The ethanol industry is calling recent attacks by the oil industry regarding the use of E15 inappropriate and unreasonable. The latest in an ongoing battle between Big Oil and Little Ethanol occurred when the American Petroleum Institute (API) issued a “warning” to drivers in Kansas to not use E15 being sold at a Zarco 66 station in Lawrence, Kansas. In its first …
Can Ethanol Meet RFS Demand with Lower Corn Crop?
USDA already cut the corn crop forecast by 12% but as conditions continue to worsen, concerns are being raised about whether the ethanol industry will be able to meet demand under the Renewable Fuels Standard with a drastically reduced crop. Renewable Fuels Association VP of Research and Analysis Geoff Cooper tackled that question in a white paper posted on the …
Ethanol Safety Seminar Comes to Iowa
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is partnering with the Canadian National Railway and the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) to host two Ethanol Safety Seminars. The first will be held on July 30, 2012 in Sioux City, Iowa and the second on August 1, 2o12 in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The seminars are FREE to attend and open to the public …
South Dakota to Award Blender Pump Grants
The South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) is now accepting applications for nearly $1 million in funding for the Ethanol Infrastructure Grant Program in the 2013 fiscal year. The program was created last year to help station owners defray the cost of installation of ethanol blender pumps, which offer consumers a greater variety of fuel choices, including non-ethanol …
Ethanol Output and Exports Drop
U.S. ethanol production is the lowest its been in nearly two years, and exports are continuing to drop. According to the latest Energy Information Administration data, ethanol production averaged 821,000 barrels, or just under 34.5 million gallons, per day the week ending July 6. That is down 36,000 barrels per day from the week before and is the lowest weekly …
Dyadic Unveils Biofuels Enzyme Product
Global biotech company Dyadic International today unveiled its latest biofuels enzyme advancement, AlternaFuel® CMAX3™, which the company says is a next generation product that enables the production of cellulosic biofuels and bio-based chemicals from a wide range of renewable non-food feedstocks under broad operating conditions. “The data supporting this product clearly demonstrates Dyadic’s scientific capabilities to leverage our C1 technology …
IRFA Irked Over Blender Pumps Exclusion in Farm Bill
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw is calling out the U.S. House after the latest version of the Farm Bill attempts to modify the existing Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) to specifically exclude blender pumps from eligibility: “It was very disappointing to see the blender pump exclusion maintained in the House Ag Committee Farm Bill. IRFA’s …
RFA Reiterates Safety of Ethanol By Rail
While the fiery derailment and crash of a train carrying 90,000 gallons ethanol in Columbus, Ohio makes for some spectacular pictures and video, the folks at the Renewable Fuels Association point out that this is the exception and not the rule as 99.99 percent of all hazardous materials are delivered by rail without any issues: “Billions of gallons of ethanol …
Latest Soil Research Supports Biomass Harvesting
Good news is emerging from the most recent soil data of the Project LIBERTY biomass harvesting research in northwest Iowa. Harvesting crop residue can be a responsible part of good farm management. Project LIBERTY is a commercial-scale, cellulosic ethanol plant that is scheduled to begin operations in Emmetsburg, Iowa in late 2013. The plant will use corncobs, leaves, husk, and …
Biofuel Groups File Petition in Oil Lawsuit
Six biofuel industry organizations have jointly petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to intervene in a lawsuit filed by the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) and the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The biofuel organizations include the Advanced Biofuels Association, Advanced Ethanol Council, American Coalition for Ethanol, …