renewable fuel volumes, the American Farm Bureau Federation warned that the agency’s excessive use of small refinery waivers diminishes the likelihood that volume targets will be met. “EPA’s excessive use [of
August 24, 2018 Read Full Article
2019 Proposed RFS Volumes: The Deep-Dive Analysis
by Antoine Schellinger (Biofuels Digest) In what has now become the final RFS2 issued policy under Scott Pruitt, there is no change from the policy established in the proposed and final 2018 Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO). The use of cellulosic waiver
August 24, 2018 Read Full Article
US Ethanol Industry Razzes 2019 Renewable Fuel Standard Proposal: The Why and the Who
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The 2019 proposed US Renewable Fuel Standard proposed volumes attracted a major raspberry from the ethanol industry. As the American Coalition for Ethanol noted: “Unfortunately, EPA continues to take actions which undermine the letter and spirit of the
August 24, 2018 Read Full Article
NBB Shows Higher 2020 Biodiesel Volumes Are Achievable in Comments on Annual RFS Rule
(National Biodiesel Board) NBB also proposes multiple solutions to accounting for small refinery exempted volumes -- Today, the National Biodiesel Board filed comments on the proposed Renewable Fuel Standards for 2019 and Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2020. NBB’s comments respectfully urge the
August 17, 2018 Read Full Article
How Progressives Can Reconnect with Rural Voters
by Patty Judge (Des Moines Register/Focus on Rural America) ... Many of the political elites on the coasts have argued that progressives should simply write off the rural Midwest because it is too white, too old and too conservative to ever
August 16, 2018 Read Full Article
Has Ethanol Hit Its Peak?
by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) More than 15 billion gallons of ethanol flows into the U.S. fuel supply each year, big business for midwestern corn farms and a drag on oil refineries in Texas. But with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency now
August 16, 2018 Read Full Article
Grassley Gets Local Perspective on Ag
by Seth Boyes (Dickinson County News) Steffes Company in Milford played host to U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley on Monday Aug. 6. ... "If you're a member of Congress, you can't keep your mouth shut if you think the president's hurting your people,"
August 15, 2018 Read Full Article
Pacific Ethanol Discusses Impact of Trade Barriers, EPA Actions
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Pacific Ethanol Inc. released second quarter financial results on Aug. 9, reporting a slight increase in net sales. The company also discussed how current trade barriers and the U.S. EPA’s administration of the Renewable Fuel
August 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Iowans Tell EPA Chief President Made E15 Promise, It’s Time to Deliver
by O. Kay Henderson (RadioIowa) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s acting administrator met privately with Iowa commodity group leaders at the Iowa State Fair today — but Andrew Wheeler told reporters afterwards there is no decision yet on regulations that would
August 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Ad Wars
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) The Renewable Fuels Association launched a weeklong ad campaign in Iowa on Monday, coinciding with Wheeler's visit to the state's annual fair. The ads hit EPA on the Renewable Fuel Standard and push the
August 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Mr. President, Don't Support Any 'Deal' That Undermines the RFS
by Donnell Rehagen (National Biodiesel Board/Real Clear Energy) ... The ethanol industry wants EPA to remove a regulatory barrier to higher ethanol blends. In exchange, the refining industry wants to sunset the Renewable Fuel Standard. Late in July, President Trump announced in
August 13, 2018 Read Full Article
Hubbell Wants More Support for Farmers Hurt by Trade War
by Rod Boshart (Sioux City Journal) Democratic gubernatorial candidate Fred Hubbell called out Gov. Kim Reynolds Saturday for not taking a more-aggressive public stance on behalf of Iowa farmers and rural interests being hurt by President Trump's trade war with China
August 13, 2018 Read Full Article
Frustration Brews in the Ethanol Industry
by Dan Looker (Successful Farming) Lawsuits and EPA petitions are in the works. -- ... “I would say the status quo right now is unacceptable for the industry,” says Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy. “If he’s (President Donald Trump) supportive
August 10, 2018 Read Full Article
Oil’s Relentless Price Climb Brings Advanced Biofuels Back in Vogue
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) For several years now we have seen a significant number of players pivoting from biofuels towards smaller but higher-value markets in chemicals, nutrition, nutraceuticals, pharma, materials, flavorings, fragrances, cosmetics and more. We’ve reported on the proliferation of
August 09, 2018 Read Full Article
Unwinding the Perverse Arithmetic of Scott Pruitt’s Small Refinery Exemptions to the RFS
