Growth Energy has launched a new monthly podcast discussing the latest developments in the ethanol industry. In this first edition, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor discusses this very exciting week that has seen the biofuels industry unite, led by champions in the Senate and state governors, to get the attention of the White House and defend the Renewable Fuel Standard …
EPA Administrator Backs Down on RFS Proposal
All the noise made this week by biofuels supporters over proposed volume reductions under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has apparently made an impression. In a letter to seven senators sent late Thursday, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt committed to final 2018 RFS renewable volume obligations “at levels equal or greater” to those that the agency proposed in July, as well …
Iowa Biofuels Interests Get White House Attention
President Donald Trump called Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds Wednesday to assure her that he continues to support the renewable fuels industry. “He reached out to me,” said Gov. Reynolds during a press conference in Iowa. “He made it clear that he stood with the Renewable Fuel Standard.” Gov. Reynolds also got a call from EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who met …
Groups Urge Trump to Stop EPA Changes to RFS
Biofuels stakeholder organizations have sent a letter to President Donald Trump, urging him to “act quickly to prevent actions” at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that threaten to undermine future growth of the biofuels industry under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). “If the proposed changes are finalized, EPA’s actions would cause severe harm to our industry, undermining your efforts to …
Crappie Masters National Champs Appreciate Ethanol
The recent 2017 Crappie Masters National Championship, sponsored in part by the Renewable Fuels Association, American Ethanol, and Bass Pro Shops, saw Missouri fishermen Paul Alpers and Phillip Haynes finishing on top. The partners fought unseasonably hot weather and dropping river levels as they brought in a two-day total weight of 21.89 pounds. They use ethanol in their vehicles and …
USDA Trade Mission Heading to Brazil
A USDA Foreign Agriculture Service trade mission to São Paulo and Recife, Brazil, is underway this week with leaders from 24 U.S. agribusinesses and trade organizations looking to expand their agricultural exports and further develop their business relationships in Brazil. “Brazil holds significant untapped market potential for U.S. exporters,” said Mark Slupek, deputy administrator of the Office of Trade Programs …
Corn Stover Could Generate Electricity
Two new studies show that generating energy from corn stover biomass could create a new market for farmers and increase the value of ethanol by reducing its overall carbon footprint. The studies are based on the premise that the crop residue left behind in the fields after corn to be used for ethanol is harvested. Iowa-based Regional Strategic, Ltd. examined …
Iowa Makes $2.8B Grain Deal with Taiwan
A trade team from Taiwan visited Iowa last week and signed letters of intent to purchase $2.8 billion worth of U.S. grains over the next two years. The deal includes corn, soybeans, wheat, and the ethanol co-product distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS). Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) Director Mark Heckman signed the letter of intent between ICPB and the …
Ethanol Report on E15 Hurricane Help
Fuel disruptions due to Hurricane Harvey were mitigated somewhat, thanks to an early end to the summer restriction on sales of E15 (15% ethanol fuel) that helped offset gasoline supply shortfalls and limit fuel price spikes. In this edition of the Ethanol Report podcast, Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen talks about how this should make the EPA …
Democrat Senators Offer Farm Bill Energy Package
Senator Al Franken (D-MN), together with Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) have introduced the Agricultural Energy Programs Reauthorization Act of 2017, to reauthorize Title IX programs and funding through 2023. “Each and every day, our nation’s farmers have our backs,” said Sen. Franken, a member of the Senate Energy Committee. “I believe we need to have theirs as …