This year was the 12th year that the American Coalition for Ethanol led a fly-in on Capitol Hill, but the last one was four years ago so members were very pleased to be back in person. “Congress just opened up about a month a half ago,” said Rick Schwarck, President and CEO of Absolute Energy in St. Ansger, Iowa. “Face …
USDA Under Secretary Stresses Support for Ethanol
USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Robert Bonnie spent an hour with members of the American Coalition for Ethanol last week, answering questions on various topics and stressing the administration’s support for biofuels. “I hope you know this administration has a strong commitment to ethanol,” Bonnie began. “There’s a lot of alignment between things that can be good …
Japan to Allow Access for US Ethanol
Japan published a new biofuels policy last week that will allow the United States to capture up to 100 percent of Japan’s on-road ethanol market, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative. “The new biofuels policy Japan announced today is the result of close collaboration between our two countries and it will further allow U.S. producers to …
ACE Fly-in Gives Lawmakers Ethanol Education
Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa is possibly the biggest supporter of ethanol in Congress, but he can always use more information to share with his colleagues who may disagree. During the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Fly-in this week, Golden Grains Energy chairman Dave Sovereign, who is also a farmer and a fuel retailer near Cresco, Iowa, gave the senator …
Next Generation Fuels Act Introduced in House
A bipartisan group of 20 lawmakers in the House Thursday introduced the Next Generation Fuels Act, legislation to phase in higher gasoline octane levels through the greater use of ethanol and companion to the bill introduced last week in the Senate. The legislation was introduced with co-sponsors Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01) and her Republican colleagues in the Iowa congressional delegation, …
Senator Klobuchar Fires Up ACE Fly-in Participants
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), co-sponsor of both the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2023 and the Next Generation Fuels Act in the Senate, left the American Coalition for Ethanol DC Fly-in participants fired up after a day of Capitol Hill visits. Specifically the Retailer Choice Act would address the number one priority for ethanol right now, which is …
ACE DC Fly-in Kicks Off With EPA Official
Environmental Protection Agency Senior Agricultural Advisor Rod Snyder was happy to be able to join the American Coalition for Ethanol to kick off the organization’s first fly-in since 2019, but he unfortunately had little to say about the most important issue on the industry’s plate – allowing sales of E15 this summer. “While I can’t comment specifically at this time, …
New Poll Says Voters Want E15 Available Year-Round
Voters say they want their E15, according to a new Morning Consult poll for the Renewable Fuels Association. With retail gas prices remaining elevated, nearly 70 percent of poll respondents support increasing the availability of E15 to help lower fuel prices and support energy independence. Just 13 percent of those surveyed did not support expanded availability of E15. Meanwhile, 62 …
Ethanol Watching Carbon Pipeline Future in Iowa
The Iowa House approved a bill last week that would restrict the use of eminent domain by carbon pipeline companies and thereby “create a de facto ban on new projects that allow Iowa ethanol producers to install carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology,” according to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA). The legislation would require pipeline companies to obtain voluntary …
EPA Pressed to Take Action on E15
It was April 12, 2022 when President Biden traveled to an ethanol plant in Iowa to announce an emergency waiver to allow the sale of 15 percent ethanol (E15) in the summer months – and once again the industry finds itself in the same situation a year later. In a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan last week, Renewable Fuels …