by Jeremy Martin (Union of Concerned Scientists/Biofuels Digest) ... Here, we untangle the opaque way (former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott) Pruitt rigged the system for his fossil fuel friends and what this means for the ongoing RFS rulemaking. Pruitt pulling strings
August 02, 2018 Read Full Article
Time for EPA to Clean up the Mess It Made of the RFS
by Timothy J. Rudnicki (Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) ... Let’s be clear here. There are legitimate complaints from the biofuel industry because (acting Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew) Wheeler’s predecessor turned over the agency to Big Oil. How else can you explain
August 01, 2018 Read Full Article
NBB Files Opening Brief Challenging 2018 Renewable Fuel Standards
(National Biodiesel Board) NBB brief is the first to challenge EPA’s accounting for small refinery “hardship” exemptions in the annual RFS volumes -- On Friday July 27, 2018, the National Biodiesel Board filed an opening brief in its lawsuit objecting to EPA’s
August 01, 2018 Read Full Article
Court to Hear RFS Refinery Waivers Case
by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Appeals Court to Hear Whether EPA Followed Law Prior to Granting Exemptions -- The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver will hear a Renewable Fuels Standard lawsuit challenging EPA's issuance of small refinery waivers,
July 31, 2018 Read Full Article
Did Trump’s Renewable Fuels Policy Really Cost Corn Growers $3.65 Billion in 2017?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, new evidence has appeared that a Trump Administration shift on US low carbon fuel policy may have cost US corn growers an estimated $3.65 billion. The mechanism? A secretive effort by Administration officials installed at
July 20, 2018 Read Full Article
Trump Admin Moves to Throw out RFS Waivers Suit
by Amanda Reilly (E&E News) The Trump administration on Friday asked a federal court to throw out a lawsuit over EPA's decision to exempt refiners from annual renewable fuel requirements. Government lawyers raised procedural arguments against the suit in the U.S.
July 17, 2018 Read Full Article
A Plan to Reallocate Waived Biofuels
(Red River Farm Network) The ethanol industry will continue to pursue a fix for the damages brought on from EPA’s issuing of small refinery waivers. Ahead of a public hearing Wednesday, Renewable Fuels Association Executive Vice-President Geoff Cooper says there
July 16, 2018 Read Full Article
Grassley Not Happy with EPA RFS Reply
(The Hagstrom Report/The Fence Post) The Environmental Protection Agency finally replied to a letter that Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and 11 other senators sent in April inquiring about waivers to the Renewable Fuel Standard, but Grassley was
July 16, 2018 Read Full Article
EPA Releases Proposed 2019 RFS RVOs, Fails to Address Waivers COMMENT DEADLINE: August 17, 2018
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On June 26, the U.S. EPA released a proposed rule that aims to require 19.88 billion gallons of biofuels to be blended into the U.S. fuel supply in 2019, up from 19.29 billion gallons in
June 26, 2018 Read Full Article
House Members Demand Answers from EPA on RFS, Waivers
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) On June 20, 12 democratic members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and House Committee on Agriculture asked the U.S. EPA to provide additional information regarding its failed implementation of the Renewable Fuel Standard. “We
June 22, 2018 Read Full Article
UPDATE 2-EPA to Propose Reallocating Waived Biofuels Volumes to Other Refiners-Sources
by Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Prentice (Reuters/Successful Farming) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will propose reallocating biofuel blending obligations waived under its small refinery exemption program to other refiners, in an announcement that could come as early as Friday, according to two sources familiar with the
June 21, 2018 Read Full Article
Farm and Biofuel Coalition Demands that EPA Account for Lost Volumes Due to Secretive, Retroactive Small Refinery Exemptions
(Growth Energy) Coalition Petitions EPA to Revise the Way It Calculates Annual Renewable Fuel Obligations; EPA Is Failing to Comply with Statutory Mandate -- Today a coalition of biofuel and agriculture groups petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to change its regulations to
June 04, 2018 Read Full Article
Ethanol, Farm Groups Sue EPA over Refineries' Biofuels Exemptions
by Chris Prentice and Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) A coalition of ethanol and farm groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday, challenging its decision to free three refineries, including one owned by billionaire investor Carl Icahn, from annual biofuels requirements. The
May 30, 2018 Read Full Article
Trump Administration Officials to Meet on Biofuel Policy Changes - Sources
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) Top officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the departments of Energy and Agriculture plan to meet on Thursday to hammer out details of President Donald Trump’s planned changes to the nation’s biofuel laws, according to
