Scholarship Winners Make the Most of NEC

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Scholarship winners and RFA CEO Geoff Cooper at NEC

Ten young people, either still in college or at the start of their careers, had the opportunity to attend the National Ethanol Conference last week in Orlando on a scholarship, courtesy of the Renewable Fuels Foundation.

The recipients of the Robert Sather Memorial Scholarship included five college students and five members of the Renewable Fuels Association’s Young Professionals Network. The aim of the scholarship is to reach young adults aspiring to a career related to renewable fuels, open new doors for them, and present new perspectives on ethanol’s place in our world today and in the future.

L-R: Verena Hopkins, Shalom Iboh, Kayla McCaslin, Samantha Cookson

Shalom Igbo, a third year PhD candidate at the University of Florida, is developing mathematical models for biofuel optimization. “I looked up the Renewable Fuels Association because my research closely aligns with what the organization is trying to achieve and I felt that I should apply and that I would have a good chance of coming to the National Ethanol Conference,” said Igbo.

Verena Hopkins, sales representative at IFF, became a member of RFA’s YPN when she moved from production to sales. “I was looking for a position where you could have more interaction with people, you can try to help solve their problems. A good day in production is a boring day, a day that nothing that is crazy happens. And I wanted a little bit more crazy days. So the sales side of it really caught my attention. So I’m excited for that.”

Listen to interviews with four of the scholarship award winners here:

Samantha Cookson, University of Ottawa
NEC26 interview - Samantha Cookson, scholarship winner (2:10)
Shalom Iboh, University of Florida
NEC26 interview - Shalom Iboh, scholarship winner (2:21)
Kayla McCaslin, Valero Energy, YPN scholarship winner
NEC26 interview - Kayla McCaslin, YPN scholarship winner (1:26)
Verena Hopkins, sales representative at IFF, YPN scholarship winner
NEC26 interview - Verena Hopkins, YPN scholarship winner (3:01)

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

California Still Waiting for E15

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California stage two vapor recovery nozzles

It was October of 2025 when the California legislature approved the sale of 15% ethanol fuel in the state, which was intended to happen immediately, yet six months later E15 remains on the leash in the Golden State.

The hold up is because of California’s unique stage two vapor recovery equipment, which the state Fire Marshall claims has yet to be approved by Underwriters Laboratory for E15 use despite the manufacturers’ claims that it is compatible.

During a panel on Unleashing E15 at last week’s National Ethanol Conference, Alessandra Magnasco with the California Fuels & Convenience Alliance said her members would be thrilled to see California just do away with the stage two vapor recovery equipment.

NEC E15 panel

“They’re actually a lot more expensive than a traditional nozzle. They break and then you have to get a new one. It’s much more expensive. It really is a huge headache,” said Magnasco. “In my humble opinion, they’re really not necessary because we have such a percentage of the number of cars on the road that have the onboard vapor recovery systems that it really doesn’t make sense. But California likes to hold on to every last little vestiges of their old regulations…And so it’s really an outdated relic of the past, but they just don’t want to give it up because they think it’s going to give you that little extra bit of vapor recovery that you wouldn’t have without it.”

Meanwhile, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is finally at work on regulations for E15 in the state, which had been delayed for so long the legislature took action. Industry consultant Neil Koehler says the process is moving forward.

“We’ve recently had a discussion with CARB staff, and it’s a completely different attitude. It’s not a major rulemaking. It’s a minor rulemaking. We’re going to get it done this year,” said Koehler. “Who knows when it would be effective. It could be January 1 of next year. That would be the earliest, but that’s a lot earlier than had been anticipated, given that they were saying it would be at least a two-year process. So that is very good news.”

Listen to the NEC Unleashing E15 panel, moderated by Robert White, Renewable Fuels Association Senior VP, Industry Relations & Market Development. In addition to Magnasco and Koehler, the panel included Jake Olson, Executive Director of Public Policy, RaceTrac, Inc.

NEC26 Unleashing E15 panel (45:02)

Audio, E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

2025 Ethanol Production Sets Record Along with Exports

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Ethanol production in the United States hit a new record last year, according to the latest data released by the Energy Information Administration, hitting 16.49 billion gallons (bg) in 2025, in response to stronger domestic consumption and record high exports.

The Renewable Fuels Association reports that the U.S. ethanol blend rate jumped to a record 10.51 percent, as domestic usage of ethanol increased to 14.34 bg, up nearly 100 million gallons (mg) from 2024. The increase continued expansion in sales of E15 despite continued seasonal restrictions in parts of the country. It also demonstrates the potential for more rapid growth if Congress passes E15 legislation, according to RFA.

