Nine potential Republican presidential were asked to address their opinions on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) at the Iowa Ag Summit in Des Moines on Saturday. The final score was six in favor, three opposed. On the plus side were former Florida governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, …
Leno Anti Ethanol Rant Raises Eyebrows
Former Tonight Show host, comedian, and car enthusiast Jay Leno is being taken to task by automotive experts for a harshly-worded, negative article in AutoWeek entitled “Can’t We Just Get Rid of Ethanol?” The thrust of the article is to support reform or elimination of the Renewable Fuel Standard and even attacks farmers. I just don’t see the need for …
Iowa Governor Visits Golden Grain Energy
Golden Grain Energy officials and employees had the opportunity to thank Iowa Governor Terry Branstad for his support of ethanol when he paid a visit to the plant in Mason City on Wednesday. “Governor Branstad has always been very supportive of the plant and the industry as a whole. It means a lot to be able to have the governor …
Vilsack Stresses RFS Support at #Classic15
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack spoke to over 7000 agricultural producers and industry members during his 6th appearance at Commodity Classic on Friday. Sec. Vilsack began by stating that he “was in the presence of greatness” and went on to thank farmers for all that they do on a daily basis. He also thanked farmers for their work on the …
Syngenta Ups Ethanol Output, Growers’ Profits
Agribusiness company Syngenta is working with ethanol producers to have a variety of corn that produces more ethanol at the refinery and makes more profit for the feedstock growers. The company says that growers of its Enogen variety of corn, specifically engineered to increase ethanol production, will receive some more incentives to grow the grain. According to Chris Tingle, head …
Rail Issues Panel at #NEC15
The last but certainly not least panel at the 2015 National Ethanol Conference dealt with the timely issue of rail transportation and how safety and congestion are impacting the marketplace. Renewable Fuels Association Director of Regulatory Affairs Kelly Davis moderated the panel which featured Dana Lewis with Redfield Energy, Todd Tranausky with Argus Media, and Rail Supply Institute president Tom …
Biofuels and Ag Groups Protest Anti-RFS Bill
U.S. Senators Pat Toomey (R-PA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) today introduced legislation that would abolish the corn ethanol mandate in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), with Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) as a co-sponsor. The move was immediately criticized by both ethanol and agricultural organizations. “Senators Feinstein and Toomey continue to operate under the misguided assumption that the RFS is driving …
#NEC15 Travels Road Ahead for Higher Blends
The National Ethanol Conference featured a panel addressing the road ahead for higher blends. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) vice president for industry relations Robert White moderated the panel, which included Kristi Moriarty, National Renewable Energy Laboratory; John Eichberger, National Association of Convenience Stores; and Brian West with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “In the past, there was a lot of interest …
Brazilian Ethanol Outlook at #NEC15
At the 2015 National Ethanol Conference last week, the senior economist with a leading global agribusiness consultancy gave his competitive outlook of the Brazilian ethanol sector relative to the United States. Owen Wagner with LMC International told the group gathered that while the last 40 years in general have been good to Brazilian ethanol, the industry there has had a …
RFA Acquires E85Prices.com
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has acquired E85prices.com, which is a crowdsourced website that offers updated prices for E85 and other ethanol flex-fuels – including E15 – from thousands of stations across the country. In addition to E85prices.com, RFA acquired 11 new websites and a new mobile app to strengthen its online presence and its ability to provide up-to-the-minute information …