Indiana farmer Kip Tom is one of several names being floated as possible Secretary of Agriculture in the new Trump Administration. Tom runs a successful international farming operation and served as Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture during President Trump’s previous term. “When I think about President Trump and comparing 45 to 47, my perception is …
Ethanol Groups Congratulate Trump
The Renewable Fuels Association offered congratulations to President-elect Donald Trump on his victory in the 2024 election Wednesday. “On behalf of our nation’s ethanol industry, we congratulate Donald Trump on his election as our next president. We share his vision for putting American energy first, stimulating growth in domestic production, lowering fuel costs for consumers, and restoring balance and fairness …
Grassley Addresses 45Z and Blenders Tax Credit
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) addressed whether farmers and biofuel producers might see rules for the 45Z tax credit before the end of the year, or if the blenders tax credit will be extended, during a call with reporters on Tuesday. “45Z is not a subject of Congressional action, it’s a subject within the Treasury Department on the rules,” said Grassley. …
ZeaKal PhotoSeed is 1st Sustainability-Embedded Trait Tech
ZeaKal today announced that PhotoSeed™ Soy has been validated as the first sustainability-embedded trait technology for agriculture, a technology that could expand the volume of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production by approximately one billion additional gallons on existing U.S. soybean acreage. Han Chen, co-founder and CEO of ZeaKal, says they were able to validate PhotoSeed’s impact on the carbon intensity …
California Governor Puts E15 in the Fast Lane
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday gave a surprise boost to the ethanol industry by issuing a directive to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to accelerate studying how California could increase ethanol blending in gasoline to allow the sales of E15. “There’s massive potential for this to be a win-win for Californians: lowering gas prices by up to twenty …
Ethanol Report on Supply and Demand
Despite California’s best efforts to work against low carbon ethanol by not allowing sales of E15 and proposing unworkable new sustainability requirements for the future, supply and demand for U.S. ethanol continues strong. In this edition of The Ethanol Report podcast, Renewable Fuels Association Chief Economist Scott Richman discusses concerning proposed regulations to California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, strong supply …
USDA Celebrates $3 Billion for Climate-Smart Commodities
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack traveled to Pennsylvania last week to celebrate investing over $3 billion in 135 projects under the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities since its creation in September 2022. Vilsack highlighted the initiative’s success to date, including: – Enrollment of over 3.2 million acres of working land into climate-smart practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon. …
Chevron REG Invests in Terviva to Scale New Biofuel Feedstock
Agricultural innovation company Terviva has announced an investment from Chevron Renewable Energy Group to help scale production of pongamia for low carbon renewable fuel. “Crude pongamia oil can be converted into biodiesel, renewable diesel, or sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). In working with Chevron Renewable Energy Group, we can increase the availability of feedstocks for production of these fuels while promoting …
Registration Open for 30th National Ethanol Conference
The ethanol industry will be getting “Back to Our Roots” in 2025 with the Renewable Fuels Association’s 30th annual National Ethanol Conference, taking place in Nashville February 17–19. The milestone event is themed “Back to Our Roots” to reflect the ethanol industry’s humble beginnings, its incredible growth, and its enduring ties to American agriculture, according to RFA Board Chairman Jeff …
Ethanol Report with New RFA Chair
The Renewable Fuels Association recently held its annual membership meeting in Milwaukee and elected new officers, including Jeff Oestmann with Aztalan Bio. Oestmann has been actively involved in the ethanol industry for nearly 30 years and is excited to take on this new leadership role for RFA. In this edition of the Ethanol Report podcast, Oestmann discusses the current state …