Wells Fargo Crashes and Burns with New RINs Analysis Commentary by Geoff Cooper, Renewable Fuels Association (Last week), equity analysts at Wells Fargo released a note to investors on the subject of the Renewable Fuel Standard and its compliance credit (RIN) market mechanism. We wouldn’t typically respond to an investment bank research note, but we felt compelled to reply to …
Congressional Democrats Urge Support for RFS
Democratic leaders in both the House and Senate are urging the Biden administration “reject any actions under discussion to exempt oil refiners of their obligations under the RFS and uphold your commitment to combating climate change and supporting our nation’s farmers.” Representatives Cindy Axne (D-IA), Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Angie Craig (D-MN), and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) led a letter with …
Farm Futures Summit Highlights Ethanol
The Farm Futures Business Summit being held this week in Iowa featured corn farmers and ethanol industry leaders on the first day of the program to shed light on the future of ethanol. The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) sponsored the panel with Iowa corn farmer and NCGA Ethanol Action Team (ETHAT) member Kelly Nieuwenhuis, Renewable Fuels Association President and …
Grassley Challenges Biden Administration on Biofuels
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) gave a speech on the Senate floor yesterday challenging the Biden Administration’s support of biofuels in general and ethanol in particular. “Reuters reported the Biden Administration is considering ways to allow U.S. oil refiners to not meet their biofuels blending requirements,” said Grassley. “The same administration has proposed hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies for …
USDA Announces Pandemic Aid for Biofuels Producers
Pandemic aid for biofuels producers may soon be on its way. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced implementation of additional aid to agricultural producers and businesses as part of the USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative, including $700 million for biofuels producers adversely impacted by travel restrictions last year. “USDA is honoring its commitment to get financial assistance to producers …
Seed Companies Apply to do Cleanup at Ethanol Plant
A coalition of six seed companies has applied to the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) to address environmental contamination at the AltEn facility located near Mead, Nebraska. The AltEn ethanol facility has been shut down since February after a digester spill and has been under investigation for environmental contamination caused by misuse of treated …
UK Prepares for E10 Petrol
The United Kingdom is gearing up for greener fuel starting in September with a national awareness campaign introducing E10 petrol which is blended with up to 10% renewable ethanol, double the current standard petrol blend E5. UK Transport Minister Rachel Maclean says the campaign “will not only make drivers aware of the changes we’re making, but will also show millions …
Chief Ethanol Joins Carbon Capture Effort in Nebraska
Chief Ethanol is joining the effort to develop carbon capture and permanent sequestration (CCS) in Nebraska. Chief Industries, Inc. is partnering with Catahoula, one of the largest investors in midstream infrastructure in North America, on carbon capture and sequestration projects at ethanol plants in Hastings and Lexington, with the goal to reduce the carbon intensity (CI) of each facility significantly. …
Support for RFS and Ethanol Grows in Latest Poll
A new poll finds that voter support for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has hit its highest levels in at least five years and support for the use of biofuels like ethanol remains consistently high, with a bipartisan majority of voters expressing a favorable opinion. The benchmark poll was conducted at the end of May by Morning Consult, a Washington …
Ethanol Report – RFA 40th Anniversary Feature on Bruce Heine
The Renewable Fuels Association was born in 1981 and RFA is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year by spotlighting some of the pioneers in the ethanol industry who were there at the beginning. Like Ron Miller in our first feature, Bruce Heine is another oil guy who started to see the potential of ethanol during the 1970s oil embargo and …