A professor of economics at Harvard University claims that providing RVP parity for E15 would be the most direct way to lower RIN prices. A recent paper from economist Professor James H. Stock argues that providing RVP parity for E15 would facilitate increased ethanol blending, which in turn would drive increased generation and availability of RIN credits and ultimately lower …
Grassley Disputes Negative Impacts of RFS on Refineries
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is challenging claims that the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was responsible in part for the recent bankruptcy filing of Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES). Grassley released an internal memo produced by his energy policy staff who analyzed the situation and found that the biofuels blending requirement and the cost of Renewable Identification Number credits (RINs) “have little …
Summit Agricultural Group to expand FS Bioenergia
Summit Agricultural Group has announced a $100 million expansion of FS Bioenergia, its corn ethanol production facility in Brazil. The expansion of the plant is forecast for completion in the first quarter of 2019 and will more than double annual corn ethanol production from 60 million gallons to 140 million gallons. With this expansion, FS Bioenergia will annually process over …
Pruitt Open to Ethanol as Octane Enhancer
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt appeared before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee last week for an oversight hearing that touched on a variety of issues, including ethanol. Pruitt was questioned by Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) about the advanced biofuel pathway for distillers sorghum oil and the comment period that just closed on that January 26, and …
Eight Ethanol Safety Seminars in Kentucky
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and TRANSCAER® are jointly hosting eight ethanol safety seminars in Kentucky during the month of February. The ethanol safety seminars are funded through a Federal Railroad Administration/ TRANSCAER® grant, in partnership with the Paducah & Louisville Railway. Registration is free and lunch will be provided. Registration is limited and Certificates of Completion will be awarded …
Novozymes Adds Yeast to Bioenergy Business
Novozymes has introduced a new yeast platform for starch-based ethanol with its first product, Innova Drive. According to the company, this new yeast strain can reduce fermentation time by up to two hours compared to current yeasts. “The first product from our yeast platform, Innova Drive is a completely new ride for the ethanol industry. It puts plant operators in …
Over 30 States Broke Blend Wall in 2016
The latest data from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) shows that gasoline consumed in 30 states and the District of Columbia in 2016 contained more than 10 percent ethanol on average, breaking through the so-called E10 Blend Wall. That compares to 2015 when the national average ethanol content was 9.91 percent and 25 states (plus the District of Columbia) …
Biofuels Panel Discusses Future
The final panel at the National Biodiesel Conference last week tackled the topic of the next 25 years for biodiesel with representatives from other biofuels industry organizations. The panel was moderated by Gary Haer of REG and featured Growth Energy Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley; Brooke Coleman, executive director of the Advanced Biofuels Business Council; and Advanced Biofuels …
New ACE Fuel Marketer Video Episode
The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) has just released the fourth video in a series of fuel marketer-focused videos on flexfuelforward.com featuring real world experiences flex fuel retailers adding and marketing E15. Charlie Good’s Good & Quick Companies’ station is one example. “I made this decision to add E15 and flex fuels as my way to survive, because there are …
ICYMI: Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit Replay
The 2018 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit featured an exciting speaker line-up of high-level biofuels industry experts to discuss a “Brighter Future with Biofuels.” The one-day event on January 30 at the Prairie Meadows Conference Center brought together 65 sponsors and vendors and over 800 attendees. If you, like me, were unable to attend the summit because of all the other …