Farmers discussed the potential for technology to help lower their carbon intensity (CI) scores at the recent Tech Hub LIVE conference in Des Moines. Brad McDonald, an Iowa farmer and Chief Operating Officer of Continuum Ag, talked about how incentives for adopting regenerative agriculture practices such as cover crops and no till to lower CI scores could generate a new …
Minnesota Awards $3 Million for E15 Infrastructure
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture recently awarded over $3 million in infrastructure grant funding to 16 retail service stations in the state to increase access to Unleaded 88. “With the EPA’s recent decision to allow year-round E15 sales for 2024 and beyond, the MDA is pleased to partner with these service stations to expand access to this lower-cost, cleaner fuel …
Verbio Starts Ethanol Production at Iowa Plant
Verbio officially began commercial production this week of corn-based ethanol at its biorefinery facility in Nevada, Iowa. The plant is a subsidiary of Germany-based Verbio SE and is the first industrial-scale biorefinery in North America to couple renewable natural gas and ethanol production. Verbio has installed a total capacity to produce 60 million gallons of corn-based ethanol per year and …
RFA Offers FSMA Training for Ethanol Producers
The Renewable Fuels Association is offering an important training program this month in Des Moines to help ethanol producers who also market the co-product distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) comply with animal food regulations. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) training program on Preventive Controls for Animal Food compliance is tailored specifically for the ethanol industry. This critically important …
NASDA CEO Ted McKinney Sees Potential in SAF
Former USDA Under Secretary and currently CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Ted McKinney is optimistic about the future of sustainable aviation fuel as a market for U.S. biofuels, provided they have the opportunity under the upcoming 45Z tax credit. “Our ethanol and our soy diesel and renewable diesel and all the folks that are doing …
RFA Urges California to Use FFVs to Meet Emissions Goals
The Renewable Fuels Association is urging the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to require all new vehicles with internal combustion engines sold within the state be flex-fuel capable in an effort to achieve California’s carbon emissions goals. RFA submitted comments to CARB in response to a late June workshop on potential amendments to the state’s Advanced Clean Cars II regulations. …
Court Decision Impacts RFS Small Refinery Exemptions
Ethanol industry leaders are disappointed and surprised by a U.S. Court of Appeals D.C. Circuit order on Friday vacating most of the EPA’s 2022 denials of petitions for small refinery exemptions from Renewable Fuel Standard obligations, and remanding those petitions to EPA for further proceedings. While the court’s opinion remains under seal and is unavailable for public review the coalition …
Ethanol Report on DC Board Meeting
Renewable Fuels Association board members had the opportunity this past week to meet with administration officials and lawmakers in both Houses and from both sides of the aisle to talk about priorities for the ethanol industry. The event included a timely talk with USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small about tracking climate-smart farming practices and hearing from EPA Administrator Michael …
Busy Week on Capitol Hill for RFA
It was an eventful and historic week in Washington D.C. for many reasons, and members of the Renewable Fuels Association had a very busy and productive annual board meeting in the middle of everything else happening. The event included meetings with EPA Administrator Michael Regan and USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small, as well as Capitol Hill visits to the …
USDA Gets Climate Smart Farming Feedback
The U.S. Department of Agriculture received lots of input from biofuels groups this week on how to prove the impact of climate-smart farming practices on the greenhouse gas (GHG) net emissions estimates associated with the production of domestic agricultural commodities used as biofuel feedstocks, in response to a Federal Register request last month. The Request for Information is expected to …