Congress and Industry Recognize RFS 20th Anniversary

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A bi-partisan, bicameral resolution was introduced in Congress to recognize the 20th Anniversary of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and its foundational role in strengthening the United States’ energy security, supporting rural communities, and growing the American economy.

Congressman Max Miller (R-OH) led the resolution in the House, joined by Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL), Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) Rep. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Rep. Mike Flood (R-NE), Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Rep. Zack Nunn (R-IA), and Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE). The Senate companion bill is led by Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) along with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN).

Commenting on the anniversary today, Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper said, “Over the past two decades, the Renewable Fuel Standard has delivered tremendous benefits for our nation—reducing dependence on foreign oil, lowering fuel costs for consumers, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs across rural America, and strengthening the agricultural economy. It has spurred market competition and expanded choices at the pump for drivers nationwide.”

RFA published a report on ethanol industry successes since this landmark policy was put into place and released a podcast interview with Cooper about the importance of the RFS and its achievements.

Clean Fuels Alliance America, formally the National Biodiesel Board, also commemorated the anniversary today and applauded the congressional resolution.

Clean Fuels Vice President of Federal Affairs Kurt Kovarik said, “Under the RFS over the last twenty years, U.S. biodiesel and renewable diesel production has grown from a few hundred million gallons to 5 billion gallons, meeting 9 percent of the nation’s on-road diesel demand. Biodiesel and renewable diesel production is vital for America’s economy, supporting $42.4 billion in economic opportunity. It is essential to America’s farmers, supporting 10 percent of the value of every soybean grown in the United States. With robust RFS volumes proposed for the coming years, the benefits keep growing.”

Also celebrating the milestone today is the National Corn Growers Association. NCGA and state corn grower groups were on the forefront of the issue in the 1990s and early 2000s, pushing for a national law that would allow use of biofuels in the nation’s fuel supply.

“Since it was signed into law, the Renewable Fuel Standard has provided immeasurable benefits to Americans,” said Illinois farmer and NCGA President Kenneth Hartman Jr. “It has dramatically increased demand for corn, provided significant savings to consumers at the pump and strengthened America’s energy dominance.”

“There is more work to be done if we are going to fully unleash the power and benefits of ethanol,” Hartman said. “But today, we are going to celebrate a hard-fought victory that has resulted in countless benefits for corn growers and indeed all Americans.”

Biodiesel, biofuels, Clean Fuels Alliance, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NCGA

Happy 20th Anniversary to the RFS

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President George W. Bush holds the box containing the energy bill after signing the H.R. 6, The Energy Policy Act of 2005 at Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, Aug. 8, 2005. (White House photo)

It took a Texas oil man to finally unleash the power of renewable fuels.

In the aftermath of 9/11, energy independence became a driving force for President George W. Bush, and he saw the potential for our nation’s productive farmers to help attain that goal.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 was signed on August 8 of that year at Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico symbolizing a new approach to energy economics and security, diversifying our transportation fuel supply by incentivizing ethanol and biodiesel.

“The bill includes a flexible, cost-effective renewable fuel standard that will double the amount of ethanol and biodiesel in our fuel supply over the next seven years,” said President Bush. “Using ethanol and biodiesel will leave our air cleaner. And every time we use a home-grown fuel, particularly these, we’re going to be helping our farmers, and at the same time, be less dependent on foreign sources of energy.”

In 2005, there were 81 ethanol plants in the United States, production was less than 4 billion gallons a year, and corn was averaging $2 per bushel. Three years later, in 2008, production was 9.4 billion gallons with almost 140 plants on-line and corn was $7 a bushel.

President Bush understood the American farmer and he understood that fuel could be made from crops and that it could help make our country more energy independent.

“I like to say that someday a President is going to pick up the crop report and they’re going to say we’re growing a lot of corn, and — or soybeans — and the first thing that’s going to pop in the President’s mind is, we’re less dependent on foreign sources of energy. It makes sense to promote ethanol and biodiesel.”

