Renewable Energy Group today formally opened the company’s recently acquired biodiesel refinery in Mason City, Iowa. The biodiesel company also announced the start of a $20 million project to upgrade the plant to a multi-feedstock facility. REG completed the acquisition of the former Soy Energy, LLC refinery on July 31, 2013. REG immediately began efforts to repair and re-start the …
Ethanol Industry Refutes AAA Claims
The American Automobile Association (AAA) is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to “lower the amount of ethanol required to be blended into gasoline for 2014” in order to “protect drivers by preventing a possible surge in gas prices or the increased use of potentially damaging E15 gasoline.” The ethanol industry wasted no time in responding. “The Energy Department and …
Global Farmers Learn Value of Ethanol
Each year during World Food Prize week, the Truth About Trade and Technology Global Farmer Roundtable brings farmers from all over the world to visit Couser Cattle Company in Nevada, Iowa. Owner Bill Couser not only produces cattle, he also grows plenty of corn on his operation and is a big proponent of ethanol as a means of getting the …
No EIA Reports due to Funding Lapse
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is shutdown due to the shutdown. As a result of the lapse in appropriations for the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the EIA.gov website and our social media channels will not be updated after 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, October 11, 2013. Transactions submitted via the website might not be processed until appropriations are …
FS Propane Autogas Demos in Illinois and Wisconsin
GROWMARK and local FS member companies in Illinois and Wisconsin are hosting five events this week to share information about Propane Autogas as an alternative to petroleum and compressed natural gas (CNG) fuels. “There’s quite a few sectors, such as schools, municipalities, buses, and fleets, that are starting to convert their fleets to Propane Autogas,” explains GROWMARK propane marketing and …
Corn Crop Enough to Meet RFS
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is weighing in on the speculation about what the 2014 volume requirements for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) might be. NCGA president Martin Barbre, a corn grower from Illinois, says the statute currently calls for corn starch ethanol to account for 14.4 billion gallons, an amount that can easily be provided by the industry. …
New Report Supports E15
A new analysis by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) finds no “meaningful differences between E15 and E10 in any performance category.” The NREL analysis reviewed 43 studies on the effects of E15 on engine durability, emissions, and other factors, including a controversial study by the Coordinating Research Council’s (CRC). Regarding that study in particular, NREL found “…the conclusion that …
DC Update Ethanol Report
The nation’s capitol is “so quiet you can hear a pin drop” but the American Petroleum Institute (API) is still working to beat the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), and the government shutdown means E15 retailers are unable to get approval. “EPA right now is not answering the phones so they are not responding to marketers that are looking to offer …
Growth Energy Urge Producers to Get Involved
Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis was pleased to be part of the New Holland American Ethanol Producers Club event at Absolute Energy near Lyle, Minnesota last week to encourage the nearly 200 growers in attendance to continue the great progress ethanol has made for agriculture. “It’s even farmers beyond just corn farmers,” Buis said. “A rising tide lifts all boats …
New Holland Helping Farmers and Ethanol
Farmers who provide corn for ethanol plants can get special discounts on New Holland equipment and help the ethanol industry at the same time. New Holland district sales manager Bob Kacher says their American Ethanol Producers Club is an initiative they developed two years ago with Growth Energy to help both growers and the ethanol industry. “It offers the opportunity …