May 24, 2018 Read Full Article
NFU Asks Pruitt to Allow Summertime E15 Sales
(National Farmers Union/Wallaces Farmer) NFU President Roger Johnson says year-round use of E15 would have significant benefits for farmers and the economy. -- NFU President Roger Johnson wrote to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt on May 22, urging EPA to immediately institute
May 23, 2018 Read Full Article
Waiver Wire: Why Is the Biofuels Industry up in Arms about Oil Refinery Waivers?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... But they’re part of the Washington dialogue this month, waivers and easy outs, since reports surfaced in media that the US Environmental Protection Agency granted a Renewable Fuel Standard hardship waiver for CVR Energy’s Wynnewood, Oklahoma
May 22, 2018 Read Full Article
Grassley vs Pruitt: Will Billionaire Bailouts or Biofuels Prevail?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Trump in a pickle: support his beleaguered EPA Administrator over oil refinery bailouts, or rally his Midwestern farm-state base? -- In Washington, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa tweeted: “I’ve supported Pruitt but if he pushes changes to RFS
May 16, 2018 Read Full Article
UPDATE 2-Trump Biofuel Policy Overhaul to Include Fewer Refinery Waivers - Source
by Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Prentice (Reuters) The Trump administration will scale back the use of biofuels waivers for small refineries and count ethanol exports toward federal biofuels usage quotas as part of a broad overhaul of the nation’s renewable fuel policy,
May 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Demand Destruction Part 2? Allowing Exports to Count Toward RFS Compliance
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association) ... Simply put, allowing exported ethanol to count toward compliance with an oil company’s RFS obligation would lead to further demand destruction for U.S. ethanol producers and corn growers who are already suffering the consequences
May 14, 2018 Read Full Article
Groups Ask EPA to Prioritize Cellulosic Pathway Approvals
(Iowa Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Today (May 3, 2018) five Midwest biofuels associations sent a letter to the EPA asking the agency to shift administrative time and staff away from demand-destroying Renewable Fuel Standard exemptions and toward pathway approvals for
May 09, 2018 Read Full Article
UPDATE 1-U.S. Refiners Reap Big Rewards from EPA Biofuel Waivers
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s expanded use of waivers to free small refineries from the nation’s biofuels law has saved the industry as a whole hundreds of millions of dollars, according to a Reuters review of public
May 09, 2018 Read Full Article
Mail Call! Biofuels Write to EPA on Strategy
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) A coalition of Midwest biofuels associations sent a letter Thursday to EPA asking it to move administrative time and staff away from Renewable Fuel Standard exemptions and instead toward approvals for cellulosic ethanol. "The
May 04, 2018 Read Full Article
Ethanol Blog: Is Budget Report Language Cause of RFS Waivers?
by Todd Neeley (DTN The Progressive Farmer) Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, mentioned on Tuesday he wants to change language in recent appropriations bills approved by Congress in the past three years. Grassley told agricultural journalists the language may be one of the
May 03, 2018 Read Full Article
UPDATE 1-Biofuel Group Asks U.S. Court to Review EPA's Refinery Waivers
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) A biofuels trade group asked a federal court on Tuesday to rule whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency violated the law in granting a growing number of small refineries exemptions from renewable fuel laws, according to a
May 02, 2018 Read Full Article
EPA Data Shows Small Refiner Waivers Have Lowered 2016, 2017 RFS Blending Obligations by 1.6 Billion Gallons
by Emily Druckman (Renewable Fuels Association) EPA’s recent actions in exempting small refineries from their Renewable Fuel Standard blending obligations for 2016 and 2017 have effectively lowered the volumetric obligations by at least 1.6 billion gallons, according to an analysis of
April 25, 2018 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Industry Calls on EPA to Eliminate Secrecy
(National Biodiesel Board) NBB Submits FOIA Request to Ensure RFS Transparency -- The National Biodiesel Board submitted a Freedom of Information Act Request aimed at shedding light on small refiner exemptions requested and issued under the Renewable Fuel Standard. “The EPA’s decision to
April 13, 2018 Read Full Article
API Urges EPA Not to Exempt Small Refiners from US Biofuel Mandate
by Meghan Gordon (Platts) The American Petroleum Institute has come out against a campaign by small refineries to avoid their obligations under the US biofuel mandate, according to a letter released Tuesday. More than two dozen refineries with throughput of less than