This Memorial Day, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is reminding drivers that ethanol can help save money at the pump. As national gas prices continue to rise, the national average today is $3.66 according to GasBuddy.com. For drivers living on the coasts, it’s not uncommon to see high gas prices. Yet the oddity this year is that the highest prices …
Needed: Summer Gas Loan
It’s that time of year when families hop in the car and begin summer vacations. It’s also the time of year when gas prices jump up and the cash in wallets jumps out. When I filled up my tank yesterday, I thought I might have to go the bank and take out a “summer gas loan” to help pay for …
Ethanol Improving While Oil Gets Worse
The House and Energy Commerce Committee has released its third white paper on the Renewable Fuel Standard, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Environmental Impacts.” Executive Vice President of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Brian Jennings, responded with written comments that included but were not limited to feedback on the RFS role on the environment, agricultural sustainability and tailpipe emissions. “…petroleum …
Iowa Gets Aggressive on Blend Wall
The Iowa Legislature has passed H.F. 640 that supports fuel choice for Iowa’s fuel retailers and consumers. The legislation protects retailers from Big Oil efforts to restrict competition by guaranteeing them the right to offer ethanol and biodiesel blends of their choice including E15, E85 and B20. “This legislation represents a solid step forward for higher ethanol blends, consumer choice, …
Absolute Energy Offers Drivers Relief at the Pump
As Memorial Day approaches marking the beginning of summer driving season, gas prices have spiked. Last week, gas prices went up .19 cents per gallon in Iowa with ending average prices at $3.70 per gallon. Spikes were even higher in Minnesota/St. Paul with prices averaging $4.21 across the state while the national average is around $3.60 per gallon. In response …
Ag Processing Shuts Its Doors
Ag Processing Inc a cooperative (AGP) announced it has permanently shut down operations of its corn processing plant at Hastings, Nebraska. The plant had been on an extended shutdown since February 1, 2013 amid challenging economic conditions. At that time, the company said it would continue to evaluate the future of the plant. This week the decision to permanently close …
Energy Exec Survey: Energy Independence by 2030
According to the 11th annual Energy Industry Outlook Survey conducted by the KPMG Global Energy Institute, 62 percent of energy executives believe the U.S. can attain energy independence by 2030, eliminating dependency on foreign oil. The survey polled more than 100 senior energy executives in the U.S. and found that this is a 10 percent increase from last year’s survey. …
Ethanol Production Inches Up
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), fuel ethanol production capacity was 13.9 billion gallons per year (903,000 barrels per day) as of January 1, 2013 with the majority of production located in the Midwest. The report shows a slight increase in the total capacity of operating ethanol plants (193) compared to the same time last year (194). Total …
Free Fuel Workshops in Iowa
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) will be hosting a summer workshop series addressing upcoming changes in the fuels shipped to Iowa via the current pipeline system. According to IRFA, these workshops are aimed at assisting fuel retailers, suppliers and marketers in preparing for the first major change in the types of fuel available at retail locations since lead was …
DF Cast: Creating, Not Extracting, Sugars for Biofuels
One of the big issues that continues to dog the biofuels business, especially ethanol production, is the use of food crops as fuel sources. While many have made the case that the crops can provide both food AND fuel (consider the dried distillers grains from ethanol production, for example), a New Jersey-based company thinks it has a way to remove …