The National Corn Growers Association and Renewable Fuels Association hosted Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) regulators from the California Air Resources Board and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality last week in Nebraska and Iowa to highlight corn and ethanol production advancements in decarbonization. Also taking part in the tour were representatives of leading environmental non-profit organizations. The group heard …
Biofuels Industry to EPA: Restore Lost Gallons
Ethanol and biodiesel producers, corn and soybean farmers, all had the same message to the Environmental Protection Agency regarding proposed renewable volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) – restore the gallons of biofuel blending volumes lost under the numerous small refinery exemptions granted by the agency over the past two years. Industry organizations delivered comments to the EPA …
US and Japan Shake on Trade Deal
During the G-7 summit in France Sunday, President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shook hands on a deal “in principle” that involves agricultural products. “(We) have excess corn in various parts of our country, with our farmers, because China did not do what they said they were going to do,” said President Trump. “And Prime Minister Abe, …
USDA Updates Acreage and Production Forecasts
In the August Crop Production report released today, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) revised planted acres downwards, while at the same time increasing corn production to 13.9 billion bushels and raising the average national yield by more than 3 bushels to 169.5 bushels an acre in the latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand (WASDE) report. NASS noted that survey …
Farm and Biofuel Groups Dismayed by EPA Refinery Waivers
Small refinery waivers will continue to take a chunk out of the gallons of biofuel that should be blended into our nation’s transportation fuel supply under the Renewable Fuel Standard, thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement late Friday that granted 31 more exemptions, representing 1.43 billion gallons of additional lost RFS demand. Only six of the requests for 2018 …
Coalition Goes to Court Over Biofuel Waivers
A coalition of seven agricultural and biofuels organizations is seeking court action to force the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to account for lost biofuel volumes resulting from small refinery exemptions granted by the agency. The coalition consisting of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Growth Energy (Growth), National Biodiesel Board (NBB), National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), …
New Corn Hybrids Could Benefit Ethanol and Biodiesel Producers
Benson Hill Biosystems has entered into a partnership with Brownseed Genetics, a Wisconsin-based seed breeder of new corn hybrids that are higher in both oil content and essential amino acids offering added value for farmers, ethanol and biodiesel producers. “Brownseed’s focus on varieties with both quality and productivity benefits can generate greater profitability for growers, livestock producers, and the ethanol …
New Studies Show Ethanol GHG Benefits
Two new studies released this week provide further evidence that grain-based ethanol is significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and call into question the reliability of recent “land use change” analyses based on flawed satellite imagery-based methodologies, according to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). The first new study, conducted by the Laboratory for Applied Spatial Analysis at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville …
Corn Growers Continue Call for #NoMoreWaivers
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is continuing to call on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to follow President Trump’s commitment to farmers and stop giving Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) waivers to big oil companies. NCGA is re-running a television ad that first aired last month after President Trump visited an Iowa ethanol plant and heard from NCGA first vice …
Biofuels Groups Blast EPA for RFS Proposed Volumes
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday (EPA) issued proposed volume requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard program for calendar year 2020, leaving them basically unchanged and not reallocating gallons lost due to small refinery exemptions. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Geoff Cooper says the proposal “completely betrays President Trump’s commitment” to uphold the integrity of the RFS by …