RFA’s Ed Hubbard moderates global panel at NEC

Internationally, U.S. exports of ethanol surged to over 2.18 bg, a 13-percent increase from the previous record set a year earlier. Almost all the ethanol used in the United States was produced domestically, bolstering America’s energy security, as imports were negligible.

At last week’s National Ethanol Conference, panelists from around the world discussed the challenges and exciting opportunities for expanding global ethanol production and use. RFA General Counsel and VP, Government Affairs, Ed Hubbard moderated the panel which represented dynamic key markets for the U.S. industry. “This past year, we’ve had exponential, tremendous exponential growth in ethanol exports, over 300 million in just one year of increased demand. That was on top of last year’s record-breaking 1.9 billion gallons. No one ever thought we’d ever get past 2 billion and we went past it and and then some all the way to 2.18 billion gallons, which is several years ago was unheard of. And each one of those individuals on that stage represented part of that growth,” said Hubbard.

The panel included:
Fred Ghatala, President, Advanced Biofuels Canada Association
Alberto Carmona, CEO and Founder, NixAl Commodities
Federico Salcedo, Regional Ethanol Consultant for Latin America, U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council
Paulo Macedo, Global Managing Director, International Relations, Policy & Advocacy, Raizen

Listen to an interview with Hubbard and the conversation with the panel below:
NEC26 interview - Ed Hubbard, RFA General Counsel (7:09)

NEC26 Global demand panel (56:13)

2026 National Ethanol Conference highlights photo album

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

ACE Offers Tools to Increase Ethanol Usage

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The big topic at the 2026 Commodity Classic last week was the need for year-round, nationwide E15, but despite the roadblocks the number of stations selling higher blends continues to increase, according to American Coalition for Ethanol Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Ron Lamberty.

Education is the way to get more stations in the nation to carry higher ethanol blends, and Lamberty says ACE has a fuel cost calculator for retailers to find out just what that can do for them. “And what we’ve got on there is marketers who’ve sold E15 and E85 and E30 talking about how they sold it, how they gained market share,” said Lamberty. “And the reason it’s important to have it on a website is because about 60% of the stations in the country are owned by single station owners and they work in the station. So they may not be able to go to a fuel market or trade show or a workshop, but they can get online anytime. So those tools are there 24/7.”

ACE also has a compatibility tool so retailers can find out if their equipment is capable of selling higher ethanol blends. “They can plug in the names and numbers of all their equipment they use and find out that it’s all compatible or in some rare cases, it’s not…So there’s all those things and that’s on our website, which is flexfuelforward.com.”

Lamberty noted that no one expects ethanol to completely replace gasoline, but neither can electric vehicles. “Where it makes sense and where you can use E85, use it. Where you can use E15, do that… there’s a tractor here (at Commodity Classic) that runs on E98. And that probably wouldn’t have happened five or 10 years ago because there wasn’t as big a gap between ethanol price and diesel price as there is now. And now you’re looking at diesel prices that are a couple of bucks a gallon more than ethanol. And so it makes sense to maybe run those on E85 now, because even though you’ll have less BTU per gallon, by the time you adjust for the different mileage or hours that you’re running, you’re going to save money.”

Learn more in this interview.
American Coalition for Ethanol Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Ron Lamberty
Classic26 - Ron Lamberty, ACE (15:12)

2026 Commodity Classic Photo Album

ACE, Audio, Commodity Classic

Iran Conflict Shows Need for Year-Round E15

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The conflict in the Middle East is causing crude oil prices to jump, increasing more than 8% Monday on reports that Iran closed the critical Strait of Hormuz, fueling concerns that higher gas prices are on the way for American drivers.

The Renewable Fuels Association renewed its urgent call for Congress to pass legislation to allow the nationwide year-round sale of the lower-cost, American-made E15, a blend with 15 percent ethanol.

“Once again, the events in the Middle East and the spike in oil prices demonstrate this country’s overreliance on foreign sources for our energy,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “We need to take every action we can to insulate our nation from these geopolitically induced price spikes at the pump, and an easy solution is to increase our use of domestically produced ethanol. Congress must pass legislation to allow year-round E15, as President Trump has called them to do. This action has bipartisan and bicameral support, and American consumers demand it.”

In 2025, the U.S. imported 314 million barrels of oil from OPEC countries. If E15 were adopted nationally, Cooper said, the additional ethanol would displace half of this volume.

