Ethanol production slowed its steady upward pace last week for the first time since the end of April, dropping by 2.5 percent from the previous week. According to EIA data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association for the week ending July 17, ethanol production slowed by 2.5%, or 23,000 barrels per day (b/d), to 908,000 b/d—equivalent to 38.14 million gallons …
RFA Board Conducts Virtual Hill Visits
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Board of Directors meeting this week included more than a dozen virtual visits with lawmakers and administration officials on Capitol Hill. Discussions covered a broad range of topics, including the impact of COVID-19 on ethanol producers, trade challenges and opportunities around the world, E15 market expansion, and EPA implementation of the Renewable Fuel Standard. “With …
2020 ACE Conference is Now Virtual
The American Coalition for Ethanol will now be holding its Annual Conference as a virtual event in conjunction with the 2020 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW) on September 16, 2020. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the economic hardship it’s brought to bear on the ethanol industry, ACE leadership believes a virtual event, paired with the FEW, will provide …
Industry Pays Tribute to Ethanol Answer Man
The ethanol industry is mourning the loss of another pioneer. Larry Johnson, known as the “Ethanol Answer Man,” passed away July 19 at the age of 76. Larry was active in the Minnesota Corn Growers Assn., transitioning into ethanol promotion with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. He later became a private consultant to the ethanol industry, traveling around the country …
RFA General Counsel Appointed to USDA Trade Committee
Renewable Fuels Association General Counsel Ed Hubbard has been appointed to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee (ATAC) for Trade in Grains, Feed, Oilseeds and Planting Seeds. Hubbard is the only appointee to any of the advisory committees who represents the renewable fuels industry. The ATAC advises the Secretary of Agriculture and the United States Trade Representative …
EPA Receives More Gap-Year Waiver Requests
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has updated its Small Refinery Exemption (SRE) dashboard, revealing six more retroactive “gap-year” petitions for compliance years 2011 through 2016 under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), bringing the total now to 58. “We are already halfway through the year and instead of taking steps to comply with the January Tenth Circuit Court ruling to limit Small …
Fuel Ethanol Workshop to go Virtual in September
Yesterday it was a go for a live event in Omaha next month. Today BBI International announced that the 2020 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo (FEW) has been moved and will be virtual, due to COVID-19. The event will now take place September 15-17, 2020 and will be a live online event only. The virtual FEW will include a …
RFA Study Estimates Ethanol Industry COVID Losses
A new economic analysis from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) shows the COVID-19 crisis has already led to more than $3.4 billion in lost revenues for the U.S. ethanol industry, and could ultimately reach nearly $9 billion. The new study by RFA Chief Economist Scott Richman uses empirical data to assess the actual impact of COVID-19 on the ethanol industry …
Retailers Urged to Act Fast on Ethanol HBIIP Grants
The deadline to apply for USDA’s Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) is less than a month away, and the Renewable Fuels Association reminds retailers and other interested parties to move quickly to complete the registration and application process before August 13. Among the important tools available to interested retailers are: 1) application assistance from grant-writing experts; 2) equipment compatibility …
Ethanol Report 7-15-20
U.S. ethanol production is slowly clawing its way upward to more normal levels after reaching record lows in April, but it remains significantly lower than a year ago and the industry is hoping Congress will soon get a new stimulus bill passed to provide some aid. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency is not making decisions on important ethanol issues, such …