Chevron REG Invests in Terviva to Scale New Biofuel Feedstock

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Agricultural innovation company Terviva has announced an investment from Chevron Renewable Energy Group to help scale production of pongamia for low carbon renewable fuel.

“Crude pongamia oil can be converted into biodiesel, renewable diesel, or sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). In working with Chevron Renewable Energy Group, we can increase the availability of feedstocks for production of these fuels while promoting our mission to revitalize agricultural land and communities. This relationship benefits stakeholders up and down the value chain, from farmers cultivating pongamia to fleets looking for lower carbon fuels,” said Naveen Sikka, founder, and CEO of Terviva.

Pongamia growing in Central Florida

Pongamia is a regenerative, permanent tree crop that stores carbon and produces a bean pod that can be used in turn to produce food, feed, and fuel. Terviva has been developing elite pongamia cultivars over 15 years of research trials spanning nearly 2,000 acres in Florida, Hawai’i and Australia. “Terviva’s pongamia trees produce three or more metric tons of beans per acre, which feature a high oil content,” said Sikka.

Terviva recently expanded its executive leadership team to include Simmarpal Singh as Chief Operating Officer, previously serving as CEO-India for COFCO International and prior to that for Louis Dreyfus India. Singh will focus on strengthening the upstream and midstream processes to expand the footprint of Terviva and pongamia across India, the U.S., Australia, and other parts of the world. “I think there is huge potential around pongamia,” said Singh. “I look forward to leveraging my deep experience in farming, origination, manufacturing, and international stakeholder management to work in a new commodity value chain that directly contributes toward improving our global climate.”

Learn more about Terviva and pongamia in this interview with CEO Naveen Sikka and COO Simmarpal Singh.
Interview with Terviva (19:04)

Audio, aviation biofuels, Biodiesel, biofuels, Feed, food and fuel, SAF

ACE Submits Comments on Climate-Smart Ag Practices

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The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) this week submitted virtual comments in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) request for information on the production of biofuel feedstocks using climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices.

ACE CEO Brian Jennings emphasized the organization’s key priorities and encouraged USDA to continue engaging with Treasury and leverage ACE’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) projects to help inform more accurate and updated GHG credit values for CSA practices as the Treasury Department implements the 45Z Clean Fuel Production tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Jennings highlighted the following priorities:

Models and credit values for CSA practices should be routinely updated, incorporating data collected through ACE’s RCPP projects. Ultimately, our projects are designed to improve the accuracy of GREET and address perceived “information gaps” currently preventing farmers and ethanol producers from monetizing CSA practices in regulated markets.

45Z should allow individual CSA practices and stacking of agricultural practices. Do not require the all-or-none “bundled” approach from 40B or arbitrarily cap agriculture practice GHG credit values.

USDA has a long track record of stewarding federal taxpayer funds for commodity and conservation programs, ensuring that participating farmers meet necessary requirements to receive federal funds. If existing USDA protocols are sufficient for verifying the distribution of billions of taxpayer dollars for commodity and conservation programs, USDA protocols are equally sufficient for verifying the same practices for federal tax incentives such as 45Z. The Treasury Department should rely on existing USDA assets in the reporting and verification for the 45Z tax credit, and we encourage USDA to directly engage Treasury with respect to its expertise and experience in this area.

ACE, Ethanol, Ethanol News, SAF, Sustainability, USDA

Farm Leaders Urge Action on Clean Fuels Credit

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American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall and leaders from the National Corn Growers Association and American Soybean Association met this week with Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation John Podesta to urge the administration to prioritize American-grown crops in the production of sustainable fuels.

Duvall said they expressed their concerns to Podesta about guidance needed for the Clean Fuel Production Credit and the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Credit. “Both have the potential to be valuable incentives to produce homegrown biofuels that will help lower the nation’s carbon emissions and keep America’s farmers economically sustainable, but improvements are needed,” said Duvall. “These are tax credits that should benefit Americans, not foreign companies.”