Kevin Book at the 2026 NEC (RFA photo)

Operation Epic Fury is an example of what energy analyst Kevin Book, ClearView Energy Partners, talked about at the National Ethanol Conference last week, just two days before the United States launched the military campaign against Iran. “The political pendulum swing can make an immense difference in energy markets,” Book said as he concluded his remarks.

Book discussed the importance of the Strait of Hormuz. “This discussion is a non-trivial one, not just because of the 1.6 million barrels per day of liquids that come out of Iran into the world as a part of supply, but also the 16 million barrels of crude alone that transit the Strait of Hormuz, which were exposed in the event of a conflagration and regional escalation,” he said.

Listen to Book’s pre-Epic Fury remarks at NEC:
NEC26 remarks - Kevin Book, ClearView Energy Partners (32:47)

Official RFANEC Photo Album

Audio, E15, Ethanol, National Ethanol Conference, Oil

USDA FAS Administrator Confirms Ethanol Exports Unleashed

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U.S. ethanol exports hit record levels in 2025 and USDA Foreign Agricultural Service administrator Daniel Whitley told ethanol industry representatives last week that the Trump administration is delivering unprecedented public-private support to keep the momentum going.

Speaking at the National Ethanol Conference, Whitley outlined the agency’s three pillars — trade policy, market intelligence, and market development — and highlighted a surge in funding. “Our mission is very simple,” Whitley said. “It’s one sentence: Increase U.S. agricultural exports. That’s it.”

The administration’s new America First Trade Promotion Program (AFTPP) will inject $285 million this year, on top of the $600 million already deployed through the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program and traditional Market Access Program dollars. “We’ve got more money out on the street than ever before in the history of our agency,” Whitley said.

The ethanol industry’s achievements drew special praise. “You guys have just had an amazing year. I think you’ve had the best export year on record at $4.8 billion,” Whitley said, crediting innovation that has pushed blend walls from E5 to E15 in key markets. He noted the very first Trump mission, led by Agriculture Secretary Rollins to the United Kingdom, secured a dedicated tariff-rate quota for U.S. ethanol.

Looking ahead, Whitley pointed to Southeast Asia as the next frontier, citing Vietnam’s move toward E15 and opportunities in Indonesia. “The moment that we get American products into another market, we’ve instantly — and I mean instantly — made the consumers in that market better off,” he said.

Whitley closed with a call to action – participate in every available program and make industry voices heard at the U.S. Trade Representative’s office. With record funding, new trade tools, and strong administration backing, Whitley predicted “many, many, many record years to come” for American ethanol.

NEC26 remarks - Daniel Whitley, USDA (22:34)

2026 National Ethanol Conference highlights photo album

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Exports, National Ethanol Conference, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA, USDA

RFA Chair Optimistic for Ethanol Industry

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At the National Ethanol Conference in Orlando last week, the chairman of the Renewable Fuels Association expressed optimism about the industry going forward despite the current challenges getting E15 legislation passed by Congress.

“We all feel a little bit disappointed maybe where E15 is nationally and in California, but the reality is there’s so much optimism to be had if you really look back the accomplishments we’ve made it’s incredible and the opportunities that are sitting in front of us,” said Derek Peine, CEO of Western Plains Energy in Oakley, Kansas. “Just be optimistic. There is so much work being done behind the scenes, there’s so much talent doing that work. The opportunity for E15 is at our doorstep and we will accomplish it.”

Peine is very optimistic about the young talent in the ethanol industry, evidenced by the ten scholarship recipients chosen to attend the NEC this year. “I think that’s really key for this industry. It’s one of the things I like about the industry is as we’re now growing, the RFS is 20 plus years old now. There’s still a lot of innovation occurring…I think for young professionals to come in, this is a great industry that has a lot of freedom to make decisions, and you can stay in rural America and have that great career.”

NEC26 interview - Derek Peine, RFA Chairman (3:54)

2026 National Ethanol Conference highlights photo album

Audio, E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

2026 Ethanol Industry Outlook and Pocket Guide Released

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The Renewable Fuels Association released its 2026 Ethanol Industry Outlook and Pocket Guide at the 31st annual National Ethanol Conference in Orlando last week. These publications serve as the go-to source of ethanol industry information, facts, and statistics, and follow the NEC theme of “Ethanol Unleashed.”

The Annual Ethanol Outlook provides the facts and data on ethanol’s benefits, as well as the roadmap for expanding those benefits through the removal of barriers and roadblocks to increased ethanol production and use worldwide. The Outlook also features an updated listing of all U.S. ethanol biorefineries.

