Several hundred lucky motorcycle lovers got the chance to see a brand new, E85-capable American Chopper designed by Paul Teutul, Jr. when it was unveiled at East Kansas Agri-Energy on Saturday. The rest of the world will have to wait until the sweet ride officially debuts on the new season of the Discovery Channel’s American Chopper this summer. Discovery Channel …
Ethanol Report for St. Patrick’s Day
Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen really got his Irish up this week over EPA administrator Scott Pruitt allowing bankrupt Philadelphia Energy Solutions to get out of half its obligation under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), so he is really ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this weekend. He updates us on the latest episode in the …
Ethanol Report on RINs in the White House
President Donald Trump has been meeting with stakeholders in the biofuels and refinery industries to find a way to lower Renewable Identification Number (RIN) prices that is acceptable to both sides. Two main options are a cap on RIN prices, or allowing year round sales of E15, or some combination of both. In this edition of The Ethanol Report, we …
Ethanol Report from #RFANEC18
The Renewable Fuels Association 23rd National Ethanol Conference with the theme “Ethanol Strong” was held February 12-14 in San Antonio, Texas. The event featured the annual “State of the Industry” address by RFA president and CEO Bob Dinneen, as well as panels and speakers on a number of important topics, from electric vehicles to RINs to the expanding export market. …
Ethanol Report on RFA Educational Efforts
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is targeting boaters and future drivers in educational efforts for 2018 with the renewal of its co-title sponsorship of the Crappie Masters Tournament Trail, and the launch of an on-line Ethanol in the Classroom program. In this edition of The Ethanol Report podcast, RFA Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White talks about the importance …
Ethanol Report on 2017 Production
Ethanol production averaged over a million barrels per day (b/d) for 44 out of 52 weeks in 2017 which means another record year for the industry. And despite a very average growing season, corn yield for 2017 is estimated at a record high 176.6 bushels per acre, and production was only down four percent because farmers planted less acres. In …
Ethanol Report on 2017
All in all, 2017 was a pretty good year for the ethanol industry with a new advocate in the White House and record production. Among the highlights of the year, increased exports despite Brazil taking a protectionist stance against ethanol imports, EPA releasing new RVO numbers on time, and ethanol champions rally to protect the RFS and win. In this …
Ethanol Report on RFS2 10th Anniversary
Ten years ago this month, just days before Christmas, President George W. Bush signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act which greatly expanded the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to include up to 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022. The expansion became known as RFS2, like the sequel to a big movie that had just been released two …
Ethanol Report on Final 2018 RVOs
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) renewable volume obligations (RVOs) for 2018 as scheduled on November 30, with relatively little change from the July proposal, keeping the statutory 15 billion gallon requirement for conventional renewable fuels like corn ethanol. While that is good news, there is disappointment with volumes decreased or flatlined for cellulosic …
Ethanol Industry Asks USTR to Suspend Brazil GSP Status
The U.S. ethanol industry is asking U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to suspend Brazil’s designated country status under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) due to “protectionist and market distorting actions in implementing a Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) that affects imports of U.S. ethanol.” A letter was sent to Lighthizer this week, signed by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), Growth …