A House Agriculture Subcommittee hearing on the “Renewable Economy in Rural America” provided a forum for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to urge the Biden administration to keep its promises to the biofuels industry, particularly when it comes to issuing Renewable Volume Obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). “The administration should immediately issue robust RVO numbers for …
Ethanol Report RFA 40th Anniversary – Kelly Davis
The Renewable Fuels Association was born in 1981 and RFA is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year by spotlighting some of the pioneers in the ethanol industry who were there at the beginning, like Kelly Davis. Three cities straddle the curve at the very south of Ohio: Huntington, W.Va.; South Point, Ohio; and Ashland, Ky. To Kelly Davis, this confluence …
USDA Secretary Vilsack from COP26
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack had a busy week at COP26 last week, participating in numerous events to underscore the administration’s commitment to climate action. Vilsack held a media call Friday afternoon from COP26 in Glasgow, UK. He discussed COP26 events, the recently-announced partnership with the EU and the Agriculture Innovation Mission (AIM) for Climate. Taking questions from reporters, Vilsack also …
Ethanol Report on RFA Message to COP26
The 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference, better known as COP26, is now underway in Scotland and the Renewable Fuels Association wants to send a message to world leaders that ethanol is already available to help meet climate goals. A new one-page fact sheet spotlights recent research and data proving that ethanol is an immediate solution for cutting greenhouse gas emissions …
Senators Seek Answers on Biofuels COVID Assistance
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and several of his Senate colleagues sent a letter this week to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack asking him to explain the delay in delivering financial assistance to biofuels producers negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $700 million in aid to biofuel producers as part of …
Ethanol Report on 13 Years of Sturgis Promotions
The Renewable Fuels Association began promoting ethanol at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in 2009 as a way of reaching motorcycle riders with the facts about ethanol in gasoline. Since that time, the organization’s sponsorship at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip Campground has grown to include a permanent fueling station that sells 10% ethanol fuel (E10) year-round. The 2021 Sturgis Rally showed …
Trade Panel Highlights Barriers for U.S. Ethanol
Farmers for Free Trade held a virtual roundtable Thursday to focus on the current trade landscape, the Biden administration’s trade agenda, and how ag exports are critical to workers throughout America. Among the panelists was Bart Pieper, VP of Global Strategies for Marquis Energy in Hennepin, Illinois, who says exports are increasingly important to the ethanol industry but trade barriers …
Sen. Thune Criticizes Democrat Agenda
Sen. John Thune (R-SD) spoke out on the Senate floor this week about Democrat policies that he says are harmful to farmers and ranchers. “For starters, I’m worried that Democrats’ bill could mean the end of some family farms thanks to the bill’s expansion of the death tax,” said Thune. “Death should not be a taxable event.” Sen. Thune also …
Ethanol Remains Top Concern for NCGA
Chris Edgington of St. Ansgar, Iowa, became president of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association as of October 1 and during a media Zoom call Monday he said ethanol remains a top concern for the organization as the industry continues to await the administration’s proposal for blending obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). “The RVO numbers …
USDA Announces Climate Smart Efforts
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new initiative Wednesday to “finance the deployment of climate-smart farming and forestry practices to aid in the marketing of climate-smart agricultural commodities.” USDA will support a set of pilot projects that provide incentives to implement climate smart conservation practices on working lands and to quantify and monitor the carbon and greenhouse gas benefits associated …