After waiting until the very last minute, the Environmental Protection Agency issued an emergency fuel waiver to allow E15 gasoline — gasoline blended with 15% ethanol — to be sold during the summer driving season this year. A decision had to be made before April 30 so terminal operators would still be able to sell the blend after May 1. …
EPA Administrator Grilled on Summer E15
Despite repeated questioning from members of the House Agriculture Committee on the topic, EPA Administrator Michael Regan refused to say when, or if, the agency will grant emergency waivers to allow retail sales of E15 this summer. “If I give you an answer today I can guarantee you that somebody’s going to file into court and it’s going to be …
Ethanol Report on E15 in Limbo
With only weeks until the summer driving season starts, the future of E15 retail sales for the summer remains in limbo, and the clock is ticking. A plan was already in place by this time last year and at this point the only solution requires immediate action by the Biden administration. In this edition of the Ethanol Report podcast, Renewable …
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 …
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 …
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 …
ACE DC Fly-in Kicks Off With EPA Official
Environmental Protection Agency Senior Agricultural Advisor Rod Snyder was happy to be able to join the American Coalition for Ethanol to kick off the organization’s first fly-in since 2019, but he unfortunately had little to say about the most important issue on the industry’s plate – allowing sales of E15 this summer. “While I can’t comment specifically at this time, …
Ethanol Watching Carbon Pipeline Future in Iowa
The Iowa House approved a bill last week that would restrict the use of eminent domain by carbon pipeline companies and thereby “create a de facto ban on new projects that allow Iowa ethanol producers to install carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology,” according to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA). The legislation would require pipeline companies to obtain voluntary …
Ethanol Report with More #NEC23 Highlights
The centerpiece of the 2023 National Ethanol Conference was a new concept vehicle that runs on both electricity and up to 85 percent ethanol. In this edition of The Ethanol Report, Renewable Fuels Association VP of Industry Relations Robert White talks about the new Flex Fuel EV, which has already become a trade show star. We also hear from Jeff …