RFA Chief Economist Scott Richman says they have been producing the annual Outlook publication since 2001. “RFA is known for providing substantive information to the industry. It helps with the range of stakeholders, both in terms of policymakers, also those in the industry having a common point of reference, but also when we’re talking to the public,” said Richman.

Richman says getting this information in the right hands is especially important right now. “Rural America, farm communities are hurting and these reports frame how important the ethanol industry is to corn and sorghum growers and shed light on where we stand now and how much more the potential is. Fifteen percent ethanol, it wouldn’t happen overnight, but you know, if we get two or three hundred million bushels of additional usage in the near term and could be 2.4 billion bushels of usage in the long term, that would be very important to growers that are suffering with very tight margins right now and would just increase our impact in rural America.”

Learn more in this interview from NEC:
NEC26 interview - Scott Richman, RFA Chief Economist (6:53)

2026 National Ethanol Conference highlights photo album

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Rollins Shows Support for E15 at Commodity Classic

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Sec. Rollins holds up E15 pin during address at Commodity Classic

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins delivered a strong endorsement of biofuels Thursday at the 2026 Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas, calling on Congress to pass nationwide, year-round E15 legislation as a critical driver of domestic demand for corn, soy and sorghum.

Rollins credited President Trump’s first-day declaration of a national energy emergency, which identified biofuels as key to extending fuel supplies and reducing pump prices. The administration has maximized regulatory tools, including emergency E15 waivers, but she stressed that permanent change requires congressional action.

“Congress must now do its job and pass nationwide year-round E15 legislation to continue to drive domestic crop demand,” Rollins told the crowd. “We are doing everything we can to make sure the message is heard loud and clear on Capitol Hill that there is no excuse. It is time to pass year-round E15. And what a win-win that is for our farmers and for our consumers.”

Rollins highlighted the EPA’s proposed record-high renewable volume obligation (RVO) under the Renewable Fuel Standard, with the Set 2 rule sent to the White House and expected to be finalized by the end of March. This would provide long-term certainty and increased demand for American biofuels feedstocks.

Rollins also pointed to the extension of 45Z clean fuel production tax credits through 2029 in the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” USDA is finalizing its regenerative feedstock rule to enable farmers using sustainable practices to capture premium prices for their crops. Another positive Rollins noted was ethanol exports, which rose 11% in 2025, as the administration pursues more trade opportunities worldwide.

The secretary’s remarks drew applause from the record crowd at Classic in her home state of Texas, many sporting “E15 NOW” buttons, underscoring the priority for corn growers and ethanol advocates.

Listen to Sec. Rollins’ address below:
Classic26 - Sec. Rollins (40:30)

2026 Commodity Classic Photo Album

Audio, biofuels, Commodity Classic, corn, E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News, USDA

SAF Pioneer LanzaJet Honored with RFA Industry Award

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

Pioneering sustainable aviation fuel producer LanzaJet received the Renewable Fuels Association’s 2026 Industry Award at the National Ethanol Conference in Orlando this week. Last year the company became the world’s first to produce jet fuel from ethanol at a commercial-scale facility.

The LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels facility in Soperton, Georgia, has an annual production capacity of 10 million gallons of alcohol-to-jet SAF, and it remains the only biorefinery currently producing ethanol-based SAF in the United States. LanzaJet CEO Jimmy Samartzis was at the National Ethanol Conference to receive the award; Meg Witty, vice president of corporate and government affairs, represents the company on RFA’s board of directors.

LanzaJet is supported by a broad range of investors and funders, including Airbus, All Nippon Airways, British Airways, LanzaTech, Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund, Mitsui & Co., Shell, Southwest Airlines, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the UK Department for Transport. The company also has been recognized for its impact by TIME, Fortune, MIT, Reuters, S&P Global, and others.

“We’ve made history by, for the first time ever, creating jet fuel that meets the same standards as fossil-based jet fuel with something that’s not oil,” said Samartzis in an interview at NEC. “Ethanol is just an absolutely wonderful molecule that enables us to do that and do that efficiently and to meet the specs. So the opportunity for the United States to stand out as a leader, not only with domestic production, but also as an exporter of ethanol to meet the demands globally is a significant one. And I’d like to believe that we as a company in our technology is a beacon of hope for our farmers and the ethanol producers in our country.”

Learn more about LanzaJet in this interview.
NEC26 interview - Jimmy Samartzis, LanzaJet (3:04)

2026 National Ethanol Conference photo album

Audio, aviation biofuels, biojet fuel, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA, SAF