U.S. ethanol production increased last week to pre-pandemic levels and hit a near-record high, according to EIA data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association for the week ending October 15. Ethanol production increased over six percent last week, or 64,000 barrels per day (b/d), to 1.096 million b/d, equivalent to 46.03 million gallons daily. This is the third-highest volume on …
Groups Urge White House to Embrace Biofuels
Ten biofuel and farm advocacy organizations are asking President Biden to “swiftly expand access to lower-carbon, lower-cost biofuels as the administration seeks to address the rising cost of fuel.” In a letter to the White House, rural leaders noted that biofuels hold the power to “insulate consumers from volatile oil markets by extending the fuel supply, much like releasing oil …
Registration Open for 2022 National Ethanol Conference
Registration is now open for the Renewable Fuels Association 27th annual National Ethanol Conference, to be held in New Orleans Feb. 21-23, 2022. RFA Board Chairperson Jeanne McCaherty, CEO of Guardian Energy, says the theme for 2022 is “Zeroing In on New Opportunities” and the bright future of the U.S. low-carbon ethanol industry. “As much as the U.S. ethanol industry …
Senators Seek Answers on Biofuels COVID Assistance
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and several of his Senate colleagues sent a letter this week to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack asking him to explain the delay in delivering financial assistance to biofuels producers negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $700 million in aid to biofuel producers as part of …
RFA Submits Comments on Export Competitiveness
The Renewable Fuels Association provided input to the International Trade Administration regarding a U.S. Clean Technologies Export Competitiveness Strategy. These comments were issued in addition to joint comments submitted earlier by RFA, the U.S. Grains Council and others. The RFA comments, written by Vice President for Regulatory Affairs Kelly Davis, noted the importance of sound science and a level playing …
Meet the New GREET
The U.S. Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) has just released its latest update to the Greenhouse gas and Regulated Emissions and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model, the standard tool used to audit the energy and environmental effects of transportation fuels such as ethanol and gasoline. The 2021 GREET model includes a number of significant updates, especially for …
Ethanol Report on 13 Years of Sturgis Promotions
The Renewable Fuels Association began promoting ethanol at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in 2009 as a way of reaching motorcycle riders with the facts about ethanol in gasoline. Since that time, the organization’s sponsorship at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip Campground has grown to include a permanent fueling station that sells 10% ethanol fuel (E10) year-round. The 2021 Sturgis Rally showed …
RFA Offers President Solution for Rising Gasoline Prices
According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of gas was $3.27 on October 11, the highest price since October 2014. It is 10 cents more than a month ago, $1.09 more than a year ago, and 63 cents more than pre-pandemic in 2019. With gas prices forecast to continue rising, there are reports that the White House …
Trade Panel Highlights Barriers for U.S. Ethanol
Farmers for Free Trade held a virtual roundtable Thursday to focus on the current trade landscape, the Biden administration’s trade agenda, and how ag exports are critical to workers throughout America. Among the panelists was Bart Pieper, VP of Global Strategies for Marquis Energy in Hennepin, Illinois, who says exports are increasingly important to the ethanol industry but trade barriers …
Gevo and Axens Partner for Ethanol-to-Jet Technology
Gevo, Inc. and Axens North America, Inc. have established a strategic alliance aimed at accelerating the commercialization of sustainable ethanol-to-jet (ETJ) projects in the United States. As part of the alliance, Axens brings technologies with over 60 related patents; engineering packages; proprietary catalysts; and certain proprietary equipment required to convert ethanol into jet fuel. Axens would also provide process guarantees …