The 2018 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit featured an exciting speaker line-up of high-level biofuels industry experts to discuss a “Brighter Future with Biofuels.” The one-day event on January 30 at the Prairie Meadows Conference Center brought together 65 sponsors and vendors and over 800 attendees. If you, like me, were unable to attend the summit because of all the other …
Reaction to President Trump’s SOTU
President Donald Trump did mention energy in his first State of the Union address, albeit briefly. “We have ended the war on American energy, and we have ended the war on beautiful clean coal,” said the president. “We are now very proudly an exporter of energy to the world.” Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen appreciates the …
IA and MN Governors to Head Biofuels Coalition
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds will serve as chair and Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton will serve as vice chair of the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition for 2018. “I look forward to working with Governor Dayton to advance the bipartisan work of the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition, as the production and use of biofuels increases family incomes in rural America, diversifies our nation’s energy …
RFA: RFS Not to Blame for Refinery Bankruptcy
Philadelphia Energy Solutions, (PES) the largest oil refinery on the east coast, filed for bankruptcy protection last week, blaming the Renewable Fuel Standard for its financial problems, but Renewable Fuels Association CEO Bob Dinneen disagrees. In an op-ed in The Hill today, Dinneen says PES has no one to blame but itself. “PES operates one of the nation’s oldest refineries, …
Ethanol Report on RFA Educational Efforts
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is targeting boaters and future drivers in educational efforts for 2018 with the renewal of its co-title sponsorship of the Crappie Masters Tournament Trail, and the launch of an on-line Ethanol in the Classroom program. In this edition of The Ethanol Report podcast, RFA Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White talks about the importance …
New Report Highlights Biodiesel Sustainability
A new study on biodiesel’s lifecycle energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission effects updates and reaffirms the long-understood benefits of using the renewable fuel. Results confirm that biodiesel compared to petroleum diesel reduces GHG emissions by 72 percent and fossil fuel use by 80 percent. The study, which was released as the National Biodiesel Conference kicked off last week, is …
RFA Cites Small Refiner Exemption Concerns
Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen sent a letter last week to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt expressing concern about a troubling “lack of transparency” in EPA’s management of the Renewable Fuel Standard’s (RFS) small refinery exemption provisions that could “destabilize the market for renewable fuels and undermine Congress’s goals for the RFS program.” EPA has the ability …
Driving Ethanol Policy Priorities
As attacks on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) have gotten more creative, the need for all segments of the industry to work together has become critical to maintaining the law as Congress intended. We met up Growth Energy Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley for this episode of the Driving Ethanol podcast after he appeared on a panel at …
RFA Develops ‘Ethanol in the Classroom’ Program
The Renewable Fuels Association has developed a new on-line educational program designed to help tomorrow’s consumers get to know ethanol. The new “Ethanol in the Classroom” course provides a fun and interactive way for students to learn about the renewable fuel. The e-Learning program is broken down into different grade levels and after selecting the appropriate level, students choose a …
RFA Sponsors Crappie Masters for 2nd Year
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is back on as a co-title sponsor of the Crappie Masters Tournament for the second consecutive year. The first of 18 tournaments for the 2018 trail begins Friday, Jan. 26 in Deland, Fla., between Daytona and Orlando, at St. Johns River. “We look forward to the continued education of the tournament Anglers, along with the …