Duvall and the other agriculture leaders called for the administration to move quickly in adopting workable regulations for the tax credits, saying, “Time is of the essence. The Clean Fuels Production Credit is scheduled to go into effect next year, and farmers must soon decide whether they are willing and able to participate in the program. We urge Mr. Podesta and the administration to prioritize America’s farmers by establishing a domestic feedstock requirement for clean fuel production credits, and revise guidelines to make the goal of producing efficient biofuels more attainable.”

AFBF, Ag group, aviation biofuels, Biodiesel, corn, SAF, Soybeans

Registration Open for 30th National Ethanol Conference

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The ethanol industry will be getting “Back to Our Roots” in 2025 with the Renewable Fuels Association’s 30th annual National Ethanol Conference, taking place in Nashville February 17–19.

The milestone event is themed “Back to Our Roots” to reflect the ethanol industry’s humble beginnings, its incredible growth, and its enduring ties to American agriculture, according to RFA Board Chairman Jeff Oestmann, CEO of Aztalan Bio in Wisconsin.

“Celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of this great conference gives us the opportunity to look back on how much has changed for our industry and celebrate both its pioneers and successes,” said Oestmann, who started his career in the industry at the second annual NEC. “I think it’s important to recognize something some people forget and that’s the deep, deep connection between ethanol and agriculture.”

Oestmann says the ethanol industry is proud of it’s rich history and tremendous growth over the past 30 years. “It’s nothing short of remarkable,” he said. “It stands as one of the greatest examples of value added agriculture in our history…and I see us growing even faster over the next ten years, really, than we have in the last 30.”

Oestmann talks about the upcoming 30th NEC and some of the big issues that will be in the spotlight in the latest edition of The Ethanol Report podcast:
Ethanol Report 10-4-24 15:12

Since 1996, NEC has been the nation’s most widely attended executive-level conference for the ethanol industry, where sessions featuring globally renowned speakers are interspersed with numerous networking opportunities to help the industry connect and collaborate. Last year in San Diego, RFA hosted nearly 900 industry stakeholders, hailing from 36 states and 20 other countries.

Early-bird registration provides substantial discounts until Dec. 2, and RFA members enjoy additional savings. Click here for more information and to register. For updates, follow NEC on X (formerly Twitter) at @EthanolConf, and track social media posts with the term #RFANEC.

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference

ACE Ethanol Today Releases 2025 Editorial Themes

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The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) recently issued its lineup of 2025 editorial themes for the bimonthly industry trade magazine Ethanol Today. Since the launch of an enhanced digital platform last year at ethanol.org/ethanol-today — the publication aims to further expand its online presence in the coming year and offer additional print and digital magazine advertising opportunities.

“The response has been positive since we revamped Ethanol Today’s look and introduced a more robust digital experience for our readers,” said Katie Muckenhirn, ACE Vice President of Public Affairs. “We’re excited to keep growing this digital presence and invite companies interested in engaging with the biofuels industry to explore opportunities via our online forum.”

Upcoming editorial themes for Ethanol Today include insights into ethanol industry policy and regulatory priorities under the next administration and Congress, as well as business optimization, the expanding use of ethanol, efforts to promote higher blends, climate-smart farming practices within Low Carbon Fuel Standard markets, and expanded export opportunities.

The publication reaches every ACE member, including every ethanol plant across the U.S. and the offices of each member of Congress.

ACE, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Corn Growers President Speaks Out for Farmers

Cindy Zimmerman

NCGA president speaks at White House meeting (photo from NCGA)

National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Kenneth Hartman Jr. this week spoke to officials at the White House, telling them that farmers are living through difficult economic times, but the administration and Congress can help by removing barriers so growers can access expanding markets for U.S. corn.

“On behalf of my fellow corn growers, I spoke about the need to make it possible for producers to access tax credits for sustainable aviation fuels,” Hartman said during an event called Farmers and Ranchers in Action. “The tax credit would help us expand the ethanol market, which is important to growers, while boosting the airline industry’s efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions.”

