Tom Vilsack has officially been nominated to serve as Secretary of Agriculture in the Biden Administration, reprising the role he held under President Obama for eight years, and the biofuels industry is quite happy with that decision. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper says Vilsack is an excellent choice. “We are especially happy to have someone in the …
DOJ Opposes Supreme Court Review of RFS Waivers Decision
The Department of Justice has recommended against a Supreme Court review of the Tenth Circuit Court’s ruling earlier this year that invalidated several small refinery exemptions issued by EPA under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The DOJ filed its response Wednesday to a petition submitted in September by oil refineries HollyFrontier Corporation and CVR Energy asking the Supreme Court to review …
SIRE Announces Resignation of Longtime Board Member
Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy today announced the resignation of former Iowa State Senator and farmer Hubert M. Houser as a member of SIRE’s board of directors and chair of the Board’s Nominating Committee, effective immediately. Houser has been a member of the Board since 2005 as the owner of farm, cow-calf and poultry operation located near Carson, Iowa. He served …
Biofuels Coalition Challenging Small Refinery Waivers in 2018
A coalition of six biofuel and farm organizations filed a brief Tuesday challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s August 2019 decision to exempt 31 small refineries from their obligations to comply with the Renewable Fuel Standard in 2018. The Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, National Corn Growers Association, National Biodiesel Board, American Coalition for Ethanol, and National Farmers Union, collectively known …
Basse Expects China to Purchase Ethanol Soon
Dan Basse of AgResource Company presented his 8th annual agricultural outlook American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) virtual CSS and Seed Expo this week. While 2020 was rough on the ethanol industry, Basse believes renewable fuels will benefit under a Biden administration. “I think initially they’ll try to lean green so I think it’s favorable for the U.S. ethanol industry,” he …
Registration Open for 2021 National Ethanol Conference
Registration is now open for the Renewable Fuels Association 26th annual National Ethanol Conference to be held in a fully digital format February 16-18. Early bird registration is being offered before January 19 for significant savings on a packed program that already comes at a lower rate compared to 2020’s event. “These rates for the National Ethanol Conference, along with …
US Ethanol Exports Explode in October
According to the latest analysis from the Renewable Fuels Association, U.S. ethanol exports in October rocketed 64% higher to 126.5 million gallons (mg), the largest volume since March. Shipments crossing the border to Canada rebounded by 11% (35.6 mg), equivalent to 28% of total U.S. ethanol exports. The Netherlands purchased record gallons (24.2 mg) while sales to South Korea jumped …
Corn Growers Back Next Gen Fuels Act
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is supporting the Next Generation Fuels Act, introduced by U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL) in September, as “the next step in corn farmers’ efforts to build on the success of the RFS.” NCGA leadership is urging members to contact their Congressional representatives and ask them to support the legislation. The introduction of the bill …
McKinney: China Needs to Buy More Ethanol
China is lagging behind in its purchases of energy products under the Phase One agreement, but USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney says they could get there with more ethanol and distillers grains (DDGs). During a virtual appearance at the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) annual conference this week, McKinney updated attendees on ag trade with …
Ethanol Industry Critical to Vaccine Distribution
The ethanol industry will be playing a critical role in getting a vaccine for COVID-19 distributed quickly around the nation and the world. That is because ethanol plants are responsible for capturing roughly 40 percent of the national supply of CO2, as much as 3.5 million tons annually – and CO2 makes dry ice, which is used for transporting things …