It took a Texas oil man to finally unleash the power of renewable fuels. In the aftermath of 9/11, energy independence became a driving force for President George W. Bush, and he saw the potential for our nation’s productive farmers to help attain that goal. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 was signed on August 8 of that year at …
RFIP Grants Boost Biofuel Access in Iowa
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program (RFIP) Board recently approved an additional 24 applications from Iowa fuel retailers to support expanded access to lower biofuels like biodiesel and E15 (Unleaded 88). The more than $1.12 million in cost-share grants was awarded by the RFIP Board during its quarterly meeting on July 17. The 24 approved project sites are in 17 …
EPA Holds Hearing on Proposed RFS for 2026 and 2027
The Environmental Protection Agency today held a virtual public hearing on the proposed rule released last month to establish required Renewable Fuel Standard volumes and percentage standards for 2026 and 2027, as well as to partially waive the 2025 cellulosic biofuel volume requirement and revise the associated percentage standard due to a shortfall in cellulosic biofuel production. In his testimony, …
Big Beautiful Bill Boosts Biodiesel
The big, beautiful bill is a big, beautiful relief for Iowa’s biodiesel industry which has been suffering this year. “Countries around the world and many of our states are demanding ultra-low carbon fuels,” said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw. “The Big Beautiful Bill helps pave the way for the investments to produce those fuels – and …
Senate Foreign Feedstocks Credit Concerns Soybean Growers
Soybean farmers are concerned with changes made by the Senate Finance Committee in the House-passed Section 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit language that would allow foreign biofuel feedstocks to qualify for the credit. The American Soybean Association expressed disappointment in the text that removes a key provision to prevent foreign feedstocks from benefiting from U.S. taxpayer dollars. “The Senate 45Z …
Clean Fuels Updates BQ-9000 Website
Clean Fuels Alliance America recently unveiled a redesigned BQ-9000® website to better showcases the value of biodiesel quality assurance and the benefits of certification through the industry’s gold standard program. Administered by the National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission and supported by Clean Fuels, the BQ-9000 program combines ASTM fuel standards with best practices for production, storage, handling, and distribution. The revamped …
Industry Welcomes New Renewable Fuel Standards
The renewable fuels industry welcomed new Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volume requirements for 2026 and 2027 announced by the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday. EPA proposal includes a total Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) of 24.02 billion gallons (bg) for 2026, including 15 bg for conventional renewable fuels like corn ethanol and 9.02 bg for advanced biofuels, with 5.61 bg of …
Chevron Opens Tech Center to Drive Innovation in Future Fuels
Chevron Corporation celebrated the grand opening of the Ames Technology Center this week on the Chevron Renewable Energy Group (CREG) Campus. The 45,000 square foot facility will expand the company’s lower carbon fuels technology development and advanced technical support capabilities by adding new analytical laboratory and R&D space, along with new offices. “It’s inspiring to see so many people from …
Iowa Installs New B99 Biodiesel Pump for Fleets
The Iowa Biodiesel Board and Iowa Soybean Association joined Pilot Travel Centers, PepsiCo and Optimus Technologies last week to celebrate the launch of a new B99 biodiesel pump for fleets at Pilot’s Des Moines travel center, making it one of only a handful of stations in the nation dispensing almost pure biodiesel to commercial trucking fleets. The event included remarks …
Members of Congress Urge President to Set Strong RVOs
Members of Congress, led by Reps. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) and Angie Craig (D-MN), sent a letter to President Donald Trump this week, urging the administration to adopt “timely, robust blending requirements in the upcoming “Set 2” rule establishing Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) for 2026 and beyond.” The lawmakers specifically called on President Trump to take the following actions: – Set …