This year was the first time Bill and Kathy Howell attended the American Coalition for Ethanol DC Fly-in and they welcomed the opportunity to meet with Congressional lawmakers and staff to talk about ethanol. Howell just became manager and CEO of Adkins Energy, an ethanol and biodiesel production facility in northwest Illinois, about six months ago after a four year …
Iowa Corn Supports New Engine Technology
Iowa’s corn farmers are backing new technology to power heavy-duty engines with clean, renewable fuels. Thanks to support from Iowa Corn, Chicago-based ClearFlame Engine Technologies recently raised $30 million in Series B funding to move from pilot to product in key markets. The new funding will help demonstrate how ClearFlame’s unique engine modification technology powers diesel engine platforms with renewable …
RFA Kicks Off Ad Campaign for E15
With the summer driving season less than two months away and fuel prices again on the rise, the Renewable Fuels Association this week kicked off an advertising campaign and call-to-action targeting ethanol supporters across the Midwest, as well as policymakers and insiders in Washington D.C. RFA is running radio spots and print ads in D.C. and Midwest markets, as well …
ACE Members Happy to be Back on the Hill
This year was the 12th year that the American Coalition for Ethanol led a fly-in on Capitol Hill, but the last one was four years ago so members were very pleased to be back in person. “Congress just opened up about a month a half ago,” said Rick Schwarck, President and CEO of Absolute Energy in St. Ansger, Iowa. “Face …
USDA Under Secretary Stresses Support for Ethanol
USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Robert Bonnie spent an hour with members of the American Coalition for Ethanol last week, answering questions on various topics and stressing the administration’s support for biofuels. “I hope you know this administration has a strong commitment to ethanol,” Bonnie began. “There’s a lot of alignment between things that can be good …
Japan to Allow Access for US Ethanol
Japan published a new biofuels policy last week that will allow the United States to capture up to 100 percent of Japan’s on-road ethanol market, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative. “The new biofuels policy Japan announced today is the result of close collaboration between our two countries and it will further allow U.S. producers to …
USDA Reports Higher Corn and Soybean Acres Expected
The 2023 Prospective Plantings report finds farmers expect to plant more corn and soybeans this year than last year. According to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), producers surveyed across the United States intend to plant 92.0 million acres of corn in 2023, up 4% from last year, and 87.5 million acres of soybeans this year, up slightly from last …
ACE Fly-in Gives Lawmakers Ethanol Education
Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa is possibly the biggest supporter of ethanol in Congress, but he can always use more information to share with his colleagues who may disagree. During the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Fly-in this week, Golden Grains Energy chairman Dave Sovereign, who is also a farmer and a fuel retailer near Cresco, Iowa, gave the senator …
Next Generation Fuels Act Introduced in House
A bipartisan group of 20 lawmakers in the House Thursday introduced the Next Generation Fuels Act, legislation to phase in higher gasoline octane levels through the greater use of ethanol and companion to the bill introduced last week in the Senate. The legislation was introduced with co-sponsors Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01) and her Republican colleagues in the Iowa congressional delegation, …
Senator Klobuchar Fires Up ACE Fly-in Participants
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), co-sponsor of both the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2023 and the Next Generation Fuels Act in the Senate, left the American Coalition for Ethanol DC Fly-in participants fired up after a day of Capitol Hill visits. Specifically the Retailer Choice Act would address the number one priority for ethanol right now, which is …