The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) joined nearly 200 organizations representing agricultural, food and renewable fuels industries last week in a letter urging Congress to act quickly to prevent a rail strike and service shutdown on November 19, the deadline for unions and railroads to finalize an agreement. “A strike or lockout combined with existing challenges in the rail system, at …
EPA Biofuel Proposal Deadline Extended to Nov 30
On Friday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Growth Energy agreed under their consent decree to delay issuance of the proposed 2023 Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by two weeks to no later than November 30, 2022. EPA is still required to adhere to the consent decree deadline for finalizing the RVOs by no …
RFA Calls GAO Report on SREs “Flawed and Obsolete”
The head of the Renewable Fuels Association slammed a report from the General Accounting Office on small refinery waivers (SREs) released this week that was requested over three years ago as both flawed and obsolete. “You simply can’t make this stuff up,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “In the summer of 2019, a bipartisan group of renewable fuel …
Biofuel Groups Praise EPA Reversal of Refinery Exemptions
The Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, the American Coalition for Ethanol and National Farmers Union this week filed a motion to intervene in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to deny 69 petitions from refineries seeking small refinery exemptions (SREs) from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program for one or more …
Ethanol Report with New RFA Chair
The Renewable Fuels Association elected officers at its recent annual membership meeting and Erik Huschitt, CEO of Badger State Ethanol in Monroe, Wisconsin, was elected Chairman of the organization. Huschitt has been with Badger State for more than 20 years and also currently serves as president of the Wisconsin BioFuels Association. In this edition of The Ethanol Report, we have …
EPA Approves Expanded Nebraska E30 Research
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the continuation of ground-breaking research being done in Nebraska on the long-term adaptability and feasibility of E30 fuel. Results of the State’s initial pilot program, launched in 2019, showed that E30 is safe and reliable fuel for use in conventional vehicles. Under EPA current guidelines, only flex fuel vehicles (FFVs) can use ethanol …
MN Governor Urged to Keep Pushing for E15
The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Bio-Fuels), along with other biofuel and agriculture stakeholders in the state, are asking Gov. Tim Walz to remain committed to a regulatory solution that will ensure the year-round availability of E15. Besides MN Bio-Fuels, the other signatories on the letter were the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation, the Minnesota Farmers Union …
Scholarships Available for 2023 National Ethanol Conference
The Renewable Fuels Association and Renewable Fuels Foundation (RFF) are once again partnering to offer scholarships for college students interested in attending the 28th annual National Ethanol Conference, scheduled for Feb. 28 – March 2 in Orlando. Members of RFA’s Young Professionals Network (YPN) are also eligible to apply. Now in its 14th year, the program is named in honor …
Trade Teams Visit Farms and Ethanol Plants
Before and after Export Exchange 2022 last week, international trade teams consisting of agricultural product importers, government officials and agribusiness leaders had the opportunity to visit farms, ethanol plants, and export facilities around the U.S. The trade teams represented more than 50 countries interested in U.S. corn, distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and sorghum. They traveled to a variety …
Senators Ask EPA for RFS “Set” Rulemaking
Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) this week led a bipartisan group of colleagues in a letter urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish renewable volume obligations that are additive for all fuel types in the upcoming “set” rule under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The senators also highlighted additional actions EPA should take in order to …