Minnesota farmer and Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company (CVEC) board member Dale Tolifson passed away April 23. He was 73 years old. Tolifson was a founding member of CVEC and had served on the board since 1996. He was chairman of the board from 1997 until 2009. Dale also served on the board of directors for Minnesota Corn Growers and the …
NFU Concerned E15 Waiver Will Impact Higher Blends
National Farmers Union (NFU) is concerned EPA’s proposed rule allowing year-round use of E15 gasoline will make it harder for retailers to sell higher level blends of ethanol. In a letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, NFU President Roger Johnson urged EPA to rewrite a provision contained within the rule that could amount to a cap on ethanol. It is …
Teaching Biofuels in Schools
Growth Energy, in partnership with the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE), has just released a new curriculum aimed at educating high school students about biofuels. The curriculum is the first industry-supported biofuels curriculum that provides students a guided in-classroom experience and will offer ag educators the tools needed to provide students with an array of technical skills and historical …
Iowa Says No to More SREs
Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig and Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw held a press conference Wednesday to discuss how EPA granting more pending small-refinery exemptions (SRE) would irreversibly undermine the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Speaking at Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy near Council Bluffs, Shaw pointed out that in recent weeks refineries could have complied with their obligation …
39 Reasons for EPA to Just Say No to More SREs
With the Environmental Protection Agency considering 39 pending petitions for 2018 Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs), the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has helpfully provided the agency with 39 reasons to turn them all down. The list starts with 53 – The number of refinery waivers EPA granted for the 2016 and 2017 compliance years since early 2018, and ends with …
SW Iowa Renewable Energy Sows Seeds for Monarchs
Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy (SIRE) is one step closer to providing monarch butterflies with a new place to fill up on their cross-country journey. The ethanol plant seeded their Monarch Fueling Station this week with the help of local farmer Rick Frost. Habitat Establishment Coordinator Kevin Reynolds helped SIRE established the Monarch Fueling Station last year. “The first year there …
EPA Revisits Proposal to Publish Refinery Waiver Info
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking comment on the current process for issuing Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs) that would allowing names of refineries who have applied for and received waivers to be made public in an effort to expand transparency. EPA has reopened the comment period for 15 days on one aspect of a 2016 proposal “that basic information …
Grassley Questions DOE on SRE Review Process
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) sent a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Rick Perry this week asking for clarity about the department’s review process concerning Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Small Refinery Exemption (SRE) requests. “EPA has granted an unprecedented number of small refinery hardship exemptions for 2016 and 2017 and even more small refineries are seeking exemptions from the …
Retailers in Mexico Oil Country Learn About Ethanol
American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Senior Vice President Ron Lamberty was back in Mexico teaching retailers about ethanol this week, this time in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the capital and largest city of the southeast Mexico state of Chiapas. This is the third time Lamberty has traveled to Mexico so far this year to speak at ethanol technical information forums for Mexican …
RFA Earns Seventh Straight TRANSCAER® Award
For the seventh consecutive year, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has received a TRANSCAER® National Achievement Award for its industry-leading ethanol safety program. RFA hosted numerous ethanol safety training events in 2018, giving more than 1,800 emergency responders the tools and information they need to effectively respond to any incidents involving fuel ethanol. The TRANSCAER® National Achievement Award is given …