The 34th annual American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) conference is accelerating forward with plans for a live and in-person event August 18-20 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ACE Senior Director of Operations and Programming Shannon Gustafson says the theme of the conference is Accelerate and they are planning a wild ride for the conference this year to celebrate being back in person. …
SCOTUS Disappoints Biofuels Coalition with Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court today overturned a 2020 appellate court ruling that struck down three improper small refinery exemptions granted by previous EPA administrators, disappointing the coalition of renewable fuel and farm groups that brought the case. However, the industry remains hopeful that other elements of the original ruling that were unchallenged will discourage future abuses of the exemption program. …
Rep. Randy Feenstra is Passionate About Biofuels
Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) is new to Congress this year, winning the seat from Rep. Steve King in Iowa’s 4th congressional district. That district includes includes Sioux City, Ames, Mason City, Fort Dodge, Boone and Carroll so agriculture and biofuels are a big deal for Feenstra. “I am truly passionate about biofuels and I will be the advocate to further …
Oregon to Allow E15 Sales
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has signed into law legislation enabling the sales of 15 percent ethanol blended fuel (E15) in Oregon. Under current law, Oregon requires that gasoline sold for use in motor vehicles be blended with up to 10 percent ethanol (E10). The new legislation sets 10 percent as a minimum, allowing for sale of fuel with higher concentrations …
IRFA Celebrates Monarch Habitat for Pollinator Week
Members of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) are celebrating Pollinator Week this year by highlighting the progress of their Monarch Fueling Stations. Pollinator Week is recognized internationally as a time to celebrate and educate about the important role pollinators play around the world. Since 2017 IRFA members have been planting Monarch Fueling Stations, and to date over 48 acres …
RFA Welcomes New Government Affairs Team Member
The Renewable Fuels Association welcomes Jared Mullendore to the organization’s staff as new Director, Government Affairs. Mullendore’s experience includes serving as district director for former Rep. Abby Finkenauer (D-IA), and on the staff of former Rep. David Loebsack (D-IA). “We are pleased to welcome Jared to our Government Affairs team in Washington, D.C.,” said RFA Senior Vice President for Government …
RFA CEO Analyzes RINs Analysis
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 …