It’s been almost a month since President Donald Trump tweeted that “Farmers are going to be so happy when they see what we are doing for Ethanol” and USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue told crowds at Farm Progress Show about “small refinery waiver mitigation efforts” underway that President Trump “really wants to announce himself.” Secretary Perdue expressed the frustration that many …
Davis Introduces Small Refinery Exemption Fairness Act
As farmers and biofuel producers continue to wait for a promised “small refinery waiver mitigation efforts” from the administration, U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) this week introduced the Small Refinery Exemption Fairness Act of 2019, which would require the EPA Administrator to use the average number of Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs) granted in the previous three calendar years when formulating …
Sen. Grassley Hopes Trump Biofuels Plan Coming Soon
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) believes President Trump is getting tired of dealing with the biofuels small refinery waiver issue and he expects a plan will be announced soon. During a call with reporters, Sen. Grassley said the biofuel industry demands are very simple. “We want 15 billion gallons to be 15 billion gallons…so that means basically you can waive all …
Biodiesel Helps Grow Clean Energy Economy
An Iowa biodiesel plant manager told a Congressional panel this week that small biodiesel producers are important components of the clean energy economy and deserve the support of stable policies. Western Dubuque Biodiesel General Manager Tom Brooks, a member of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), testified at a hearing on “Growing the Clean Energy Economy” before the House Small Business …
Court Rules Against NBB on Small Refinery Exemptions
Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit dismissed a petition filed by the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) on regarding the 2018 Renewable Fuel Standard rule EPA’s refusal to properly account for retroactive small refinery exemptions. The Court dismissed NBB’s petition on the technicality that the biofuel industry did not comment on the topic and provide EPA …
RFS Support is Key Iowa Voter Issue
A majority of Iowa voters say the future of biofuels will play a role in how they vote in 2020, according to the Iowa Biodiesel Board. New public opinion research shows a decisive 78 percent of voters in Iowa support expanding biofuel usage in the U.S. through the federal Renewable Fuel Standard. In addition, 77 percent of voters said it’s …
Biodiesel Industry Spotlights Waiver Pain
The biodiesel industry wants the administration to understand that they are hurting as much or more than ethanol producers as a result of EPA’s small refinery exemptions (SRE). National Biodiesel Board (NBB) CEO Donnell Rehagen and Vice President of Federal Affairs Kurt Kovarik hosted a conference call with reporters Thursday to discuss the impact of small refinery exemptions on biodiesel …
Governors Suggest Waiver Mitigation Actions
The Governors’ Biofuels Coalition is offering some advice to President Donald Trump on how to mitigate the effects of the small refinery waivers on ethanol and biodiesel producers. Coalition chair and vice chair, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, sent a letter recommending actions the President might include in his promised “giant package” of initiatives for …
New Next Gen Biodiesel Scientist Leaders
The Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel (NGSB) program has selected students from Iowa State and National University as new co-chairs. Sam Kramer is a chemical engineering and economics undergraduate at ISU, who helped get the school’s unique “BioBus” program going again after a long hiatus. “The world needs more capable and caring engineers,” Kramer said. “Programs like NGSB and our …
Biodiesel Board Revamps Website
The National Biodiesel Board has updated three websites to make biodiesel content more accessible, especially from phones and tablets. The three websites, www.biodiesel.org, www.nbb.org, and www.mybioheat.com, offer abundant information in a clean, modern style. They have also been enhanced with mobile optimization, allowing quick and easy website access from phones or tablets while on the go. “We are excited to …