U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) this week introduced the bipartisan RFS Integrity Act of 2021 to “provide more certainty for rural America by bringing transparency and predictability to EPA’s small refinery exemption process.” The bill would require small refineries to petition for Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) hardship exemptions by June 1st of each year. This change …
Report Shows How U.S. Farmers Can Fight Climate Change
A new report commissioned by Farm Journal Foundation finds U.S. farmers have the potential to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and become part of the global solution to climate change. U.S. agriculture contributes about 10% of the total greenhouse gas emissions of the entire national economy, but farmers could greatly reduce those emissions if they were provided with the …
Ethanol Report – RFA 40th Anniversary Feature on Ron Miller
The Renewable Fuels Association was born in 1981 and RFA is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year by spotlighting some of the pioneers in the ethanol industry. In 1981, Ron Miller was head of marketing for the new Pekin Energy plant, which is now one of the oldest in the ethanol industry and goes by the name of Alto Ingredients. …
USDA Report Notes Role of Biofuels in Carbon Reduction
USDA’s 90-Day Progress Report on Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry which includes stakeholder input on how to best use programs, funding and financing capacities to encourage the voluntary adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices. The report also supports the role of agriculture in de-carbonizing the transportation sector. The growth of the U.S. biofuels sector, driven in part by the Renewable Fuels Standard, …
Court Vacates Last Minute Refinery Exemptions
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit has issued an order vacating three small refinery exemptions granted by EPA in the waning moments of the Trump Administration. The court’s decision came promptly after EPA petitioned for the vacatur and remand of the exemptions on April 30 and Sinclair responded on May 18 that it did not oppose EPA’s …
FEW Looking for Industry Award Nominations
The 3th annual International Fuel Ethanol Workshop will be held in Des Moines July 13-15 and one of the event’s longtime traditions is the presentation of the industry’s High Octane Award and Award of Excellence. Nominations for both awards are now being sought, with a deadline of June 4. The Award of Excellence, established by BBI International in 2000, recognizes …
Ethanol Exports Up in March
Exports of U.S. ethanol increased to 133 million gallons (mg) in March, the second-largest volume in a year and up 31% from February’s dip, according to the latest summary from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). Exports to China spiked from 4.7 mg to 48.3 mg for the country’s second-largest monthly imports of American ethanol on record (and narrowly missing the …
Ethanol Report: 10 Years of California’s LCFS
2021 marks the 10th anniversary of the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard being implemented with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the state’s transportation sector, while also lessening dependence on petroleum by using alternative fuels, like ethanol. A new Renewable Fuels Association white paper looks at how, for the past decade, ethanol has been the go-to fuel to …
Corn Use for Ethanol Forecast Increased
USDA’s May World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report is forecasting corn use for ethanol to increase this year with greater production and domestic use. The corn crop is projected at 15 billion bushels, up from last year on higher area and a yield projection of 179.5 bushels per acre assuming normal planting progress and summer growing season weather. Total …
Ethanol Could Help Ease Pipeline Pain
The fuel supply challenges being faced by some states due to the Colonial Pipeline shutdown could be helped by increasing use of 15 percent ethanol (E15), according to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). In a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper specifically asked EPA to suspend certain regulatory requirements that otherwise would impede and …