The ethanol industry is proceeding with its lawsuit against the state of California over a rule that they claim would shut corn ethanol out of that state. Late yesterday, the Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy filed papers in U.S. District Court in California asking the federal court to declare that California’s low carbon fuels standard (LCFS) violates the U.S …
Corn Growers Adopt New Logo
The National Corn Growers Association has unveiled a new logo for their identity. It’s the first time the organization has adopted a new brand in many years. “In August, we reached a record membership level of 36,216 individual dues paying members,” said NCGA President Bart Schott, a corn farmer in Kulm, N.D. “We’ve also got a record number of entries …
Get Out and VOTE!
Hopefully everyone reading this will be wearing one of these “I Voted” stickers by the end of today – well, assuming your polling place has them. Mine didn’t this morning and I was quite disappointed. It’s kind of like getting ashes on Ash Wednesday – wearing it is a reminder to others of what day it is. Much is being …
Political Odd Couple to Highlight Ethanol Conference
America’s most well-known political odd couple will be the keynote speakers for the 2011 National Ethanol Conference, February 20-22 in Phoenix. According to the Renewable Fuels Association, James Carville and Mary Matalin will “present an enlightening and entertaining look at today’s most important political issues and a behind-the-scenes look at how the outcome of the 2010 Congressional elections will affect …
Growth Energy Names New President
Growth Energy has announced former congressman Jim Nussle as new president and chief operating officer of the ethanol organization, starting today. Jim Nussle (pictured left) is a former eight-term Congressman from Iowa and served as Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush. He has served on the Board of Directors of Growth Energy since …
Ethanol and Gasoline Prices
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has a good post on the E-xchange Blog this week about the relationship between ethanol and gasoline prices and the importance of the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit, or VEETC. RFA Vice President for Research Geoff Cooper notes that ethanol prices have strengthened recently and while gas prices have also increased slightly, gasoline prices would …
Nothing Scary About Ethanol or Biodiesel
A Buffalo, Minnesota fuel station is offering some Halloween treats for flex-fuel vehicle and diesel motorists this weekend. The Buffalo Holiday station is promoting E85 fuel with an 85 cent per gallon discount and B5 biodiesel with a 10 cent per gallon discount on Saturday, October 30, from 10 a.m. until noon. The purpose of the Halloween weekend promotion is …
Vilsack Tours Georgia Ethanol Plant
Following up on the biofuels initiatives that he announced last week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited First United Ethanol, LLC (FUEL) located in Mitchell County, Georgia on Monday to highlight the importance of ethanol production in all parts of the nation. “The southeast is poised to really assist us in creating new biorefineries with a wide variety of feedstocks that …
Vilsack Defends Ethanol in WSJ Letter
In a letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal published Monday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack responded to an editorial last week criticizing EPA’s decision to allow higher blends of ethanol in our fuel as politically motivated. Defending and clarifying the EPA ruling, Vilsack wrote, “The EPA’s decision to allow the increased use of ethanol in some automobiles is …
Swine and Poultry Experts Discuss DDGS Use
Swine and poultry producers are using the ethanol co-product distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) as feed for good reasons. Dr. Phillip Smith, a nutritionist with Tyson Foods, spoke at the recent Export Exchange event sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the U.S. Grains Council about the value of DDGS in the poultry sector. “It’s a very good …