By a vote of 66 to 27 on Monday evening, the full Senate passed its version of a 2013 Farm Bill which includes mandatory funding for renewable energy programs. “Specifically, the $900 million in mandatory funding to critical rural energy programs will help provide the certainty investors and businesses need to keep making renewable fuels from diverse feedstocks, from corn …
RFA Releases Rail Transportation Information
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has released the “Guidelines for Hinged and Bolted Manway Assembly” in conjunction with the start of the 2013 Fuel Ethanol Workshop. The publication is a powerful resource for ethanol shippers to ensure the safe transport of ethanol through the rail system. The guidelines explain in detail the correct assembly of a manway, the proper steps …
RFA Offers Communications Training Webinar
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) will host a free Communications Training webinar on Wednesday, June 19 at 1 p.m. CT. The training session is open to all RFA member companies and anyone interested in helping local ethanol plants promote the value of ethanol is encouraged to participate. The webinar will focus on different methods of community engagement: Website and Newsletter …
USTR Nominee Answers EU Ethanol Export Question
The issue of the European Union’s treatment of ethanol imports from the United States came up during a Senate Finance Committee nomination hearing Thursday for U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) nominee Michael Froman. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) noted that he and a number of other senators sent a letter in April to the Acting USTR asking for an investigation into the …
ICM Gen 1.5 Improves Ethanol Output, Oil Recovery
Kansas-based ICM Inc. announces a new process that promises to enhance yields and oil recovery for ethanol plant, while expecting to also produce the higher value Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) for the fuel that comes from those plants. In an interview with Joanna in advance of next week’s Fuel Ethanol Workshop in St. Louis, Mo., Kurt Dieker, ICM’s Director of …
API Files E15 Brief with Supreme Court
The American Petroleum Institute (API) filed a brief with the Supreme Court this week regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) approval of a blend of E15, 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline. API claims that the ethanol fuel blend has been shown to damage millions of cars on the road. “E15 could leave millions of consumers with broken down …
RFS Hearing – Study in Hyprocrisy
The U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Health Care and Entitlements held a hearing to discuss the future of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS),”Up Against the Blend Wall: Examining EPA’s Role in the Renewable Fuel Standard.” While many were on the witness list, none actually worked in the biofuels industry. The ethanol industry was quick to …
Corn Growers React to Rice Climate & Corn Study
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is questioning the results of a recent study from Rice University and University of California that looked 40 years ahead at farming and climate change. The study finds corn ethanol has water issues that outweigh potential reductions in tailpipe emissions. In response, NCGA is saying they need to go back to the “research table”. …
ICM & NCAT Sign Software Deal
ICM has signed a software development and marketing agreement with Houston, Texas -based NCAT, Inc. to co-develop and market the Inseo Suite line of software services. ICM has been granted exclusive rights to market the first release to Inseo Suite, the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Module, to the biofuels and alcohol manufacturing industry worldwide The Inseo Suite application utilizes NCAT’s …
Pacific Ethanol Providing Corn Oil for Biodiesel
An Idaho ethanol plant is producing distillers corn oil that could go in to biodiesel production. Pacific Ethanol Inc. announced that it is using ICM Inc.’s Advanced Oil Separation System™ to get the corn oil at its 60 million gallon a year Magic Valley, ID plant. Neil Koehler, the company’s president and CEO, stated: “Corn oil is a high value …