In its effort to become a net-zero emissions producer, Kansas-based Western Plains Energy has upgraded their bioethanol facility with a fully integrated Whitefox® membrane solution. According to Whitefox, this is the first installation in the United States of the new ICE® XL membrane solution, which will enable Western Plains to achieve 50% reduction in natural gas and steam, 25% increase …
USGC Shares Ethanol Benefits In Brazil
U.S. Grains Council staff members traveled to São Paulo, Brazil last month for the BBEST–IEA Bioenergy 2024 Conference, with the goal of collaborating to find best solutions and techniques for responsible land use, biofuel uses in the transportation sector, agricultural productivity and more. USGC Manager of Global Ethanol Policy and Sustainability Linda Schmid, Regional Ethanol Consultant Federico Salcedo and Ethanol …
ZeaKal PhotoSeed is 1st Sustainability-Embedded Trait Tech
ZeaKal today announced that PhotoSeed™ Soy has been validated as the first sustainability-embedded trait technology for agriculture, a technology that could expand the volume of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production by approximately one billion additional gallons on existing U.S. soybean acreage. Han Chen, co-founder and CEO of ZeaKal, says they were able to validate PhotoSeed’s impact on the carbon intensity …
USDA Announces $239 Million for Domestic Biofuels
USDA this week announced the awarding of $39 million in grants to increase the availability of domestic biofuels in 18 states, and an allocation making $200 million available through the new Biobased Market Access and Development Grants from Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds. Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced the awards and funding made possible through the Higher Blends Infrastructure …
Apply Now for National Ethanol Conference Scholarships
Applications are now being accepted by the Renewable Fuels Foundation for scholarships to attend the annual National Ethanol Conference, taking place Feb. 17-19 in Nashville, Tenn. College students and members of RFA’s Young Professionals Network are eligible for the scholarships that cover the convention registration fee, hotel, and up to $500 in airfare. Now in its 16th year, the program …
CoBank Report Studies Future for SAF
A new CoBank Knowledge Exchange report on Charting the Path Forward for SAF finds sustainable aviation fuel provides great opportunity for growth in U.S. biofuels production from agricultural feedstocks, as long as the market and regulatory incentives are there for farmers and the wider biofuels industry. According to the report, the anticipated guidance for the 45Z tax credit, also known …
California Governor Puts E15 in the Fast Lane
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday gave a surprise boost to the ethanol industry by issuing a directive to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to accelerate studying how California could increase ethanol blending in gasoline to allow the sales of E15. “There’s massive potential for this to be a win-win for Californians: lowering gas prices by up to twenty …
Bill Would Extend 45Z Tax Credit
The 45Z clean fuel production tax credit would be extended by ten years under legislation introduced this week by Reps. Brad Schneider (D-IL), Dan Kildee (D-MI) and Julia Brownley (D-CA). The tax credit, created under the Inflation Reduction Act, is slated to start in 2025 and expire in 2027, even though no rules have been developed for it yet. The …
Ethanol Report on Supply and Demand
Despite California’s best efforts to work against low carbon ethanol by not allowing sales of E15 and proposing unworkable new sustainability requirements for the future, supply and demand for U.S. ethanol continues strong. In this edition of The Ethanol Report podcast, Renewable Fuels Association Chief Economist Scott Richman discusses concerning proposed regulations to California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, strong supply …
Supreme Court to Decide on EPA SRE Case Venue
The Supreme Court will determine whether the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is the only proper court to litigate challenges to small refinery exemptions, a decision welcomed by biofuel advocates. At issue is whether the venue for challenges by small oil refineries seeking exemptions from the requirements of the Clean Air Act’s Renewable Fuel Standard program lies exclusively in the …