Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit dismissed a petition filed by the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) on regarding the 2018 Renewable Fuel Standard rule EPA’s refusal to properly account for retroactive small refinery exemptions. The Court dismissed NBB’s petition on the technicality that the biofuel industry did not comment on the topic and provide EPA …
Ethanol Report DC Update
Ethanol continues to be in the national news with President Trump indicating he will be announcing some type of small refinery waiver mitigation for the industry, as demands that the gallons waived be reallocated increase. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Geoff Cooper was in Washington DC this week and in this edition of The Ethanol Report he gives …
Biodiesel Industry Spotlights Waiver Pain
The biodiesel industry wants the administration to understand that they are hurting as much or more than ethanol producers as a result of EPA’s small refinery exemptions (SRE). National Biodiesel Board (NBB) CEO Donnell Rehagen and Vice President of Federal Affairs Kurt Kovarik hosted a conference call with reporters Thursday to discuss the impact of small refinery exemptions on biodiesel …
Governors Suggest Waiver Mitigation Actions
The Governors’ Biofuels Coalition is offering some advice to President Donald Trump on how to mitigate the effects of the small refinery waivers on ethanol and biodiesel producers. Coalition chair and vice chair, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, sent a letter recommending actions the President might include in his promised “giant package” of initiatives for …
Nebraska Retailers Event Shows E15 Interest
As the first summer of nation-wide approved E15 use winds to an end, a fuel retailer workshop hosted last week by the Nebraska Ethanol Board (NEB) and American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) showed a lot of interest in learning more about offering the fuel. ACE Senior Vice President Ron Lamberty, a former fuel retailer, keynoted the workshop which included testimonies …
Ethanol Exports Drop 6% in July
U.S. ethanol exports were down six percent in July, but the bulk of a 44% drop in shipments to Brazil was almost made up by in gains in other markets, according to data issued by the government and analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). Canada was the top destination for U.S. ethanol for the third consecutive month. Shipments increased …
New Next Gen Biodiesel Scientist Leaders
The Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel (NGSB) program has selected students from Iowa State and National University as new co-chairs. Sam Kramer is a chemical engineering and economics undergraduate at ISU, who helped get the school’s unique “BioBus” program going again after a long hiatus. “The world needs more capable and caring engineers,” Kramer said. “Programs like NGSB and our …
Clariant Tests Miscanthus for Cellulosic Ethanol
Clariant announced it has successfully concluded tests on miscanthus provided by INA, Croatia’s leading oil and gas company, that was shipped for processing to Clariant’s pre-commercial sunliquid plant in Germany for conversion into lignocellulosic sugars and ethanol. Final results prove that the sunliquid technology can successfully convert miscanthus biomass into lignocellulosic sugars and ethanol, confirming the benefits of the sugar …
LCFS Regulators Get Midwest Corn and Ethanol Tour
The National Corn Growers Association and Renewable Fuels Association hosted Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) regulators from the California Air Resources Board and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality last week in Nebraska and Iowa to highlight corn and ethanol production advancements in decarbonization. Also taking part in the tour were representatives of leading environmental non-profit organizations. The group heard …
U.S. Ethanol Groups Unimpressed by Brazil’s Action
Brazil will allow another 150 million liters of U.S. ethanol imports into the country each year before charging a 20% import tariff, increasing the tariff rate quota (TRQ) to 750 million from 600 million liters per year, but U.S. trade and ethanol organizations are unimpressed. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper says maintaining any protectionist trade barrier represents …