“Corn Saves America” is the captivating title of the second installation of the podcast series from AEI Premium, the online community for agricultural decision makers. The new podcast explores agriculture’s role in environmental solutions, comparing and contrasting the rise of corn ethanol with today’s carbon markets. This season, hosts Sarah Mock, Brent Gloy, and David Widmar are back, along with …
Feenstra Bills Would Study EV Costs, Biojet Fuel Options
Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) has introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that would explore ways the federal government could use biofuels to reduce transportation costs while lowering carbon emissions. The Comparison of Sustainable Transportation (COST) Act and the Biojet Fuel Research Act “aim to help consumers and taxpayers save money while also bolstering demand for corn, soybeans, and …
Meet the New GREET
The U.S. Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) has just released its latest update to the Greenhouse gas and Regulated Emissions and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model, the standard tool used to audit the energy and environmental effects of transportation fuels such as ethanol and gasoline. The 2021 GREET model includes a number of significant updates, especially for …
Ethanol Remains Top Concern for NCGA
Chris Edgington of St. Ansgar, Iowa, became president of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association as of October 1 and during a media Zoom call Monday he said ethanol remains a top concern for the organization as the industry continues to await the administration’s proposal for blending obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). “The RVO numbers …
Ethanol Blended Gas Lowers Carbon Even More
New research was released this week showing that gasoline blended with ethanol lowers carbon intensity (CI) even more than what is currently believed. The research, conducted by Transport Energy Strategies (TES) and THiggins Energy Consulting, found that blending ethanol into gasoline enables a reduction of aromatics in the fuel, and since aromatics have a high CI, their reduction further decreases …
USDA Invests in Climate Smart Ag for Low Carbon Fuel
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest nearly $75 million for 15 partner-led projects to address natural resource concerns on private lands. The projects include a $7.5 million investment in the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE)-led Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) project to secure farmers premier access to low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) markets based on their adoption of …
Groups Sound Alarm Over Proposed RFS Cuts
Farm and biofuel groups are sounding the alarm over detailed reports that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to announce major cuts to biofuel blending requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). “While a formal proposal has not been released, the expected standards would destroy a decade of progress on low-carbon biofuels and brazenly violate the promises that President …
Sustainable Aviation Fuels Plan Flaw Could Hurt Farmers
In the rush to get as much spending in the massive Build Back Better bill as possible, Congressional Democrats created a new tax credit for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) starting at $1.25 a gallon and increasing based on the carbon content of the biofuel, but the plan could favor foreign imports over American farmers and biofuel producers in its current …
USDA Projects Higher Corn and Soybean Production
Corn and soybean production are both forecast to be higher this year compared to 2020, according to the latest Crop Production report issued Friday by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). According to the report, corn production is up 6% from last year, forecast at 15.0 billion bushels while soybean growers are expected to increase their production 6% from 2020. …
State Corn Checkoffs Helping Build E85 in California
Corn growers in Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska are helping to build E85 infrastructure in the top U.S. market for ethanol. The corn checkoff programs in the three states are leveraging resources to provide California fuel retailers up to $1.25 million over the next year to increase availability of E85 (85% ethanol). Fuel will be supplied by Pearson Fuels, the largest …