On Friday, EPA announced its decision denying 26 petitions seeking small refinery exemptions (SREs) from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program for one or more of the compliance years between 2016 and 2023. Consistent with the April and July 2022 Denials of Petitions for RFS Small Refinery Exemptions, the action announced today applies EPA’s current interpretation of the Clean Air …
USDA Opens Fuel Retailer Incentive Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has officially begun accepting application for $450 million in grant applications for the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP). The funding, which comes the Inflation Reduction Act, will have application windows that run quarterly from July 1, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2024. Approximately $90 million will be made available each quarter to fueling stations, stores …
Praise for USDA Biofuels Grants
After last week’s disappointing final biofuel volume rule from the Environmental Protection Agency, stakeholder organizations this week are happy with the U.S. Department of Agriculture for announcing new infrastructure funding. Clean Fuels Alliance America says some of the new Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program grants will increase consumer access to biodiesel from California to New Hampshire, by companies such as …
Senators Support Sustainable Aviation Fuel Legislation
U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Deb Fischer (R-NE), along with Joni Ernst (R-IA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), are introducing bipartisan legislation to identify the standards required to meet the definition of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Sustainable Aviation Fuels Accuracy Act of 2023 would require the federal government to use …
Nebraska Governor Signs New Law to Boost E15 Sales
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen signed new legislation this week that contains provisions to increase consumer access to E15 fuel in the state, boost higher blend ethanol tax credits, improve the NextGen program and cut red tape for food trucks. During the signing event, Governor Pillen hosted a food truck from Norfolk at the Governor’s Residence to drive home the benefits …
ACE Opens Registration for 36th Annual Conference
“Everything Counts” is the theme for the 36th annual American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) conference, August 23-25, at the Minneapolis Marriott City Center and registration is now open. “ACE continues working to ensure farmers and ethanol producers are in a position to obtain valuable clean fuel credits for the many steps they are taking to improve ethanol’s carbon score,” said …
Comment Period for Eight State E15 Waiver Ends
The comment period for EPA’s proposed rule issued in response to petitions by the governors of several Midwest states to remove the 1-pound per square inch Reid vapor pressure waiver for summer conventional gasoline containing 10% ethanol ended yesterday, almost exactly one year to the day since it was requested. EPA is proposing to remove the 1-psi waiver in Illinois, …
Ethanol Industry Pans Proposed Emission Standards
Ethanol industry stakeholders panned the Environmental Protection Agency’s new proposed federal vehicle emissions standards released today as the deadline looms for taking action to allow uninterrupted sales of 15% ethanol fuel this summer. “While we certainly share the Biden administration’s goals of increasing vehicle efficiency and reducing carbon emissions from transportation, we strongly disagree with policy approaches that arbitrarily pick …
Couser Provides Grassroots Input to EPA
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan recently appointed members for the Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee (FRRCC), including Iowa livestock producer and ethanol investor Bill Couser. Established in 2007, the FRRCC provides independent policy advice, information, and recommendations to the EPA administrator on a range of environmental issues and policies that are of importance to agriculture and …
First Timers at ACE Fly-in
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 …