The Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published an announcement that they would begin preliminary research into the lifecycle impacts of EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The work will be conducted within the Office of Air and Radiation and the Office of Research and Development. The OIG’s objectives of the study are to …
Al-Corn Featured on Bobby Likis Car Clinic
Al-Corn Clean Fuel CEO Randy Doyal, who also serves as Chairman of the Board of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), was a guest on Bobby Likis Car Clinic over the weekend. The ethanol plant is located in Claremont, Minnesota and Doyal spoke about how the ethanol market is evolving and how Minnesota’s initiative in the industry is serving as a …
NFU Adds Voice to Displeasure Over RFS Report
The National Farmers Union (NFU) is the latest to voice its displeasure over a new report critical of the Renewable Fuel Standard. This news release from the group says the recommendations made in the “10-Year Review of the Renewable Fuels Standard: Impacts to the Environment, The Economy, and Advanced Biofuels Development,” by the University of Tennessee that calls for dismantling …
NEC to Participate in Int’l Buyer Program
The National Ethanol Conference (NEC) has been selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Buyer Program (IBF). This marks the first time the NEC has been selected, an annual ethanol conference hosted by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). The NEC will take place Feb. 15–17, 2016 in New Orleans. The IBF program recruits pre-screened foreign buyer delegations …
Illinois Teen’s Cellulosic Ethanol Wins Science Prize
An Illinois teen is being recognized for his efforts to make cellulosic ethanol. This article from the Chicago-area Daily Herald says 17-year-old Tavis Reed, a senior at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora, won the 2015 gold medal in the chemistry/biochemistry division of the National Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics competition, besting more than 700 students from …
Tequila Source Could be Next Ethanol Source
What makes a mighty fine drink could also make a pretty good fuel. Researchers at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls have figured out how to get about 4,000 gallons per hectare a year of ethanol from the agave plant, well adapted to grow on marginal land under low rainfall conditions. The paper, titled “Prospecting …
White Paper Released on Farm Income and the RFS
Leaders of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and the National Farmers Union (NFU) jointly released a new white paper Thursday on how the EPA’s proposed rule for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is threatening farm income and rural economies across the United States. The paper cites the latest USDA data on net cash income for American farmers and ranchers, …
CoBank Report – Ethanol Industry Rebalanced
The ethanol industry has rebalanced in 2015 following 18 months of record earnings. As energy prices collapsed late in 2014, so did ethanol prices and plant margins. The report from CoBank, “Ethanol Industry Reblanaces,” has found that ethanol’s supply and demand has remained well balanced, and producers have maintained positive earnings. Looking into 2016, the report finds plant operators will face …
US Ethanol Exports Lowest in 2 Years, DDGS Down
American ethanol exports to the world are down to their lowest levels in more than two years. This analysis from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) says at just 50.1 million gallons (mg), total ethanol shipments in August were 35 percent lower than in July, falling by 27.1 mg. In addition, the ethanol by-product, distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) used …
John Hofmeister to Headline #RFANEC
John Hofmeister will be headlining the 21st Annual National Ethanol Conference (NEC) next February 15-17, 2016 in New Orleans. Hosted by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), Hofmeister is the founder and CEO of Citizens for Affordable Energy, former president of Shell Oil Company and author of “Why We Hate the Oil Companies: Straight Talk from an Energy Insider. The NEC …