It’s been a rough year for ethanol but the industry continues to move forward.
The hundreds of ethanol industry representatives at the 21st Ethanol Conference and Trade Show this week were “cautiously positive” about the future, according to American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) executive vice president Brian Jennings.
“They recognize some of the volatility we are facing, they recognize that we are a commodity that has to deal with peaks and valleys,” said Jennings. “But I think there is also a commitment that we need to continue to pull together to move this industry forward.”
He says that ACE is working closely with both the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) to present a united front and accomplish the goals of the industry.
Jennings displayed a couple of quotes during his address to the conference. “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but not their own facts,” attributed to Daniel Patrick Moynihan, which Jennings said was exemplified in last week’s decision by the EPA to deny a waiver of the Renewable Fuels Standard.
Another was Winston Churchill’s famous “If you’re going through hell, just keep going.” Jennings says the point there is that “nothing that is significant is easy to accomplish” and the industry just needs to keep going in the face of the negative publicity.
While attendance at the conference was down a bit this year compared to last year, Jennings is already looking forward to a better year ahead and next year’s conference, which will be in Milwaukee on August 11-13.
Listen to an interview with Brian Jennings here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/ace/ace-brian.mp3]