With the harvest nearing completion in Missouri, Governor Jay Nixon last week joined the Missouri Corn Growers Association at a grain elevator in the northeast part of the state to support the state’s corn growers and ethanol industry. “Each year about 20% of Missouri’s corn crop is turned into about 300 million gallons of ethanol – a renewable, domestic energy …
Dinneen: Lowering RFS Would be Mistake
Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen fears “the Obama Administration is about to make a huge mistake” in lowering the volume requirements for ethanol under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In an interview for “The Ethanol Report,” Dinneen says it does appear that the Environmental Protection Agency is planning on changing the Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) for …
Ethanol Sweet Spots – Part II
Yesterday, DF featured an article on “Must Know Ethanol Trends” that came out of Christianson & Associate’s, PPL (C&A) Biofuels Benchmarking 2012-13 Annual Report. In addition to identifying important trends for the industry, the report also identified some “sweet spots” for the industry. John Christianson, partner with C&A, said running a good business is the first thing and being as …
Must Know Ethanol Trends – Part I
The Biofuels Benchmarking 2012-13 Annual Report is out and in addition to identifying past, current and future biofuel trends, the report identifies some emerging trends for the ethanol industry. During an interview with John Christianson, partner with Christianson & Associates, PPLP (C&A), I asked him what trends they have been seeing and he noted five in particular of importance. Christianson …
Global Farmers Learn Value of Ethanol
Each year during World Food Prize week, the Truth About Trade and Technology Global Farmer Roundtable brings farmers from all over the world to visit Couser Cattle Company in Nevada, Iowa. Owner Bill Couser not only produces cattle, he also grows plenty of corn on his operation and is a big proponent of ethanol as a means of getting the …
DF Cast: A More Reliable Solar Investment Way
Investing in renewable energy, particularly solar, hasn’t always been an easy proposition. The biggest stumbling block is the way you have to invest in a company and all the baggage that comes with that company. But Oakland, Calif.-based Mosaic, America’s first online marketplace to offer solar investments to the public, believes there’s a better way, allowing investors to invest in …
Government Shuts Down, Ethanol Rumors Abound
The government is shut down and rumors abound about ethanol and the 2014 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) to be set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). 2014 RVOS are anticipated to be announced within the next few weeks. With speculation and misinformation circulating at breakneck speeds, I went to Bob Dinneen, President …
DC Update Ethanol Report
The nation’s capitol is “so quiet you can hear a pin drop” but the American Petroleum Institute (API) is still working to beat the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), and the government shutdown means E15 retailers are unable to get approval. “EPA right now is not answering the phones so they are not responding to marketers that are looking to offer …
DuPont on Agri-Pulse: Future for Advanced Biofuels
An executive for DuPont is predicting a bright future for advanced biofuels. During a recent podcast on Agri-Pulse, James C. Collins, Jr., senior vice president for DuPont’s Industrial Biosciences, Performance Polymers and Packaging & Industrial Polymers businesses, says he is excited about the future of his company’s new generation cellulosic ethanol plant in Nevada, Iowa and advanced biofuels in general. …
Busting Big Oil’s Bogus Claim with Real Ethanol Test
Members of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) made a 1,000-mile trip from Des Moines to Washington, D.C. to use a real world situation to bust a bogus claim by Big Oil. In an effort to scare consumers away from ethanol in general and E15 in particular, the oil companies put together a report that showed vehicles using ethanol had …