The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) submitted comments this week to the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) on how funding in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for key NRCS conservation programs should be implemented to encourage farmer adoption of climate-smart practices. ACE CEO Brian Jennings and Jonathon Lehman, founder of the consulting group Cultivating Conservation, provided comments to NRCS, …
RFA Helps Retailers with Higher Blends Infrastructure Grants
Dozens of fuel retailers got help from the Renewable Fuels Association this year to apply for $100 million in matching grant funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) under the recently concluded signup period. RFA hosted webinars with more than 250 participants, thanks to the assistance of state retail organizations from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, …
Danforth Center Researching Water Use for Bioenergy Crop
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center Principal Investigator Ivan Baxter is leading a new $16 million multi-institutional project on understanding of water use efficiency in sorghum as a bioenergy crop. “To be economically viable and have environmental benefits, crops used for bioenergy production need to be grown where the supply of water is insufficient or too inconsistent to support production of …
17th Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit Next Month
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) is proud to present the 17th Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit. The 2023 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit is taking place on February 7, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. Registration is free and required to attend. “The rapid changes occurring across the energy spectrum make the 2023 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit a can’t miss biofuels …
Biofuels Industry Provides Input on IRA for IRS
Biofuel stakeholder organizations provided input this week to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on implementation of specific provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) related to credits for carbon sequestration and clean fuel production. In its comments to the IRS, the Renewable Fuels Association stressed that, if implemented correctly, the Clean Fuel Production Credit (45Z) could lead to “transformative investments” …
Ethanol Industry Relieved Rail Strike Averted
Since more than 70 percent of the ethanol produced in the United States is transported by rail across the lower 48 states as well as into Canada and Mexico, the industry breathed a collective sigh of relief Friday as President Biden signed legislation passed by Congress to avert a major national rail strike. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper …
EPA Finalizes Canola Oil Pathways Rule for RFS
In addition to proposing new Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volumes and percentage standards for 2023, 2024, and 2025 this week, the Environmental Protection Agency also released a rule finalizing pathways for certain biofuels produced from canola/rapeseed oil. With this action, these fuel pathways will be eligible to generate Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs), provided they satisfy the other definitional and RIN …
Clean Fuels Criticizes EPA Biomass Diesel Volumes
Clean Fuels Alliance America is criticizing the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Renewable Fuel Standard volumes for 2023 and beyond for “undercutting investments in biodiesel and renewable diesel capacity.” The minor increases for biomass-based diesel volumes in 2023, 2024 and 2025 are below the industry’s existing production and ignore the clean fuels industry’s significant investments in new capacity. The volumes provide …
ACE Provides Feedback on IRA Biofuel Infrastructure Funds
In written comments submitted this week, American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Chief Marketing Officer Ron Lamberty provided expert feedback with the Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) on implementation of funds for biofuel infrastructure under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The legislation provides for $500 million in grants for infrastructure for blending, storing, supplying, or distributing …
K-State Researchers Working to Improve Biofuel Feedstocks
Kansas State University researchers are working with a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to improve oilseed crops for use as biofuels and other bioproducts. Timothy Durrett, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics, and Ruth Welti, university distinguished professor of biology, received nearly $1.9 million to better understand how changing the biochemistry of oilseed plants alters their oil …