According to a new study by economists at UC Berkeley and the U.S. Naval Academy and sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association, California drivers could save up to 20 cents per gallon if the state allowed gas stations to sell 15% ethanol blended fuel or E15. The potential savings for California consumers could reach $2.7 billion annually, according to the …
Scientists Urge Court to Reject Land Use Claims
Eight of the nation’s leading experts in agricultural economics and biofuels lifecycle analysis are urging the D.C. Circuit Court to reject claims made by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) in its lawsuit challenging EPA’s 2023-2025 Renewable Fuel Standard volumes. In its challenge to EPA’s so-called “RFS set rule,” CBD relied on debunked studies by University of Wisconsin researcher Tyler …
U.S. Ethanol and DDGS Exports Strong in May
U.S. exports of both ethanol and the co-product dried distillers grains were strong during the month of May, according to the latest analysis from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). Ethanol exports actually hit their highest level ever for the month of May at 154.4 million gallons (mg), but this was 28% decline from a near-record in April. Canada was the …
RFA CEO: Lark Changes Tune on Land Use Change
Blog post by Geoff Cooper, Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO In early 2022, University of Wisconsin researcher Tyler Lark published a study claiming that U.S. farmers had converted several million acres of pristine grassland and other “seminatural areas” to cropland in response to the Renewable Fuel Standard and growth in ethanol production. The study was accompanied by a well-funded, …
SAF Roundtable in Vancouver
Representatives of the U.S. biofuels industry, including Renewable Fuels Association Vice President of Government Affairs Ed Hubbard, joined a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) policy roundtable in Vancouver, Canada recently on the sidelines of a USDA agribusiness trade mission. The U.S. Grains Council and Advanced Biofuels Canada hosted the roundtable that included remarks from USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural …
Study Shows Benefits of FFVs and Low Carbon Ethanol
According to a newly released study from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), increased use of lower-carbon liquid fuels in light-duty vehicles would lead to larger and faster reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than EPA’s recently finalized EV-forcing tailpipe emissions standards. The study, conducted by the non-profit Southwest Research Institute, found that, “Lowering the carbon intensity of liquid fuels can …
Ethanol Report on EV Push Back
The Renewable Fuels Association and National Farmers Union have joined in a lawsuit challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s light- and medium-duty vehicle emissions standards, which they say essentially mandate battery electric vehicles while ignoring other technologies such as low-carbon ethanol and flex fuel vehicles. In this edition of the Ethanol Report, RFA president and CEO Geoff Cooper discusses the lawsuit …
Brazil Upholds 18% Tariff on U.S. Ethanol
Despite appeals from the U.S. government, ethanol exporters and importers, Brazil’s Ministry of the Economy (CAMEX) has chosen to continue its 18 percent tariff on U.S. ethanol. U.S. ethanol interests, with support from the Brazil Association of Fuel Importers (ABICOM) and the U.S. government, previously submitted comments advocating for permanent tariff removal during a public consultation period that ended on …
RFA and NFU File Separate Lawsuit Over EV Mandate
The Renewable Fuels Association and National Farmers Union have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals challenging recently finalized light- and medium-duty vehicle emissions standards. This action is separate from the lawsuit filed last week by National Corn Growers Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, and American Petroleum Institute to “ensure that …
Study Shows Plug-in Hybrid Flex Fuel Vehicle Advantages
A new study released by the Renewable Fuels Association this week documents the economic and environmental benefits of the world’s first plug-in electric hybrid flex fuel vehicle (PHEFFV), concludes that it offers distinct advantages over fully electric vehicles. Last year, RFA converted a 2022 Ford Escape plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to a flex fuel vehicle capable of operating on gasoline …