Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler yesterday announced the approval of sorghum oil as an eligible feedstock under the Renewable Fuel Standard during a signing event at EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C., with sorghum farmers and other stakeholders. In December 2017, the EPA released a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) concerning renewable fuels produced from sorghum oil under the RFS …
USDA Announces Trade Disruption Relief for Farmers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will take several actions to assist farmers negatively impacted by recent trade actions. President Trump directed Secretary Perdue to craft a short-term relief strategy to protect agricultural producers while the Administration works on free, fair, and reciprocal trade deals to open more markets in the long run to help American farmers compete globally. Specifically, …
FAPRI Report Considers World Biofuels Trends
The Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) recently released its 2018 International Biofuels Baseline Briefing Book which provides economic and policy perspective and projections for both ethanol and biodiesel. “If we continue current policies, which is a big if, we would expect that the U.S. would continue to be an exporter of ethanol and an importer of biodiesel,” said …
Ethanol Report on RFA Leadership Succession
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has announced a change in leadership for the ethanol industry’s leading trade association. Executive Vice President Geoff Cooper will assume the position of president and CEO in October 2018, while current President and CEO Bob Dinneen will transition into the role of RFA’s Senior Strategic Advisor. In this edition of The Ethanol Report, Dinneen talks …
ACE Hopeful EPA Will Return to RFS Law
American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) senior vice president Ron Lamberty testified at the public hearing in Ypsilanti, Michigan, on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) for the 2019 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). “With the departure of the previous EPA Administrator, I hope EPA will take this opportunity to return to implementing the RFS as intended by …
Dinneen to Step Down as RFA CEO
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is marking the beginning of a new era. The Reverend of Renewables is climbing into the backseat of the ethanol organization and allowing Executive Vice President Geoff Cooper to drive. Cooper will assume the position of president and CEO in October 2018, while current President and CEO Bob Dinneen will transition into the role of …
Growth Energy Urges EPA to Correct RFS Course
Growth Energy is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to chart a “major course correction on annual biofuel targets.” The proposed rule raises the total 2019 Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) by 3 percent over the 2018 requirement, and maintains a 15-billion-gallon requirement for conventional biofuels like corn ethanol, but does nothing to address the 2.25 billion gallons worth of …
RFA Asks EPA to Fix Pruitt Damage to RFS
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is imploring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use the 2019 Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) rulemaking process “to fix the extensive damage done to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by former Administrator Scott Pruitt.” “Administrative cuts to the RFS have resulted in significantly lower RIN prices, reduced corn and ethanol demand, avoided legal obligations for …
Biodiesel Producers Ask EPA to Raise RFS Volumes
Representatives of the biodiesel industry testified today at the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Public Hearing for Proposed Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) for 2019 and Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2020. Executives from the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) and its member companies are asking EPA to set the 2020 Biomass-based Diesel volume at 2.8 billion gallons, based on the agency’s own analysis …
Ethanol Report on EPA Changes
Ethanol industry stakeholders were relieved to see Scott Pruitt depart from the Environmental Protection Agency on July 5 and deputy administrator Andrew Wheeler appointed as acting chief. With a Supreme Court justice nominee on the table, it is unlikely President Trump will be moving too quickly to nominate a new EPA administrator, so Wheeler will probably have the job for …