Environmental groups filed a petition with EPA this week claiming that “millions of acres of wildlife habitat” have been converted to corn and soybean crops to produce biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard, based on a June report to Congress, which offered no specific conclusions about land use change related to biofuels production. The petition claims that previously uncultivated land …
NEC to Feature Showtime’s The Circus Hosts
The popular political commentary luncheon at the 2019 National Ethanol Conference will feature the co-hosts of Showtime’s popular political documentary series The Circus. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has announced that John Heilemann and Mark McKinnon will speak together at the 24th annual National Ethanol Conference, Feb. 11-13, 2019, in Orlando. Heilemann and McKinnon will be the featured luncheon speakers …
RFA Pushes Back on API E15 Push Poll
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is pushing back on a poll released yesterday by the American Petroleum Institute (API) that claims most Americans are concerned about approving E15 to be sold year round. “API’s newest poll is so manipulative it can’t even be called a ‘push poll.’ It’s more like a ‘shove poll’ that bullies respondents into answering the questions …
Novozymes Bioenergy Sales Up
Novozymes is reporting a five percent sales growth in the third quarter of 2018, including a 14% increase in the bioenergy sector of the company. Novozymes reports that the strong growth momentum within enzymes for conventional biofuels in the first half of this year continued in the third quarter. Novozymes’ newly launched yeast product, Innova® Drive, posted good growth in …
NFU Radio Ad Urges E15 Action
The National Farmers Union (NFU) has launched a national radio ad campaign urging President Donald Trump to “keep his promises to family farmers by immediately implementing year-round E-15 and reversing the losses caused by the misappropriation of small refinery exemptions.” “Farmers are still at a net loss from Trump’s actions on biofuels,” the ad says, due to the EPA’s allocation …
Ethanol Stakeholders Comment on High Octane Fuel
Ethanol stakeholder groups submitted comments Friday to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) on the proposed SAFE Vehicles Rule, emphasizing the benefits for fuel economy and emissions reductions from the use of high-octane fuels, which can be attained with higher blends of ethanol. “Ethanol delivers the highest octane at the lowest cost, allowing automakers …
Ethanol Report from Export Exchange 2018
There was a special focus on the ethanol co-product distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) at the fifth biennial Export Exchange held this past week in Minneapolis. The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) began organizing this event in 2010 with the help of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) to bring together international buyers and domestic sellers of U.S. feedgrains and ethanol …
Concerns Raised About E15 Rulemaking Delay
Ethanol interests have been raising concerns this week about the Environmental Protection Agency delaying the start of the rulemaking process for year-round E15 until February 2019, which would make the timeline for getting it approved before next summer very tight. “EPA ought to speed it up, or otherwise it’s going to look like the president wasn’t serious about his announcement,” …
Key DDGS Issues in Focus at #ExEx18
Tyson Foods Poultry Nutritionist Philip Smith spoke at the first Export Exchange back in 2010 and he was back again this year at the biennial educational and trade forum to talk about the use of the ethanol co-product distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) in poultry feed. Tyson has been using DDGS for feed at numerous locations for almost 15 …
RFA Finds Over 93% of 2019 Vehicles Approved for E15
More than 93 percent of 2019 model year (MY) vehicles are “explicitly approved by the manufacturer to use 15 percent ethanol blends (E15),” according to the latest analysis from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). That’s four percent more than the approximately 89 percent of MY 2018 vehicles that were E15 approved. Automakers began specifically approving E15 in owner’s manuals and …