Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was in Jefferson City, Missouri yesterday to announce $1 billion in partnerships to support America’s climate-smart farmers, ranchers and forest landowners. The new Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities opportunity will finance pilot projects that create market opportunities for U.S. agricultural and forestry products that use climate-smart practices and include innovative, cost-effective ways to measure and verify greenhouse …
Ethanol Plant-Turned-World-Class-Distiller Sells
An ethanol plant that has become one of the largest producers of grain-based, high quality specialty alcohols in the country now has a new owner. CC Industries, Inc. (“CCI”) recently announced that it has acquired CIE. Headquartered in Marion, Indiana, CIE operates a world-class, commercial-scale distillery, which serves customers from Fortune 500 spirit, food and fragrance brands to niche artisan …
Coalition Urges RFS Update for Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Membersof the Business Aviation Coalition for Sustainable Aviation Fuel are urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide greater opportunities for the development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan in response to a request for comments on a proposed RFS rule, the Business Aviation Coalition for …
Ethanol Groups Submit Comments on Proposed RVOs
Ethanol organizations submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency Friday on its Proposed Volume Standards for 2020, 2021, and 2022 under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The Renewable Fuels Association expressed strong support for the agency’s proposed 2022 renewable volume obligations (RVO) while opposing the proposed retroactive reduction of the previously finalized 2020 RVO requirements. RFA President and CEO Geoff …
Iowa House Passes Biofuel Access Bill
Iowa moved one step closer this week to higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel statewide as the Iowa State House passed the 2022 Biofuel Access Bill by an overwhelming bipartisan majority. Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw says they are urging the state Senate to take the bill up quickly. “We also want to thank Gov. Reynolds for …
MN Ethanol Industry Bounces Back in 2021
Minnesota’s ethanol production and demand recovered last year from the slowdown in 2020, producing 1.27 billion gallons of ethanol in 2021, 33 percent higher than 2020’s volume, according to a new study by the University of Minnesota Extension. The study found the ethanol industry contributed $1.3 billion in income for Minnesota residents while paying $123 million in state and local …
RFA Partners with Hauk Designs on Flex-Fuel Can-Am UTV
The Renewable Fuels Association is once again working with Hauk Designs on a new project that takes higher blends of ethanol to new places. Following the successful flex-fuel Jeep Wrangler project in 2019, RFA and the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council are working together on a new Can-Am X3 project running on low-carbon E85 fuel, to be featured on Season 4 …
Nuseed and bp Contract for Carinata as Biofuel Feedstock
Nuseed and BP Products North America (bp) have entered into a 10-year strategic agreement for the use of Carinata oil in the production of sustainable biofuels. Nuseed Carinata is a non-food cover crop that can be used to produce low-carbon biofuel feedstock that is independently certified, sustainable and scalable. Increased global demand for biofuels is being driven by the need …
Senators Urge Support for RFS
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators led by Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) sent a letter this week urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prioritize the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and to support biofuels. Specifically, the lawmakers call on the Biden administration to maintain the blending requirements for 2022; deny all pending Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs); eliminate …
EPA to Host Biofuel Greenhouse Gas Modeling Workshop
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hosting a virtual public workshop on biofuel greenhouse gas (GHG) modeling February 28 – March 1. This workshop seeks to solicit information on the current scientific understanding of greenhouse gas modeling of land-based biofuels and how this information can be applied to a range of current and future actions. EPA is explicitly seeking comment …