The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held an oversight hearing on the Renewable Fuel Standard (#RFS). The legislation has been under fire for several years and there are currently several lawsuits surrounding the program: the biofuels industry is suing because the required volumes (RVOs) for 2014, 2015 and 2016 are below what the legislation requires, and Big …
Cellulosic Ethanol Prices Hinges on Feedstocks
A new study from Lux Research finds innovation is still needed to make advanced biofuels competitive. The report cites six cellulosic ethanol facilities online and finds Raizen has the lowest projected minimum ethanol selling price of $2.17 per gallon. Abengoa’s $500 million Hugoton plant has the highest price of $4.55 with feedstock cost as the most critical variable. (It should …
Panelists Discuss E15 Revolution, Global Markets
Panelists discussed the “E15 Revolution” during the Growth Energy Leadership Conference held in Orlando this week. The retailer discussion focused on their efforts to help grow the consumer availability of E15 across the country. Panelists included Jim Pirolli, VP Fuels for Kum-N-Go; Mike Lorenz, Executive VP of Petroleum Supply; and Todd Garner, CEO of Protec Fuels. When discussing the changing …
$3.50 May Be New ‘Corn Norm’
The impact of corn prices varies between producers in different divisions of agriculture, with some producers benefiting from higher prices, and some benefiting from lower prices. Many factors seem to demonstrate that the new long-term “normal” for corn prices may be $3.50 per bushel, and Cody Heller, CEO of Central Wisconsin Ag Services (CWAS), has offered his insight into the …
Minnesota Biofuels Promotes E15 to Drivers
The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MBA) spent an hour Tuesday at a retail station in St. Paul rewarding drivers who fueled up with E15. The association joined with a local radio station at St Paul’s Tobasi Stop Minnoco to educate drivers and present those who switched to E15 with prizes such as $25 in cash, passes to the Minnesota Zoo and …
Tom Buis Delivers the “CEO Report”
Growth Energy Co-Chair Tom Buis delivered his “CEO Report” yesterday during the Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida. During his remarks, Buis said, “Last year was an interesting year, we increased exports, had another great corn crop and defeated every single attempt to repeal or reform the RFS.” Buis segued into how the ethanol industry stepped up to the plate to …
Auto Industry Veteran Joins RFA
A veteran auto industry specialist has joined the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) as the organization’s new Technical Director. Tracey King, who spent 17 years as a technical specialist with Chrysler, will serve as the RFA’s top liaison to the automakers and will focus on forging the path to future high octane fuels and optimized spark ignition engines. Previously, King worked …
BioFuelNet Heads to School
BioFuelNet is heading back to school to get young men and women excited about biofuels. The organization is partnering with Talk Energy Week to participate in panel discussions at schools in eight Canadian cities. The discussions, targeted at grades 11 and 12 and reaching more than 1800 students, will include information on how to develop sustainable advanced biofuels. Each participating …
Growth Energy Holds 7th Leadership Conference
Ethanol industry organization Growth Energy is holding its seventh annual Executive Leadership Conference in Orlando this week. After a weekend at the Daytona 500 to highlight American Ethanol, the meeting kicked off Monday morning with the Chairman’s Report from Jeff Broin, co-chair of Growth Energy’s Board of Directors. Broin noted that the industry had a record year producing a product …
DOC Partners With NEC to Increase Ethanol Exports
Despite low crude oil prices, 2015 was still a robust export year for the ethanol industry according to Kenneth Hyatt, deputy under secretary for International Trade with the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC). The DOC partnered with the Renewable Fuels Association, the host of the 21st Annual National Ethanol Conference (#RFANEC) where delegates from several countries were on hand to …