The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) finds good news for E15 but bad news for higher blends of ethanol in its review of 2020 model year vehicles. The RFA analysis of vehicle owner’s manuals and warranty statements reveals that nearly all new 2020 automobiles are explicitly approved by the manufacturer to use gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol (E15). However, RFA’s annual …
Governors’ Biofuels Coalition Takes Aim at Gasoline Aromatics
The Governors’ Biofuels Coalition is asking President Trump to take action on removing toxic aromatics from gasoline. In a letter to President Trump, coalition chair and vice chair Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem asked him to enforce a provision of the Clean Air Act that requires the reduction and elimination of toxic carcinogenic aromatics from …
E85 Flex Fuel Wrangler is Off-Road Ready
The Renewable Fuels Association/Hauk Designs Flex Fuel E85 Jeep Wranger is complete and designer Kenny Hauk is pretty proud of the monster machine that can run on up to 85 percent ethanol. “What I’ve learned is that E85 has incredible performance potential,” said Hauk. “You can have incredible horsepower gains, an engine that runs much cooler than normal and has …
ACE Elects Executive Committee
During its fourth quarter meeting, the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Board of Directors elected its Officers and Executive Committee for 2020. Re-elected to serve as officers on the 2020 Executive Committee are: Duane Kristensen, serving as ACE’s Board President. Kristensen is the General Manager and Vice President of Operations of Chief Ethanol Fuels, which owns a 70 million-gallon-per-year (MGY) …
Presidential Hopeful Says Waivers are “Killing” Ethanol
Ethanol and small refinery waivers came up in the middle of a trade question during the Democratic presidential candidate debate Wednesday on MSNBC. South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg was asked whether he would continue the “farm subsidies” that President Trump has authorized to help farmers struggling from the impact of the trade war with China. “We shouldn’t have to …
New York Approves Sales of 15 Percent Ethanol Fuel
Drivers in the state of New York will soon have the liberty to choose 15 percent ethanol blended fuel (E15) under a rule finalized Wednesday by the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets. “Consumers in the Empire State can now enjoy the economic and environmental benefits of E15, and the opening of the state’s fuel market represents a growth …
Grains Council Talks Trade at NAFB Trade Talk
Trade was probably the top topic at NAFB Trade Talk last week and the U.S. Grains Council was more than ready to talk about it. Darren Armstrong, a North Carolina farmer who is currently serving as chairman of the council, discussed the need for Congress to ratify USMCA, the new agreement with Japan, potential for ethanol in China, and some …
Project LIBERTY “Pauses” Cellulosic Biofuel Production
POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels is hitting the pause button on production of cellulosic biofuels at Project LIBERTY and shifting instead to “R&D focused on improving operational efficiency,” according to the company which is a joint venture of Royal DSM and POET, LLC. POET-DSM is blaming the shift on “EPA challenges with the implementation of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).” “Over the …
National Ethanol Conference to Feature Bill Kristol
Political analyst and commentator Bill Kristol will provide his unique and entertaining brand of political insight and prognostication during a special luncheon at the 2020 National Ethanol Conference (NEC). Kristol, founder and director of Defending Democracy Together and a regular guest on popular television news programs, will offer a look ahead at the 2020 elections and the emerging political landscape. …
First D3MAX Plant Nears Completion
Construction of the first commercial-scale D3MAX plant at Ace Ethanol in Stanley, Wisconsin, is nearing completion, according to D3MAX company officials. “It has been a long haul since July of 2015 when we created D3MAX to commercialize the corn fiber-to-ethanol technology developed by BBI, to where we are today,” says Mark Yancey, vice president of BBI International and CTO of …