President Donald Trump tweeted an announcement out over the weekend directed at increasing availability and sales of 15% ethanol blended fuel. “Subject only to State approval, our important Ethanol Industry will be allowed to use the 10% Pumps for the 15% BLEND,” the president tweeted on Saturday morning, thanking several ethanol state senators including Joni Ernst of Iowa. He called …
ACE Rises Up to Challenge of Virtual Annual Conference
Once upon a time, the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) 33rd annual conference was scheduled to be held last month as an in-person event like conferences used to be held back in the pre-COVID world. Instead, producers from all over the country will now be able to attend a virtual event on September 16 and come away more informed on …
Ethanol Report 8-28-20
As the presidential election nears, the ethanol industry is watching closely to see which candidate will be more supportive of the Renewable Fuel Standard. As Democratic candidate Joe Biden released a strong statement of support for the industry this week, the Trump Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency continues to drag its feet on important decisions like the 2021 Renewable Volume Obligations …
EPA Working on 2021 RVO, Waiver Requests
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler says they are working to get the 2021 Renewable Volume Obligations “done as quickly as possible” and promises they will not be as late as the previous administration. “I remember there in the Obama-Biden administration they were actually two years late on setting the RVOs,” said Wheeler during a press call on Wednesday. “So …
Biodiesel Ads Urge President to Reject “Gap” SRE Petitions
The National Biodiesel Board has launched a radio advertising campaign in six Midwestern states, urging President Donald Trump to keep his promise on the Renewable Fuel Standard. The ads will run for two weeks in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. The 30-second ads say, “EPA is threatening to grant more big oil handouts this year that reduce biodiesel …
Sen. Ernst Urges President to Stop Gap Year Waivers
During a briefing on storm damage in Iowa Tuesday, President Donald Trump heard from Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) about issues facing the ethanol industry, particularly the threat of the Environmental Protection Agency granting retroactive small refinery exemptions for previous years. “Our farmers would love to know that with these gap year waivers that the oil refineries are submitting to the …
Ethanol Report 8-14-20
In this episode of The Ethanol Report, we cover a number of different topics on the ethanol front. First, we head to South Dakota for the 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, where the Renewable Fuels Association once again provided free fuel and ethanol education for bikers, with the new addition of ethanol-based hand sanitizer as a giveaway. RFA’s Robert White, former …
Young Minnesota Farmers Promote Ethanol at Sturgis
Austin and Evan Ludowese from south central Minnesota have been proud to help promote the good news about ethanol at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally since 2015. Austin, who was an intern with the Renewable Fuels Association in 2015, says a lot has changed since then. “I think you have more people who understand what ethanol is and are more willing …
EPA Reviewing RFS Gap Year Waiver Requests
During a visit to Wisconsin this week, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler was once again questioned about the status of so-called “gap year” waiver requests from refineries asking for relief from their Renewable Fuel Standard obligations from previous years. Because the petitions go back as much as eight years, Wheeler said he is not sure how long it will …
Ethanol Hand Sanitizer in Big Demand at Sturgis
The atmosphere is a little different this year for the 2020 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally at the Buffalo Chip Campground, but ethanol is still in big demand – especially hand sanitizer. Former Renewable Fuels Association Chairman Mick Henderson with Commonwealth Agri-Energy in Kentucky says the hand sanitizer gives them a whole new discussion point with motorcycle riders as they fill up …