August was a better month for exports of U.S. ethanol and distillers grains, according to the latest trade monitor report by Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) senior analyst Ann Lewis. U.S. ethanol exports in August saw substantial improvement from the prior month’s slump, expanding 56% to 80.48 million gallons (mg). Canada was the top destination for the fifth straight month with …
Sen. Thune Criticizes Democrat Agenda
Sen. John Thune (R-SD) spoke out on the Senate floor this week about Democrat policies that he says are harmful to farmers and ranchers. “For starters, I’m worried that Democrats’ bill could mean the end of some family farms thanks to the bill’s expansion of the death tax,” said Thune. “Death should not be a taxable event.” Sen. Thune also …
RFA Redesigns Website
The Renewable Fuels Association debuted a redesigned website last week during the association’s annual membership meeting taking place this week in Des Moines. “As we celebrate our 40th anniversary this year, we want to ensure a digital presence that symbolizes our organization’s experience and leadership in a way that is clear and compelling,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. …
Ethanol Remains Top Concern for NCGA
Chris Edgington of St. Ansgar, Iowa, became president of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association as of October 1 and during a media Zoom call Monday he said ethanol remains a top concern for the organization as the industry continues to await the administration’s proposal for blending obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). “The RVO numbers …
Ethanol Blended Gas Lowers Carbon Even More
New research was released this week showing that gasoline blended with ethanol lowers carbon intensity (CI) even more than what is currently believed. The research, conducted by Transport Energy Strategies (TES) and THiggins Energy Consulting, found that blending ethanol into gasoline enables a reduction of aromatics in the fuel, and since aromatics have a high CI, their reduction further decreases …
RFA Celebrates 40 Years of Industry Leadership
The Renewable Fuels Association celebrated 40 years of industry leadership this week during its annual membership meeting in Des Moines. Jeanne McCaherty, CEO of Guardian Energy Management, was re-elected as chairperson. She became the first female chairperson elected in the history of RFA last year, and first among any national ethanol trade association. “Without question, 2021 has been a year …
USDA Announces Climate Smart Efforts
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new initiative Wednesday to “finance the deployment of climate-smart farming and forestry practices to aid in the marketing of climate-smart agricultural commodities.” USDA will support a set of pilot projects that provide incentives to implement climate smart conservation practices on working lands and to quantify and monitor the carbon and greenhouse gas benefits associated …
Democrats Urge Administration to Support RFS
A bicameral group of Democrat Congressional members spanning seven states sent a letter yesterday urging the Administration to increase biofuels usage and reject any reduction in biofuel blending requirements. Congresswomen Cindy Axne (D-IA), Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Angie Craig (D-MN) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) spearheaded the letter to President Joe Biden and National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy after recent reports …
Groups Encourage Focus on Fuel in Emissions Standards
Biofuel stakeholder groups submitting comments on proposed rule for 2023-2026 light-duty GHG emissions standards are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to recognize the benefits of low-carbon fuels like ethanol as it seeks to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The Renewable Fuels Association says EPA should lay out the roadmap for an orderly transition to high-octane, low-carbon liquid fuels. “Unfortunately, EPA’s proposal …
No RVO Proposal Yet
The biofuels industry was left hanging Friday when the rumored release of proposed blending obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) failed to happen. American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings said late Friday they remain hopeful the numbers that were reported would also prove incorrect. “We hope they’re wrong,” said Jennings. “If they are right, it just seems …