The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) started the new year off this week with Jessica Bennett as vice president of external affairs to primarily focus on building stakeholder support through policy and messaging. Bennett was most recently director of renewable fuels for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), where she also previously served as director of public policy handling ethanol issues. …
Iowa Breaks Ethanol Production Record
Iowa ethanol producers topped last year’s record, producing 4.2 billion gallons in 2017. “Iowa continues to lead the country and the world in ethanol production and efficiency,” said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw. “Several plant expansions just finished or will finish during the 1st quarter of 2018, so production could jump again next year. That makes …
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 …
Iowa Biofuels Plants Help Fuel Monarch Butterflies
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) has launched the Monarch Fueling Station Project to help ethanol and biodiesel producers across the state establish monarch butterfly habitats on green spaces surrounding their plants. “Because of their migratory patterns, monarchs need small patches of habitat throughout the state,” said IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw. “Iowa’s ethanol and biodiesel plants are scattered across …
EPA Proposes Grain Sorghum Oil for Biofuels
EPA has opened up the opportunity for grain sorghum oil to be used for making advanced biofuels and biomass-based diesel under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program. EPA has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with biofuels that are produced from grain sorghum oil extracted at dry-mill ethanol plants and found no …
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 …
MN Bio-Fuels Honors E15 Station Owner
The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association has presented its 2017 Distinguished Retailer Award to Drake Properties LLC, which owns three E15 stations in the Twin Cities metro. “This award recognizes Drake Properties’ commitment to offering consumers a clean and locally-produced choice at the pump. In under 12 months, E15 has been made available in three of its locations,” said Tim Rudnicki, executive …
A Decade of Progress with RFS2
It was ten years ago today that President George W. Bush signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act, which greatly expanded the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) established in 2005 so it became known as RFS2. In the decade since passage, significant progress has been made towards greater energy security, cleaner air and boosting local economies, according to a …
#ThankYouRFS for 10 Years of Biofuels Success
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 was signed 10 years ago this week, with the intent of moving the United States “toward greater energy independence and security, to increase the production of clean renewable fuels, to protect consumers” under the expansion of the Renewable Fuel Standard created in 2005 and known as RFS2. The Renewable Fuels Association is …
ACE Urges Extension of Biofuels Tax Credits
The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) is urging the Conference Committee to include an extension of the Cellulosic Biofuel Tax Credit and Biodiesel Tax Credit as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. “Extension of these provisions is critically important and consistent with the stated purposes of the tax bill of ‘growing our economy, bringing jobs back to our …