The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) officially welcomed Connor Hamburg to its staff this week as the Director of Government Affairs to focus on legislative and regulatory issues impacting the renewable fuel industry and rural America. “I am excited to join the RFA and look forward to advocating on behalf of the ethanol industry,” said Hamburg. “Ethanol producers—and the farmers who …
The Truth About E15 and Smog
The Trump Administration announcement last week that it will begin rulemaking to allow sales of 15% ethanol year-round generated quite a bit of mainstream media attention. Unfortunately, much of it suggested that the current restriction on summertime E15 sales stems from concerns that the fuel blend could result in “more pollution” and emissions that worsen smog. “In reality, E15 is …
RFA Offering Free E15 Webinar
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is holding a free webinar on Oct. 23 to discuss the recent proposal that will allow for year-round consumer access to 15% ethanol (E15). The one-hour webinar is designed to address some of the misinformation and confusion about what President Trump’s recent action means for fuel suppliers, retailers, and consumers. In addition to hearing from …
Export Exchange Pre-Tours Underway
The 2018 Export Exchange starts next week in Minneapolis, but many teams of international buyers are already here in the United States participating in pre-event tours around the Midwest. The tours include three teams from Mexico who will visit Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kentucky and Iowa to see U.S. corn, sorghum and distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) production and supply …
Nebraska Ethanol Promotes Fuel the Cure
All during October Breast Cancer Awareness month, Nebraska drivers can fuel cancer research by choosing American Ethanol blends at retail stations around the state participating in the Fuel the Cure program. Fuel the Cure is a Nebraska awareness promotion designed to bring attention to the benefits of cleaner-burning American Ethanol blends available throughout the state. For every gallon of ethanol-blended …
Novozymes Launches New Yeast Technology
Novozymes has just launched its next yeast technology, Innova Lift, for the starch-based ethanol industry. The product follows the launch earlier this year of the yeast platform, Innova, and the first product, Drive. Brian Brazeau, Novozymes’ Vice President for Biofuels Commercial says Lift targets ethanol plants with long fermentation times, “delivering greater tolerance to common stressors such as high temperature …
Registration Open for RFA National Ethanol Conference
Registration is now open for the Renewable Fuels Association’s 24th annual National Ethanol Conference (NEC), to be held Feb. 11–13, 2019 in Orlando. The theme for the 2019 NEC will be “Powered with Renewed Energy.” The NEC is the most widely attended executive level conference for the ethanol industry. At the 2018 NEC, about 1,000 industry leaders and professionals attended, …
New RFA Chair Says Increasing E15 Grows Ethanol Market
Ethanol was in need of a “growth story” and getting year round E15 will definitely help, according to new Renewable Fuels Association Chairman Neil Koehler, CEO of Pacific Ethanol. “It’s about market share, and limiting ethanol to ten percent blends has been, in effect, restraint of trade,” said Koehler. Koehler was featured on Fox Business just as the announcement was …
Huge Crowd Turns Out for President Trump in Iowa
With a background of green hats saying “Make Farmers Great Again,” President Donald Trump basked in the warmth of a huge crowd from Iowa and Nebraska during a rally in Council Bluffs on Tuesday night after an announcement that the administration was moving forward with rulemaking to allow 15% ethanol to be sold year round. “We are unleashing the power …
Ethanol Stakeholders Welcome E15 Announcement
Christmas came very early this year for ethanol stakeholders who have been pressing for sales of E15 to be allowed year round, as President Trump announced he was instructing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to initiate a rulemaking process that would extend the summer Reid Vapor Pressure waiver to E15. “What it really means is that we’re helping our farmers,” …