The emergency fuel waiver issued by the Environmental Protection Agency to allow sales of E15 this summer will help American consumers save money at the pump, while also cutting greenhouse gas emissions and harmful tailpipe pollution, but the Renewable Fuels Association says a permanent legislative solution is still necessary. The emergency waiver issued Friday follows a concerted effort by RFA …
Ethanol Industry Pleased EPA Issues Summer E15 Waiver
The Environmental Protection Agency today issued a waiver to allow E15 (15 percent ethanol fuel) to continue to be sold this summer. The temporary waiver under the Clean Air Act was issued “to address extreme and unusual fuel supply circumstances caused by a confluence of events, including the ongoing war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East, that are …
USTR Working on Brazil Market Access for U.S. Ethanol
During a Senate Finance Committee hearing this week, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) asked U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Katherine Tai about the Biden administration’s “abdication of leadership on trade” and urged her to work on getting Brazil to lower tariffs on U.S. ethanol. “The last time you appeared before this committee I urged you to negotiate lower tariffs on ethanol …
Grassley Hearing GREET Model Update Rumors
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley is unhappy with what he has been hearing about the GREET model updates for sustainable aviation fuel expected soon from the Biden Administration. “We understand that this model might say that you can use (corn as a) feedstock but it will have to be grown in one of three conditions – minimum tillage, cover crops, or …
E15 Sales Set 2023 Record as Summer Remains Uncertain
It’s certain at this point that sales of E15 in the United States hit a record last year, but the future of sales this year after May 1 is still uncertain. According to a Renewable Fuels Association analysis of data released by state agencies in Minnesota and Iowa, total U.S. sales are estimated to have hit a record 1.11 billion …
Ethanol Report on GREET Model Delay
GREET is the word that has still not been heard from the Biden Administration as the ethanol industry anxiously awaits a decision on a modified lifecycle analysis model that will be used to assess the eligibility of feedstocks for new tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) recently joined two dozen other biofuel and farm …
Defenbaugh Carries on Family Tradition
Nicholas Defenbaugh, a senior at Orion Technical College and a maintenance technician at Big River Resources, was one of eight students and young professionals who attended the recent 2024 National Ethanol Conference under the Robert Sather Memorial Scholarship program. Nicholas is carrying on a family tradition working at the plant in Burlington, Iowa which was started by his grandfather Ray …
Zeakal PhotoSeed Corn Could Help Meet SAF Demand
ZeaKal recently announced groundbreaking PhotoSeed™ technology in corn, designed to improve the crop’s oil and sustainability profile without compromising yield or protein. In first year replicated field trials, PhotoSeed increased corn oil composition by an average of 23 percent. PhotoSeed enhances a plant’s photosynthetic capacity, capturing more CO2 and sunlight. This additional carbon capture increases oil production without taking away …
Nebraska Farmer Advocates for Ethanol
When Nebraska farmer Jan tenBensel visits Capitol Hill offices, he represents a lot of voices as chairman of both the Nebraska Ethanol Board and the National Corn Growers Association Ethanol Action Team, but he believes it’s important for all ethanol advocates to make their voices heard wherever they are. “The importance of advocacy is that everybody can do it,” said …
Lawmakers Pressure Administration on Brazil Ethanol Tariff
Last week, U.S. Reps. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and Darin LaHood (R-IL) led two letters to the Biden administration – one to President Biden and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai urging greater action in developing new markets for biofuels exports, and a second to Tai and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack specifically requesting work toward a full repeal of the Brazilian …