U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has been named to the lineup for this year’s National Ethanol Conference. The gathering, going on Feb. 15-17 in New Orleans, is the most widely attended executive level conference for the ethanol industry. Vilsack, a former governor of Iowa, was praised by the Renewable Fuels Association as being a long-time ally of ethanol. Vilsack …
Secy Vilsack: Continue to Tout Biofuel Benefits
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, spent the morning back in his home state of Iowa (Vilsack is a former Iowa Governor) to kick off the 10th Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit. He began his remarks by saying its great to be back in Iowa and great to be back in front of folks who understand the importance …
IRFA’s Shaw: We Will Not Retreat
“Today, Iowa’s renewable fuels industry – the entire renewable fuels industry quite frankly – is at a fork in the road. We must decide whether to retreat, or whether to fight for victory. I know we will not retreat. It is simply not in the farmers DNA. So we fight,” said Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels …
Why Chris Soules Supports Ethanol
Iowa native and farmer Chris Soules rose to fame as The Bachelor and his participation in Dancing With The Stars. He has since used his status to spread positive messages about biofuels including ethanol. I spoke with Chris recently to learn why biofuels are so important to him and why he has leveraged his notoriety in partnerships with several ag …
Biofuel Industry’s United Stand
The biofuel industry continues to maintain its united front on encouraging legislative support for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) especially during the presidential campaigns. Leaders from the renewable fuels and agriculture community released a public letter to allies outlining their support for America’s Renewable Future (ARF) to protect the RFS. The letter urges Iowa voters to turn to ARF to …
Abigail Fisler Wins NEC Scholarship
Abigail Fisler, a junior at Dickinson College in Carlislie, PA, has been awarded a student scholarship to attend the 21st Annual National Ethanol Conference (NEC) in February in New Orleans. The scholarship, awarded by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the Renewable Fuels Foundation, (RFF) provides a student studying renewable fuels with complimentary registration and an opportunity to network with …
Groups Sue EPA Over RFS
A coalition has sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over the final rules of the Renewable Fuel Standard for 2014, 2015 and 2016 that were finalized near the end of last year. The current levels for fuels do not meet legislative mandates for those years regardless of the fact that the biofuels industry has shown they can meet fuel volumes. …
IA’s Biofuels Industries Could Help Biochem Industry
The lessons Iowa has learned in making ethanol and biodiesel could serve the state well in an effort to make bio-based chemicals. This article from the Des Moines Register says, though, a new report indicates a state tax credit is needed to help the Hawkeye state take a slice of the country’s $250 billion chemical market with greener replacements. “If …
Corn, LP Joins Growth Energy
Corn, LP has joined Growth Energy, an organization comprised of the ethanol industry and biofuel supporters. Corn, LP is located in Goldfield, Iowa and has a nameplate production capacity of 60 million gallons per year. “We are excited that Corn, LP has joined the Growth Energy team,” said Growth Energy co-chairman Tom Buis. “Corn, LP is an outstanding plant that …
EPA Study on Vehicle Emissions Raises Questions
A new study has raised questions about the veracity of the U.S Environmental Protection Agencies vehicle emissions modeling system. The third party report found it to be an inadequate and unreliable tool for estimating the exhaust of emissions of gasoline blends containing more than 10 percent ethanol. The evaluation of EPA’s latest Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator (MOVES2014) model was conducted …