The Renewable Fuels Association, in partnership with TRANSCAER®, is hosting an ethanol safety webinar on March 19 for ethanol emergency response teams. The “Train the Trainer” webinar, which is funded through a Federal Railroad Administration/TRANSCAER® grant, is intended to develop instructors to lead operations-level training and is open to all professional individuals above the technical level of training who are …
USDA Secretary Clarifies E15 Comments
Two days before he appeared at the Commodity Classic last week, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told the House Agriculture Committee that rules allowing the use of E15 year round “probably will not be out for the driving season,” but he says newly confirmed EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler has “figured out” how to get it done by June 1. Perdue says …
Ethanol Analyst: Long Term Market Outlook is Strong
Although record ethanol production and political trade wars have presented challenges for the U.S. ethanol industry in recent months, an ethanol analyst speaking to participants at the National Ethanol Conference said the long term future for the industry looks strong. “The good news – and this really transcends politics – is that all over the world, there is more and …
Nebraska Ethanol Emerging Issues Forum Next Week
Biofuel stakeholders from across the country will be in Omaha next week for the 14th annual Nebraska Ethanol: Emerging Issues Forum on March 7-8, kicking off with a welcome from Governor Pete Ricketts. The Nebraska Ethanol Board organizes the forum, which brings together ethanol producers and others involved in production, technology, policymaking and marketing of biofuels and its co-products. Topics …
Bioleap, Inc. Supports Ethanol Industry
The 2019 National Ethanol Conference had a new golf tournament sponsor in Bioleap, Inc. CEO Wayne Mitchell said the full-service engineering company is currently focused on reducing the carbon footprint and energy use of ethanol plants, making them more efficient and helping them to be lower cost producers. Mitchell sees a strong future for the ethanol industry. “The ethanol industry …
Perdue Doubts E15 Rule will be Ready by Summer
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue appeared before the House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday to update members on the current state of the farm economy and what USDA is doing about it. Among the many topics Secretary Perdue addressed was whether EPA would get a rule allowing the year-round use of E15 ethanol-blended fuel in time for the summer driving season. …
NEC Retailers Panel Talks Marketing Higher Blends
Retail representatives on a panel at the National Ethanol Conference discussed how market drivers, federal policies and state program are driving the increased availability of E15 and flexible fuels. They also shared some personal experiences when it comes to offering higher blends of ethanol at their locations. Education was the biggest factor for Bryan Goforth with Home Service Oil Company. …
Platts Proposes Chicago Ethanol Price Assessment Revision
S&P Global Platts has made a proposal to revise the methodology for its Ethanol Chicago (terminal) price assessment to expand the delivery (offtake) options to include barge, rail and truck loading, effective May 1, 2019. “By this proposal, we will expand delivery options for our Ethanol Chicago price assessment, reflective of the extensive feedback we received from market participants through …
Ethanol’s Role in Securing a Low Carbon Future
A panel discussion at the National Ethanol Conference tackled the topic of Ethanol’s Role in Securing a Low Carbon Future. California Air Resources Board Executive Officer Richard W. Corey weighed in, sharing that there is no single solution to reducing emissions, but that he believes ethanol has been and will continue to be part of the answer. “From an air …
SD Farmers Union Challenges GM on Higher Octane
The president of the South Dakota Farmers Union took issue with remarks made by a General Motors executive at the recent National Ethanol Conference that 98 RON (Research Octane Number) or higher gasoline was not feasible. In a letter to General Motors Chair and CEO Mary Barra, Doug Sombke challenged GM vice president Don Nicholson’s claim that “98 RON fuel …