(Introduction to “Ethanol: America’s Fuel”)

Listen to part of Pres. Bush’s remarks 20 years ago today:
Pres. Bush 2005 Energy Bill Signing 3:17

Audio, Biodiesel, biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFS

The ACE Offers Pre-Conference Open House

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The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) 38th annual conference is coming up August 20–22 at The Canopy by Hilton in downtown Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This year’s agenda offers a strong lineup of sessions focused on the most pressing topics and emerging opportunities in biofuels, as well as an added Open House and Project Launch at the AgriEnergy Innovations ethanol plant in Luverne, Minnesota, on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 20.

This event, co-hosted between AgriEnergy and CapCO₂ Solutions, celebrates the launch of a collaborative effort to convert ethanol plant CO₂ waste into green methanol. The Luverne facility is being developed as a biofuels innovation hub, showcasing technologies—including CapCO2’s green methanol platform—with the goal of driving new value for producers, rural communities, and the broader ethanol economy.

“The Luverne Agri-Energy Bio Production Facility is an ideal place to prove out new technologies like CapCO₂ Solutions,” said David Kolsrud, ACE Board Member and Director of Badger State Ethanol. “The CapCO₂ Green Methanol project and many other opportunities abound with the facility due to its highly specialized equipment and focus on the next generation of biofuels.”

The full conference agenda includes sessions on a wide variety of topics, from 45Z tax credit implementation to low-carbon farming practices, global market expansion, next-gen biofuels and technologies, and producer-driven innovation, as well as U.S. Congressman Dusty Johnson (R-SD) as a keynote speaker on Thursday, August 21.

Learn more about the conference in the interview below and click here to get details and registration information.

2025 ACE conference preview - Katie Muckenhirn (4:55)

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RFA Supports EPA’s Proposed RFS Volumes

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The Renewable Fuels Association submitted detailed comments to the Environmental Protection Agency this week expressing strong support for the agency’s proposed Renewable Fuel Standard volumes for 2026 and 2027, while also recommending slight modifications to the agency’s plan for prioritizing American-made renewable fuels over import-based fuels.

RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper wrote that the proposed volumes “will provide the ethanol industry with room for growth as gasoline blends containing 15 percent ethanol (E15) continue to gain momentum in the marketplace. Expanding the use of domestically produced renewable fuels like ethanol is key to achieving President Trump’s vision for lower fuel prices, a stronger agriculture industry, and American energy dominance.”

RFA’s comments voice support for EPA’s goal of prioritizing domestic renewable fuels and feedstocks over imported renewable fuels and feedstocks. However, the association believes certain modifications are needed to EPA’s proposed approach to better reflect market complexities in the wake of other recent policy developments, such as the Trump administration’s tariff implementation, modifications of renewable fuel tax credits under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and the significant increase in the proposed RVO for biomass-based diesel.

“In the wake of these policy changes, we encourage EPA to consider refocusing potential RIN adjustments more narrowly on imports of finished renewable fuel from countries outside of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as fuels made from certain imported feedstocks (sourced from certain countries of origin) that pose the greatest risk to the integrity of the RFS program,” Cooper wrote. The comments also point out that since corn and sorghum imports are virtually non-existent, EPA’s proposed “feedstock point of origin” tracking requirements are impractical and completely unnecessary for certain renewable fuels like grain-based ethanol.

Read more from RFA.

EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA, RFS

Lawmakers Introduce Ethanol for America Act

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Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) this week introduced the bipartisan Ethanol for America Act to eliminate unnecessary barriers and make it easier for Americans to fuel their vehicles with homegrown E15.

The legislation would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to finalize rulemaking from 2021 to make the E15 fuel label clearer and more consumer-oriented. It would also confirm the compatibility of E15 with existing underground fuel storage and dispensing equipment, ensuring business owners are not required to make costly and unnecessary infrastructure changes.

Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) have co-signed this bill. Representatives Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) and Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.) introduced this legislation in the U.S. House.

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper thanked the lawmakers for introducing the legislation, which he says would lower pump prices for American consumers, bolster U.S. energy security, and open new markets for our nation’s family farmers. “The most effective way to keep a lid on gas prices is to expand and diversify the domestic fuel supply with higher ethanol blends like E15. Knocking down regulatory barriers and allowing E15 to be stored and distributed in existing infrastructure will lower fuel costs for Americans and strengthen the market’s resilience against global supply disruptions.”

In a June letter to President Trump, Cooper detailed how outdated regulatory barriers are blocking larger volumes of ethanol and fuel blends like lower-cost, American-made E15 from reaching the marketplace. “Confusing and restrictive E15 infrastructure regulations remain in place, leading many U.S. retail station operators to mistakenly believe they must upgrade or replace their existing fuel dispensers, storage tanks, or other equipment before they can offer E15,” he wrote. “This hesitancy to offer E15 persists despite a substantial body of research demonstrating that the vast majority of existing equipment in the market today is fully compatible with E15.”

E15, EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

RFA CEO Responds to EPA Endangerment Finding Proposal

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Last week, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin released a new proposal to rescind the 2009 Endangerment Finding, which would effectively repeal all vehicle greenhouse gas standards. It would also mark one of the largest deregulatory actions in American history.

According to EPA, the Endangerment Finding is the legal prerequisite used by previous administrations to regulate emissions from new motor vehicles and new motor vehicle engines. Without the finding, EPA would lack statutory authority under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) to prescribe standards for greenhouse gas emissions.  

Some reports have speculated that rescinding the finding would also impact the Renewable Fuel Standard, which was authorized under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and expanded by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Geoff Cooper disagrees.

“Congress’s main objective with the renewable fuel standard was around energy independence and energy security and reducing the need for imported sources of energy, so that’s not affected at all by what EPA is proposing now on the endangerment finding,” said Cooper in the latest edition of The Ethanol Report podcast. “That’s very different than what what EPA did with tailpipe standards. Congress never gave them specific or explicit direction on tailpipe standards, so bottom line is we don’t see what EPA is proposing to do on the endangerment finding really having any impact at all on the Renewable Fuel Standard because again, the RFS has other purposes.”

Cooper believes EPA’s move is clearly a reaction to what the Biden Administration did on tailpipe standards. “They used the tailpipe standard regulatory framework to effectively force electrification of our transportation sector and effectively phase out and eliminate liquid fuels and and liquid-fueled vehicles.”

Listen to Cooper’s comments here:
RFA CEO Cooper on EPA Endangerment Finding 6:09

EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA, RFS

U.S. Grains Council Changes Name to Cover Ethanol

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The U.S. Grains Council is officially changing its name to the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC).

“The Council stands on the precipice, and there is the opportunity for exponential growth with becoming the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council,” said Ryan LeGrand, U.S. Grains and BioProducts Council CEO and President. “The U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council encompasses both the organization’s grains side and ethanol side to create one global powerhouse organization.”

“This organizational name change will open doors previously closed to us – those in the energy space for which our ethanol team are diligently trying to gain access to so we can spur sales in ways that we haven’t been able to in the past.”

The name change was passed by delegates at the 65th Annual Board of Delegates Meeting last week. The Council was originally founded in 1960 as the U.S. Feed Grains Council in order to develop new markets for U.S. coarse grains and co-products. The name was changed to the U.S. Grains Council in 1998.

“We have paid special attention to choosing the right name without abandoning the 65 years of brand equity our members and our past leaders have worked so hard to create,” LeGrand said.

U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council is a non-profit organization that promotes the global use of U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including ethanol and distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS).

