Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue was tight-lipped last week at the Farm Progress Show when it came to details of the administration’s “small refinery waiver mitigation efforts” that President Trump “really wants to announce himself.” “I don’t want to steal the president’s thunder on that,” Sec. Perdue said during a listening session held Wednesday morning at Richland Community College on …
Farm and Biofuel Groups Dismayed by EPA Refinery Waivers
Small refinery waivers will continue to take a chunk out of the gallons of biofuel that should be blended into our nation’s transportation fuel supply under the Renewable Fuel Standard, thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement late Friday that granted 31 more exemptions, representing 1.43 billion gallons of additional lost RFS demand. Only six of the requests for 2018 …
California Approves B20 Biodiesel in Underground Storage Tanks
A decade of work by the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) has finally paid off as California has cleared the way for storing biodiesel blends of up to 20 percent (B20) in underground storage tanks, removing the last major barrier to mainstream use in the state. NBB worked with several member companies and the California Advanced Biofuels Alliance to provide the …
Coalition Goes to Court Over Biofuel Waivers
A coalition of seven agricultural and biofuels organizations is seeking court action to force the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to account for lost biofuel volumes resulting from small refinery exemptions granted by the agency. The coalition consisting of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Growth Energy (Growth), National Biodiesel Board (NBB), National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), …
Biofuels Groups Testify at EPA RFS Hearing
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) heard concerns from many biofuels industry stakeholders during a public hearing Wednesday in Ypsilanti, Michigan on the proposed rule to set 2020 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) and the 2021 RVO for biomass-based diesel under the Renewable Fuel Standard. Much of the comments from both sides of the issues centered on whether or not EPA …
New Corn Hybrids Could Benefit Ethanol and Biodiesel Producers
Benson Hill Biosystems has entered into a partnership with Brownseed Genetics, a Wisconsin-based seed breeder of new corn hybrids that are higher in both oil content and essential amino acids offering added value for farmers, ethanol and biodiesel producers. “Brownseed’s focus on varieties with both quality and productivity benefits can generate greater profitability for growers, livestock producers, and the ethanol …
REG to Close New Boston, Texas Biodiesel Plant
Renewable Energy Group (REG) is closing its New Boston, Texas biorefinery “due to challenging business conditions and continued federal policy uncertainty, most notably the long-lapsed federal biodiesel tax credit.” The company acquired the 15-million gallon per-year biodiesel plant near Texarkana, Texas in October 2012 and began producing biodiesel there several months later. The facility is capable of running both high …
REG Opens Retail Station in Illinois
Renewable Energy Group, Inc. this week celebrated the grand opening of the company’s first diesel fueling station in Seneca, Illinois. “This diesel fueling station is another example of how REG is moving fuel forward by expanding our capabilities,” said Cynthia J. Warner, REG President & CEO. “It gives us another avenue of getting our high quality, clean fuel to new …
NBB Highlights How Refinery Waivers Hurt Biodiesel Industry
The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) has launched an ad campaign highlighting the economic damage to biodiesel and renewable diesel producers from the Environmental Protection Agency’s small refinery exemptions. The ads are currently scheduled to run for one week in Des Moines and Washington, DC. “The president’s EPA is hurting farmers and eliminating jobs by giving special favors to big oil …
Biofuels Groups Blast EPA for RFS Proposed Volumes
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday (EPA) issued proposed volume requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard program for calendar year 2020, leaving them basically unchanged and not reallocating gallons lost due to small refinery exemptions. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Geoff Cooper says the proposal “completely betrays President Trump’s commitment” to uphold the integrity of the RFS by …