Hartman also called on administration officials to help in any way they can with pending legislation, such as the farm bill.

corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NCGA, SAF

Export Exchange 2024 Concludes

Cindy Zimmerman

Export Exchange 2024, sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC), Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), wrapped up Wednesday in Fort Worth as trade teams began visits across the country to key components of the agricultural value chain.

“We are incredibly excited to see the impact that this week will have in the coming year as international stakeholders continue to generate new business within the U.S. value chain,” Ryan LeGrand, USGC president and CEO said. “Export Exchange has proven to be a crucial part in strengthening U.S. relationships with international industry professionals and therefore, strengthening the U.S. agriculture industry for years to come.”

RFA Senior Analyst Ann Lewis at 2024 Export Exchange

Thirteen trade teams are headed to corn-growing states to see advanced farming operations, explore DDGS production at ethanol plants, view port facilities and more to build their networks with U.S. suppliers.

Export Exchange was developed to allow buyers and sellers of U.S. corn, distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), sorghum and other commodities to gather every other year and connect with hundreds of attendees from more than 50 countries.

In the latest Trade Monitor report from RFA Senior Analyst Ann Lewis, U.S. exports of DDGS increased 2% in August to a three-year high of 1.12 million metric tons (mt) amid mixed markets. South Korea was the top market for exports, up 35% from the previous month, while Mexico’s imports fell 34% to an 8-month low of 163,086 mt. Year-to-date DDGS exports have reached 8.09 million mt, 15% higher than the same period last year.

Distillers Grains, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Export Exchange, Exports, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA, USGC

Clean Fuels Foundation Sustainability Education Grant

Cindy Zimmerman

The Clean Fuels Alliance Foundation is now accepting applications for the Beth Calabotta Sustainability Education Grant, a $2,000 award that aims to support student scientists dedicated to sustainable research.

To qualify for the grant, students must complete an online application and include a letter of recommendation. If selected, the recipient must commit to participating in Clean Fuels Alliance America’s Sustainability Workshop scheduled for April 8-9, 2025, in Kansas City, Missouri. Grant funds should be utilized for travel and attendance of the workshop, with the remaining funds applied to academic expenses. Full eligibility requirements and criteria are listed in the online application.

Applicants have the opportunity to highlight their involvement in various topics including biodiesel and renewable diesel research, development related to feedstock and fuel production, environmental attributes and general energy studies. The deadline for applications is Friday, January 17, 2025 and the winner will be announced in February 2025.

The award was established in 2018 in memory of Beth Calabotta, who was director of Monsanto’s Bioenergy Development Program, and served on the biodiesel foundation board from 2007-2015.

Biodiesel, Clean Fuels Alliance, Education

Four New Members Join Expanded B20 Club in Illinois

Cindy Zimmerman

The Illinois-based B20 Club has expanded its membership with four additional organizations that support B20 biodiesel as a low-carbon fuel solution for Illinois communities.

Two new B20 Club fleet members are Village of Mundelein and Wilmette Park District, and two new B20 Club associate members are Luke Oil and Pinkerton Oil. “We are pleased to welcome these new member organizations as they join our efforts to promote use of biodiesel to improve air quality and support the Illinois economy,” says David Kubik, ISA biofuels and trade policy manager.

Founded in 2014, the B20 Club is a partnership between the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) and American Lung Association.

Biodiesel

Ethanol Report with New RFA Chair

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association recently held its annual membership meeting in Milwaukee and elected new officers, including Jeff Oestmann with Aztalan Bio.

Oestmann has been actively involved in the ethanol industry for nearly 30 years and is excited to take on this new leadership role for RFA. In this edition of the Ethanol Report podcast, Oestmann discusses the current state of the ethanol industry and his goals for the future.

Ethanol Report 10-4-24 15:12

The Ethanol Report is a podcast about the latest news and information in the ethanol industry that has been sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association since 2008.

Choose an option to subscribe

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA