Yet another revelation in the Environmental Protection Agency small refinery exemption saga came to light this week, thanks to the investigative journalism of Reuters, reporting Tuesday that EPA “consistently ignored recommendations from the Department of Energy (DOE) to reject or limit waivers to oil refiners seeking exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).” This contradicts what EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt …
EPA Releases 2019 Biofuel Proposal
The Environmental Protection Agency released its proposal for 2019 biofuel obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Tuesday, maintaining the statutory level for corn ethanol while increasing advanced biofuels, but failing to address the small refinery exemptions that have decimated demand and effectively lowered the required amount of biofuels to be blended. Under the proposed rule, conventional renewable fuel volumes …
Lamberty Focused on E10 in Mexico and E15 in US
Right after the Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW) wrapped up in Omaha this month, word came that a Mexican federal court overturned an injunction blocking ethanol blends from climbing to 10 percent from 5.8 percent, allowing most of the country to move forward with E10 blends. That was very good news as American Coalition for Ethanol senior vice president Ron Lamberty …
ACE Awards 2018 Scholarships
The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) has announced the winners of its 2018 scholarship program recipients. Keithen Drury, Brett Galles, and Emma Baker will each receive a $1,000 scholarship to help further their collegiate education. Keithen Drury from Blue Hill, Nebraska, is pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa. Keithen is the son of …
Pruitt Visits South Dakota Farmers
Farmers and ethanol producers in South Dakota held a good old fashioned tractor rally in Sioux Falls as EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt met with farmers in Reliance about 200 miles west. A crowd of about 250 carried signs as speakers called on the administrator to cease granting waivers to refiners causing demand destruction for both corn and ethanol. “Corn prices …
Plenty for Ethanol Industry Panel to Discuss
A panel discussion on “Surveying the Health of Renewable Fuels Policy under the Trump Administration” gave participants plenty to talk about during the opening session of the Fuel Ethanol Workshop on Tuesday in Omaha. The panel included Geoff Cooper, executive vice president of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA); American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings; and John Fuher, vice …
2018 Fuel Ethanol Workshop Opens in Omaha
The 34th annual International Fuel Ethanol Workshop is being held this week, June 11-13, in Omaha. The event features industry awards, speakers, sessions and a large trade show. Organizers say the event is on pace to be the biggest since 2009, with over 550 biofuels producers registered and more than 300 industry companies and organizations exhibiting. The opening general session …
Farm and Biofuel Groups Sue EPA Over Lost Gallons
A coalition of biofuel and agriculture groups have petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to change its regulations to “account for lost volumes of renewable fuel resulting from the unprecedented number of retroactive small refinery exemptions from Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) obligations recently granted by EPA.” The petitioners are the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Growth …
Ethanol Coalition Suing EPA Over Refinery Waivers
A coalition of farm and ethanol organizations has filed a lawsuit over the Environmental Protection Agency’s “secretive small refinery exemptions.” The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) and National Farmers Union (NFU), with support of Farmers Union Enterprises, filed the suit late Tuesday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th …
ACE CEO Keynotes Indiana Ethanol Forum
American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings keynoted the 2018 Indiana Ethanol Forum this week in Indianapolis, providing a state of the industry update to those in attendance and sharing what ACE and its allies are doing to expand market access for ethanol. The forum, organized by the Indiana Corn Growers Association, brought together ethanol plants, fuel retailers, ag …