The theme of the recent 30th National Ethanol Conference was Back to Our Roots and it was a celebration of how the industry started and how it’s going. One panel featured a walk down memory lane with some industry pioneers who talked about the early days and how the roots of the ethanol industry were firmly planted by farmers. Included …
Scholarship Winners Enjoy NEC Opportunity
The Renewable Fuels Foundation made it possible for eight young people interested in furthering a career in the ethanol industry to attend the 2025 National Ethanol Conference in Nashville recently. Most of this year’s recipients are already working in the industry and are members of the Renewable Fuels Association’s Young Professionals Network (YPN). The Robert Sather Memorial Scholarship is open …
Farm to Fly Act Reintroduced in House
The bipartisan Farm to Fly Act was reintroduced in the U.S. House last week to foster the development of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) within existing U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs, allow for greater collaboration, and ensure USDA’s SAF definitions reflect eligibility for American agricultural crops. The bill was introduced by Reps. Max Miller (R-OH), Mike Flood (R-NE), Brad Finstad …
Liquid Fuel Stakeholders Urge EPA to Set RFS Volumes
A diverse group of stakeholders, including petroleum refiners, fuel marketers and retailers, biofuels producers, and farmers, sent a letter to urging Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin urging him to set robust, timely, and multi-year Renewable Fuel Standards for 2026 and beyond. “Since the enactment of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), our nation has benefited from increased energy security, an …
Ethanol Pioneers Get Back to Their Roots at #RFANEC
One of the most interesting panels at the 30th National Ethanol Conference was Back to the Beginning: Celebrating Our Roots where we heard from some of the pioneers who founded the modern-day ethanol industry. From Dave VanderGriend, who founded the design-build firm ICM, Inc. in 1995, to board members of four of the nation’s oldest ethanol plants, they told the …
Larson Engineering Attends NEC to Promote Acquisition
Larson Engineering recently announced the acquisition of Fagen Engineering the engineering arm of construction company Fagen, Inc., and attended last week’s National Ethanol Conference to introduce themselves to the industry. Doug Edwards needed no introduction since he has been in the ethanol industry for a long time, having managed Fagan’s engineering office in Greenville, SC for the last 17 years. …
NCGA President Hopeful for Year-Round E15
It’s been 15 years since E15 was approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for use in most vehicles on the road today, yet it is still not available nationwide on a year-round basis. “And you know when you think about it’s ridiculous,” said Illinois farmer and National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Kenneth Hartman Jr. at the National Ethanol Conference …
EPA Upholds E15 Parity for Midwest States
There will be year-round E15 in at least eight states as of April 28 now that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin has announced the agency’s decision to uphold that implementation date to provide parity for E15 and E10 in Midwestern states. This action, requested by the governors of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, …
Ethanol Report from 30th NEC
The 30th National Ethanol Conference celebrated the industry’s growth over the past three decades and what the opportunities are for the future. In this edition of the Ethanol Report podcast, we hear some highlights from the conference, including comments from Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Geoff Cooper, Congressman Randy Feenstra (R-IA), RFA Chief Economist Scott Richman, RFA Industry Award …
Ethanol Exports Offer Industry Opportunities
There were a thousand and one reasons to attend the last session of the National Ethanol Conference Wednesday, and one of them was learning about the potential for expanding the global market for ethanol. Exports of U.S. ethanol hit record highs last year and are booming as countries around the world recognize the economic and environmental benefits of American-made renewable …