EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said Wednesday that the agency will not be making an announcement on proposed 2021 Renewable Volume Obligations this week. “There’s nothing coming out tomorrow on that,” Wheeler said during a press call to talk about environmental provisions under the USMCA. Since Friday is a federal holiday, that would mean it would be at least next week …
Ethanol Report 6-25-20
Ethanol production is slowly coming back now after reaching record lows due to coronavirus restrictions that took a toll on transportation fuel consumption. But recovery is still a long way off and the uncertainty posed by the threat of EPA granting more small refinery exemptions is making it even more difficult. The Congressional Biofuels Caucus is doing all it can …
RIP Ethanol Industry Leader Bob Sather
The ethanol industry has lost a good friend and industry leader in Bob Sather who passed away on June 16 after a long battle with prostate cancer. Sather entered the ethanol industry after retiring from a career in education in Wisconsin. He became a founding member of Ace Ethanol in Stanley, Wisc., and served as the Director of Government Relations …
EPA Dashboard Confirms 52 “Gap Year” Waiver Requests
The newly updated EPA Small Refinery Exemptions dashboard has revealed that 52 new petitions have been received from small refineries seeking retroactive exemptions from their Renewable Fuel Standard requirements in prior years dating back to 2011. According to the Renewable Fuels Association, refiners are filing these “gap year” waiver petitions as a way around the recent Tenth Circuit Court decision …
Biofuels Caucus Town Hall Talks Ethanol Issues
Members of the Congressional Biofuels Caucus held a virtual town hall Wednesday to discuss the challenges currently facing the ethanol industry and what can be done to help. Participating in the meeting were caucus members including Reps. Collin Peterson (D-MN), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Dave Loebsack (D-IA), and Rodney Davis (R-IL) as well as ethanol and agricultural group leaders. House Agriculture …
RFA Calls on President to Reject Refinery Waivers
Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Geoff Cooper penned a letter to President Donald Trump yesterday on the anniversary of his appearance at an Iowa ethanol plant calling on him to reject attempts to grant the oil industry more waivers from renewable fuel obligations. “One year ago today, you visited Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy in Council Bluffs to join us …
COVID Cuts Revenue Prospects for Corn Crop
A new analysis from the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is projecting a drastic drop in 2020 revenues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic with impacts persisting into 2021. NCGA President Kevin Ross says the latest analysis projects a $59 per acre average revenue decline for the 2019 corn crop and an $89 per acre average revenue decline for …
Ethanol Report 6-11-20
One year after President Trump visited Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy (SIRE) to celebrate allowing E15 to be sold in the summer months, the ethanol industry is facing its toughest year ever, despite the fact that sales of E15 have indeed increased significantly. In this edition of the Ethanol Report podcast, we take a look back at President Trump’s visit and …
President Trump at Iowa Ethanol Plant – One Year Later
It was one year ago today that President Donald Trump made a victorious visit to Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy (SIRE) ethanol plant in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to celebrate regulatory changes that would finally allow year-round retail sales of 15% ethanol (E15). At the event, the President also heard from farmers and ethanol industry leaders about the devastating impact of RFS …
A Year’s Worth of Growth in E15
A year ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, at the direction of President Donald Trump, issued a final rule allowing retailers to sell 15% ethanol (E15) gas year-round in all parts of the country. That action created an increase in sales of E15 to more than 450 million gallons in 2019. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) economist Scott Richman says the …