With offices in nine countries, the Council operates programs in more than 50 countries and the European Union. The Council supports global economic development through partnerships, enabling U.S. agriculture’s profitability.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Exports, USGC

Ethanol Report on the RFS at Twenty

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The Energy Policy Act of 2005 was signed by President George W. Bush on August 8 of that year at Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico – symbolizing a new approach to energy economics and security, diversifying our transportation fuel supply by incentivizing ethanol and biodiesel by initiating the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

This month marks the 20th anniversary of the RFS, as well as the Renewable Fuels Association’s long history of developing, supporting, and defending this successful landmark policy. RFA summarizes the results of the RFS at Twenty, which include: lower gas prices, more energy independence, stronger farms, and cleaner air.

RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper discusses the milestone in a new blog post and in this edition of The Ethanol Report podcast. Cooper also comments on EPA’s proposal to rescind the 2009 “endangerment finding” on greenhouse gas emissions and what its impact might be for the RFS.

Ethanol Report 8-4-25 27:41

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, biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA, RFS

ACE Annual Conference Offers Homefield Advantage

Cindy Zimmerman

This year’s American Coalition for Ethanol 38th annual conference is being held in the organization’s hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, August 20–22, 2025, at the Canopy by Hilton, and the theme is “Homefield Advantage.”

“That theme really captures the edge ethanol has as a homegrown American-made energy solution,” said Katie Muckenhirn, ACE Vice President of Public Affairs. “From delivering value to rural communities, to helping decarbonize fuel, this theme really emphasizes that our industry’s power is local and that’s our advantage.”

Muckenhirn says they chose to have the conference in Sioux Falls this year for several reasons. “Sioux Falls is the home turf for our staff and a lot of our members and partners aren’t too far away so we wanted to switch it up,” she said. “Sioux Falls opened up a beautiful new venue downtown. So we’re super excited to showcase why we love living here to new and returning visitors.”

They are pleased to be able to welcome U.S. Congressman Dusty Johnson (R-SD) as a keynote speaker on Thursday, August 21. “He brings a strong sense of advocacy for rural America. He’s worked to advance legislation that supports ethanol, expands access to higher blends like E-15, and just overall strength in U.S. energy security,” said Muckenhirn.

The agenda is packed with general session highlights such as diving into the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit, conservation-based market opportunities, global ethanol trade developments, projects and campaigns advancing higher blends, the latest research on ethanol’s role in reducing cancer risk, and corn oil recovery strategies.

Learn more about the conference in the interview below and click here to get details and registration information.

2025 ACE conference preview - Katie Muckenhirn (4:55)

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RFA Applauds Trump Trade Deal with EU

Cindy Zimmerman

The trade deal with the European Union (EU) announced this week by President Trump was welcomed by the Renewable Fuels Association as “an important step toward opening the market for lower-cost, American-made renewable fuels in the 27 countries represented by the EU.”

“We thank President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for reaching this important agreement over the weekend, and we are encouraged to see U.S. ethanol mentioned as part of the deal,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper, commenting on a social media post by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, who noted that the deal includes the purchase of $750 billion in U.S. energy, including ethanol, and would reduce America’s $24 billion agriculture trade deficit with the EU.

“As our nation’s corn growers prepare for what is likely to be a record harvest, we stand ready to produce larger volumes of cleaner-burning ethanol and valuable co-products like distillers grains for customers around the world,” Cooper added. “When markets are open and trade policies are fair, everybody wins. The U.S. ethanol industry looks forward to working with our partners in Europe to continue growing the global production and use of renewable fuels, which are simply more reliable and more affordable than many other energy alternatives.”

The European Union has been a major importer of U.S. ethanol in recent years, ranking third with 197 million gallons imported last year. The EU’s 2024 imports of U.S. ethanol represented a 54 percent increase over 2023. When it comes to distillers grains, the EU ranked sixth last year, purchasing 684 million metric tons of U.S. product, 46 percent above the prior year.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Exports, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA