The EPA proposal to allow year-round sales of E15, as well as reform the market for Renewable Identification Numbers (RINS), was just announced March 12 – but the accelerated timeline for the rule means the comment period will be over on Monday April 29. In this edition of “The Ethanol Report,” Renewable Fuels Association Senior Strategic Advisor Bob Dinneen talks …
Passing of Dale Tolifson
Minnesota farmer and Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company (CVEC) board member Dale Tolifson passed away April 23. He was 73 years old. Tolifson was a founding member of CVEC and had served on the board since 1996. He was chairman of the board from 1997 until 2009. Dale also served on the board of directors for Minnesota Corn Growers and the …
NFU Concerned E15 Waiver Will Impact Higher Blends
National Farmers Union (NFU) is concerned EPA’s proposed rule allowing year-round use of E15 gasoline will make it harder for retailers to sell higher level blends of ethanol. In a letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, NFU President Roger Johnson urged EPA to rewrite a provision contained within the rule that could amount to a cap on ethanol. It is …
Iowa Says No to More SREs
Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig and Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw held a press conference Wednesday to discuss how EPA granting more pending small-refinery exemptions (SRE) would irreversibly undermine the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Speaking at Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy near Council Bluffs, Shaw pointed out that in recent weeks refineries could have complied with their obligation …
SW Iowa Renewable Energy Sows Seeds for Monarchs
Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy (SIRE) is one step closer to providing monarch butterflies with a new place to fill up on their cross-country journey. The ethanol plant seeded their Monarch Fueling Station this week with the help of local farmer Rick Frost. Habitat Establishment Coordinator Kevin Reynolds helped SIRE established the Monarch Fueling Station last year. “The first year there …
Grassley Questions DOE on SRE Review Process
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) sent a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Rick Perry this week asking for clarity about the department’s review process concerning Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Small Refinery Exemption (SRE) requests. “EPA has granted an unprecedented number of small refinery hardship exemptions for 2016 and 2017 and even more small refineries are seeking exemptions from the …
RFA Earns Seventh Straight TRANSCAER® Award
For the seventh consecutive year, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has received a TRANSCAER® National Achievement Award for its industry-leading ethanol safety program. RFA hosted numerous ethanol safety training events in 2018, giving more than 1,800 emergency responders the tools and information they need to effectively respond to any incidents involving fuel ethanol. The TRANSCAER® National Achievement Award is given …
Ethanol Not to Blame for Higher Gas Prices
Gas prices are up, but ethanol is not to blame, according to an analysis by the Renewable Fuels Association. Gas prices at the pump have been steadily increasing since the end of January, and some have speculated that it is due to ethanol transportation issues following the Midwest floods in March. But RFA found that it is mainly because of …
Ethanol Report from Washington DC
The Environmental Protection Agency continues to be a major source of frustration for the ethanol industry, as the agency gives with one hand and takes away with the other as it keeps granting waivers for refineries from their obligations to blend ethanol while it works toward allowing year round sales of E15. Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Geoff Cooper …
Royal DSM and Lallemand Complete License Agreement
Royal DSM and Lallemand Inc. have announced a joint agreement allowing Lallemand a non-exclusive, royalty bearing license to DSM’s low-glycerol yeast technology patents. The license agreement is part of a settlement that was reached following a 2018 US Federal Court jury verdict in Wisconsin and the technology in the agreement is for use in the fermentation of first-generation biofuels. Royal …