U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is upset about news reports last week that former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt broke the rules to expand the number small refinery exemptions (SREs) granted to oil refiners. “I am angry by reports that show what we long suspected: former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt ignored the law to …
ACE Participates in Nebraska Ethanol Forum Panels
American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Senior Vice President Ron Lamberty participated in two panels last week at Nebraska Ethanol Board’s 2019 Emerging Issues Forum. Lamberty was joined by retailers Randy Gard of Bosselman Enterprises and Matt Spackman of Kum & Go to discuss opportunities and practical considerations to increase E15 and higher ethanol blends. “Many retailers are concerned their equipment …
New Data Confirms Ethanol Demand Destruction in 2018
New data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) and analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) reveals ethanol demand in 2018 was negatively impacted by EPA granting dozens of small refinery exemptions (SREs). Former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt granted 48 refiners waivers from their legal blending obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), resulting in a flood of Renewable Identification …
2018 Second Highest Year for Distillers Grains Exports
U.S. exports of the ethanol co-product distillers grains (DG) were the second-highest on record in 2018, totaling 11.88 million metric tons (MMT), according to a new report from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). An estimated 31 percent of U.S. DG production was exported in 2018, meaning nearly one out of every three tons produced was exported to 50 countries on …
New RFA Report Summarizes 2018 Ethanol Export Statistics
On the heels of new government data this week confirming record U.S. ethanol exports in 2018, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has released a 10-page report summarizing 2018 ethanol export and import data and highlighting key facts and trends related to global ethanol trade. RFA’s new report is the go-to source for all the key facts and figures regarding U.S. …
2018 Ethanol Exports Officially Record High
The latest government data shows U.S. ethanol exports hit a new record in 2018 with 1.70 billion gallons of ethanol shipped to over 80 countries. That’s almost 11% of total U.S. ethanol production. The value of U.S. ethanol exports was $2.7 billion in 2018, up 14% from 2017’s value and the highest on record. Brazil was the leading destination for …
Lallemand and Toyota Sign Cellulosic Yeast Agreement
Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits (LBDS) has signed an agreement with Toyota Motor Corporation to produce and market a new portfolio of yeast strains “TOYOTA XyloAce™” for cellulosic ethanol production in North America. Toyota, through the use of gene recombination technology, has recently developed new yeast strains that will play an important role in the fermentation process for producing cellulosic …
Ethanol Report from Commodity Classic
Whether or not EPA can get to the finish line with a rule allowing year round sales of E15 before June 1 was a major topic of discussion last week, from hearings on Capitol Hill to the stage of the Commodity Classic in Orlando. First, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told the House Agriculture Committee that the rule would not be …
Ethanol Safety Webinar This Month
The Renewable Fuels Association, in partnership with TRANSCAER®, is hosting an ethanol safety webinar on March 19 for ethanol emergency response teams. The “Train the Trainer” webinar, which is funded through a Federal Railroad Administration/TRANSCAER® grant, is intended to develop instructors to lead operations-level training and is open to all professional individuals above the technical level of training who are …
USDA Secretary Clarifies E15 Comments
Two days before he appeared at the Commodity Classic last week, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told the House Agriculture Committee that rules allowing the use of E15 year round “probably will not be out for the driving season,” but he says newly confirmed EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler has “figured out” how to get it done by June 1. Perdue says …