The emergency fuel waiver issued by the Environmental Protection Agency to allow sales of E15 this summer will help American consumers save money at the pump, while also cutting greenhouse gas emissions and harmful tailpipe pollution, but the Renewable Fuels Association says a permanent legislative solution is still necessary. The emergency waiver issued Friday follows a concerted effort by RFA …
Ethanol Industry Pleased EPA Issues Summer E15 Waiver
The Environmental Protection Agency today issued a waiver to allow E15 (15 percent ethanol fuel) to continue to be sold this summer. The temporary waiver under the Clean Air Act was issued “to address extreme and unusual fuel supply circumstances caused by a confluence of events, including the ongoing war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East, that are …
USTR Working on Brazil Market Access for U.S. Ethanol
During a Senate Finance Committee hearing this week, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) asked U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Katherine Tai about the Biden administration’s “abdication of leadership on trade” and urged her to work on getting Brazil to lower tariffs on U.S. ethanol. “The last time you appeared before this committee I urged you to negotiate lower tariffs on ethanol …
Year-Round E15 Act Introduced in House
The Year-Round E15 Act was introduced this week in the U.S. House by Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) together with colleagues Adrian Smith (R-NE), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Brad Finstad (R-MN), Eric Sorensen (D-IL), and Don Bacon (R-NE). The legislation would allow for retail sales of E15 this summer across eight Midwestern states which EPA has approved for the Reid Vapor Pressure …
Iowa Ag Secretary Urges EPA to Approve Summer E15
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig this week sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan urging him to immediately sign an “emergency waiver” to allow summer sales of E15 (15% ethanol fuel) this year. In February, the EPA approved a request by Governor Reynolds and seven other Midwest governors to allow the sale of E15 fuel …
U.S.-Japan Alliance Includes Ethanol as Carbon Reducer
President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last week announced several new strategic initiatives to further advance the U.S.-Japan Alliance, including the importance of ethanol as a decarbonization solution within the transportation sector. A Joint Leaders’ Statement issued by the White House stated, “We intend to advance widespread adoption of innovative new clean energy technologies, and seek to …
RFA Concerned About Loss of USDA Reports
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is urging USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to reconsider its plan announced last week to discontinue all County Estimates for Crops and Livestock beginning with the 2024 production year. “With the rapid emergence of state and federal climate policies that will compel ethanol producers to carefully track certain feedstock characteristics, the availability of robust …
More Voices Push for Summer E15 Waivers
This week, 46 members of Congress and 15 Iowa fuel retailers added their voices to those urging the Biden administration to issue waivers to permit the sale of E15 for the 2024 summer driving season. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-SD) and two dozen other members of the U.S. House sent a letter calling on President Biden to direct EPA to allow …
WASDE Increases Corn for Ethanol Use
USDA’s April World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) released Thursday forecasts greater corn used for ethanol and feed and residual use and smaller ending stocks. Corn used for ethanol is raised 25 million bushels to 5.4 billion based on data through February from the Grain Crushings and Co-Products Production report and weekly ethanol production data as reported by the …
Grassley Hearing GREET Model Update Rumors
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley is unhappy with what he has been hearing about the GREET model updates for sustainable aviation fuel expected soon from the Biden Administration. “We understand that this model might say that you can use (corn as a) feedstock but it will have to be grown in one of three conditions – minimum tillage, cover crops, or …