California Governor Gavin Newsom today signed legislation that could help bring down the cost of gasoline in California, making way for lower cost 15 percent ethanol fuel (E15) to be made available for the first time in the state. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper says California was the only remaining state to not permit sales of E15. …
EPA Holds Hearing on SRE Proposal
The Environmental Protection Agency held a virtual hearing Wednesday to get feedback on its recent supplemental proposed rule regarding small refinery exemptions and the reallocation of affected volumes under the Renewable Fuel Standard and the biofuels industry was unanimous in its call for 100 percent reallocation of all exempted renewable fuel blending volumes. Just two weeks ago, EPA co-proposed “additional …
New EU Report Supports Use of Food Crops for Biofuel
A new report out of the European Union extols the benefits of using crops to produce biofuels and essentially dispels the notion of food versus fuel. The report released from the nova-Institute and the European Bioeconomy Alliance (EUBA) says using “first-generation agricultural biomass, i.e. crops like cereals, sugar and oil plants, to produce bio-based energy and materials in Europe results …
RFA Elects 2026 Board and Leadership
At its annual membership meeting this week in Omaha, the Renewable Fuels Association elected Derek Peine, CEO of Western Plains Energy in Oakley, Kan., as chairman of the organization for 2026. Peine has spent the last 25 years working in production, technical, and management roles within the agricultural processing and renewable fuels sectors. He also serves on the board of …
POET Acquires 35th Processing Plant
Biofuels producer POET recently finalized its acquisition of Green Plains Obion in Tennessee, which will now be known as POET Bioprocessing – Obion, making it the company’s 35th bioprocessing facility in now nine states, and bringing its annual production capacity to 3.1 billion gallons of bioethanol. POET also produces 15 billion pounds of high-protein feed ingredients, 1 billion pounds of …
CE+P Secures Contractor for California Bioethanol Plant
California Ethanol + Power (CE+P) has announced a contract with Hoffman Construction Company to design and construct Sugar Valley Energy, a new ethanol biorefinery campus near the city of Brawley in Imperial County. “This agreement is the culmination of months of cooperation and review, and along with diligent financing efforts will advance the project to the final stages of our …
Senator Says E15 Should be Top Priority
When it comes to the price of corn right now, growing markets for exports is important, but Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) says year-round E15 should be the number one priority of the Trump administration right now. “In an average year, we’re exporting two billion bushels of corn…this year we’re going to export 2.86 billion bushels of corn, so trade exports …
Ag Secretary Highlights Pro-Biofuels Administration
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins headlined the 11th annual Ag Outlook Forum in Kansas City this week, highlighting the Trump Administration’s work to benefit farmers and ranchers so far this year, including in the area of biofuels. Rollins noted that ethanol continues to be a focus of new trade deals, such as the recent $700 million commitment from the …
Ethanol Production Drops as Stocks Increase
U.S. ethanol production hit a five month low last week, while ethanol stocks hit their highest level in almost two months, according to EIA data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association for the week ending September 19. RFA reports that ethanol production was down 2.9% to a 19-week low of 1.02 million barrels/day, equivalent to 43.01 million gallons daily. Still, …
USGBC Visits Japanese Biofuels Customers
Staff and members of the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) recently traveled to Japan to participate in the 2025 U.S. Bioethanol Supply Conference, meet Japanese industry stakeholders and visit key sites in the transportation and energy sectors. “The Council is eager to build on Japan’s status as a reliable export partner for U.S. agriculture by continuing to grow demand …