Labor Day signaled the unofficial end of summer and the official end of the Renewable Fuels Association’s (RFA) third annual “Ethanol Days of Summer” contest. The three-month contest offered consumers the chance to win $50 in free fuel per day, and more than 3,100 new users of E85prices.com registered and helped report prices for higher ethanol blends like E15 and …
Steps to a Biorefinery
Diversifying ethanol plants into biorefineries was an important topic at the recent American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) annual meeting in Omaha, as a strategy moving forward. Steps to a Biorefinery was a panel at the conference with leading technology providers and producers discussing strategies for ethanol producers to diversify, become more efficient, and remain profitable well into the future. Among …
Political Pollster Plugs E85
Political consultant, pollster, and “public opinion guru” Frank Luntz gave a surprising plug for the use of E85 (85 percent ethanol blended fuel) and the need for more flex fuel vehicles (FFVs) during an appearance on FOX News Channel’s The Ingraham Angle with Laura Ingraham last Thursday. “There’s a gasoline, E85, it’s ethanol,” said Luntz during an interview about the …
Court Rules Against NBB on Small Refinery Exemptions
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 …