The ethanol industry is no stranger to controversy. As Bob Dinneen, CEO and president of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) pointed out during a recent panel discussion on policy issues at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW), the industry has been in a battle for decades. In a recent conversation I had with Dinneen, he noted that a lot of issues …
EPA Set for Action
During the Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW), Executive Vice President for the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Brian Jennings sat on a panel with other ethanol industry leaders to discuss key policy issues in Washington, D.C. However, in a follow-up to the discussion, Jennings said the real action is taking place on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue with the Environmental …
Motorcycles & E15
The American Motorcycle Association (AMA) is hosting an event for motorcycle riders to come to Washington, D.C. and lobby on Capitol Hill. They want to stop E15 from being sold until testing has been done on motorcycles to see if harm or damage will occur. In response, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) held a press call to discuss motorcycles and …
Needed Now: Farm Bill with Energy Funding
For two years the Senate has passed its version of a farm bill. Last year the House did not and later this week is set to debate its version of the bill. During this process, the current farm bill was extended but ag, energy and other groups are at a full court press to get a bill passed before the …
ICM’s 2.0 Tech to Add More Value to Ethanol Plants
Recently, we told you about ICM, Inc.’s Generation 1.5 Integrated Fiber to Cellulosic Ethanol Technology that will help produce cellulosic ethanol at existing grain ethanol plants. Now the company has announced its Generation 2.0 technology that will allow ethanol plants to also produce cellulosic ethanol from the stover from those same corn fields where the grain comes from. “ICM sees …
API Still After RFS
The American Petroleum Institute (API) is still after the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and E15, a blend of 15 percent ethanol, 85 percent gasoline by filing yet another waiver. Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) responded by saying this is another example of oil companies unnecessarily scaring people and “it’s just flat out wrong.” “The …
Ethanol Veterans Honored During FEW
Two 30-year ethanol veterans were honored during the Fuel Ethanol Workshop in St. Louis, Missouri this week. Kevin Hicks, research leader for the Sustainable Biofuels and Coproducts Research Unit of the USDA’s Eastern Regional Research Center, received the Award of Excellence. And long-time friend of DomesticFuel, ethanol dragster, and true ethanol champion Dan Schwartzkopf with ICM, was presented with the …
NACS Survey Shows Good News for E15
A recent survey conducted by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) has very good news for E15 and the ethanol industry. The survey found that 59 percent of surveyed drivers would by E15 (15 percent ethanol, 85 percent gasoline) if it was priced the same as regular fuel. This, according to Ron Lamberty, senior vice president for the American …
Ethanol Report on RFS-Food Price Study
In this Ethanol Report, John Urbanchuk of ABF Economics talks about a new study, commissioned by the Renewable Fuels Association, that shows no direct correlation between the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and the overall increase in food prices since 2008. Listen to or download the Ethanol Report here: Subscribe to “The Ethanol Report” with this link.
USDA Report Increases Corn for Ethanol Use
The latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report from USDA lowers forecast corn production for the U.S. this year but increases corn for ethanol use estimates. Stressing right up front that because planting is still underway projections are “highly tentative,” the report lowers the projected corn production number due to delayed plantings by 135 million bushels to 14.0 …