After the ACE Biofuels Beltway March, I was able to stop by and visit with Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen in his Washington DC office and we covered the waterfront on issues currently facing the ethanol industry. In this Ethanol Report, Dinneen discusses what he’s hearing about the EPA proposal to lower the RFS, the latest anti-RFS …
The Littlest Lobbyist for Ethanol
Wearing a tie and sporting a “Don’t Mess with the RFS” button, 10-year-old Ethan Fagen was the youngest of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Biofuels Beltway marchers this week on Capitol Hill. Ethan came along with his grandfather, Ron Fagen of Fagen, Inc., and was right in the trenches handing out materials and talking about the benefits of ethanol, …
ACE Takes Ethanol Message to Friends and Foes
There were over 25 battalions of ethanol troops on Capitol Hill this week to fight for the honor of biofuels, bringing the message to both friends and foes in Congress. American Coalition for Ethanol president Ron Alverson, a South Dakota farmer and board member for Dakota Ethanol, says the teams had appointments with the offices of more than 130 senators …
Ag Secretary Takes Time on Ag Day for Ethanol
There are lots of activities for National Agriculture Day going on today in Washington DC, including a big celebration unveiling a statue of Dr. Norman Borlaug in the Capitol, but Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack still took time to meet with members of the American Coalition for Ethanol in town this week to visit Congressional offices “The country needs a robust …
Big Turnout for ACE Biofuels Beltway March
An enthusiastic crowd of more than 80 ethanol supporters from 15 states are chomping at the bit to be set loose on Capitol Hill to visit the offices of Congress members and educate them about the importance of biofuels during the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Biofuels Beltway March. “We’ve got people from all walks of life here,” said ACE …
Farmers Offered Incentive to Use Propane
Farmers are being offered an incentive to use clean-burning propane in their operations. During the recent Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Tx., Mark Leitman, director of business development and marketing for the Propane Education and Research Council (PERC), talked to Tom Steever with Brownfield Ag News and told him that his council is funded by a 4/10-of-a-cent checkoff that helps …
Biodiesel Board Pleased with CARB Findings
The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) is pleased with the preliminary Indirect Land Use Change (iLUC) values presented by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) at a workshop on Tuesday. “We applaud the Air Resources Board for recognizing the need to reduce carbon from transportation and fossil fuels to mitigate climate change,” said Don Scott, National Biodiesel Board Director of Sustainability, …
CARB Stresses ILUC Update is Preliminary
California Air Resources Board (CARB) staff spent four hours on Tuesday afternoon detailing reviews made of Indirect Land Use Change (iLUC) models and analysis for the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), strongly stressing that their results are preliminary. “This is a work in progress,” said Air Resources Engineer Anil Prabhu as he began his power point presentation detailing the …
Ethanol’s Voice Heard at Commodity Classic
It might not be a biofuels convention per se, but the recently completed Commodity Classic in San Antonio attracted lots of producers and advocates for the green fuels. Previously, I talked to Joe Jobe from the National Biodiesel Board about his group’s participation in the annual meeting of corn, wheat, soybean and sorghum growers. At the booth next door was …
EPA Biodiesel Proposal, Tax Credit Priorities for ASA
Soybean growers attending the recent Commodity Classic see the government’s proposal to cut biodiesel and the expiration of the federal biodiesel tax credit as their top priorities to take on this year. At a news conference at the annual meeting of corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum growers in San Antonio, American Soybean Association (ASA) Chairman Danny Murphy, a grower from …