Former Tonight Show host, comedian, and car enthusiast Jay Leno is being taken to task by automotive experts for a harshly-worded, negative article in AutoWeek entitled “Can’t We Just Get Rid of Ethanol?” The thrust of the article is to support reform or elimination of the Renewable Fuel Standard and even attacks farmers. I just don’t see the need for …
Vilsack Stresses RFS Support at #Classic15
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack spoke to over 7000 agricultural producers and industry members during his 6th appearance at Commodity Classic on Friday. Sec. Vilsack began by stating that he “was in the presence of greatness” and went on to thank farmers for all that they do on a daily basis. He also thanked farmers for their work on the …
Rail Issues Panel at #NEC15
The last but certainly not least panel at the 2015 National Ethanol Conference dealt with the timely issue of rail transportation and how safety and congestion are impacting the marketplace. Renewable Fuels Association Director of Regulatory Affairs Kelly Davis moderated the panel which featured Dana Lewis with Redfield Energy, Todd Tranausky with Argus Media, and Rail Supply Institute president Tom …
Biofuels and Ag Groups Protest Anti-RFS Bill
U.S. Senators Pat Toomey (R-PA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) today introduced legislation that would abolish the corn ethanol mandate in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), with Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) as a co-sponsor. The move was immediately criticized by both ethanol and agricultural organizations. “Senators Feinstein and Toomey continue to operate under the misguided assumption that the RFS is driving …
#NEC15 Travels Road Ahead for Higher Blends
The National Ethanol Conference featured a panel addressing the road ahead for higher blends. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) vice president for industry relations Robert White moderated the panel, which included Kristi Moriarty, National Renewable Energy Laboratory; John Eichberger, National Association of Convenience Stores; and Brian West with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “In the past, there was a lot of interest …
Brazilian Ethanol Outlook at #NEC15
At the 2015 National Ethanol Conference last week, the senior economist with a leading global agribusiness consultancy gave his competitive outlook of the Brazilian ethanol sector relative to the United States. Owen Wagner with LMC International told the group gathered that while the last 40 years in general have been good to Brazilian ethanol, the industry there has had a …
RFA Acquires E85Prices.com
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has acquired E85prices.com, which is a crowdsourced website that offers updated prices for E85 and other ethanol flex-fuels – including E15 – from thousands of stations across the country. In addition to E85prices.com, RFA acquired 11 new websites and a new mobile app to strengthen its online presence and its ability to provide up-to-the-minute information …
Global Energy Market Outlook at #NEC15
Fluctuations in the world oil market do impact ethanol energy demand and, in turn, production. During the National Ethanol Conference, John Kingston with McGraw Hill Financial Global Institute broke down how the petroleum markets have reacted and what that has meant for the ethanol industry. Kingston explained a variety of reports, such as the OPEC call and U.S. Energy Information …
Advanced Ethanol Progress and Concerns
While it’s making progress, there are still plenty of questions and concerns regarding advanced ethanol production. During the the 20th National Ethanol Conference, a panel of advanced ethanol producers talked about the challenges and opportunities facing their industry. Advanced Ethanol Council Executive Director Brooke Coleman moderated the panel which included Bill Feehery of DuPont Industrial Biosciences (pictured at the podium), …
Ethanol Helps Create Jobs and More Jobs
At the National Ethanol Conference last week, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) released the latest economic study on the “Contribution of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of the United States in 2014,” and found it to be better than ever in 2014. Among the benefits of ethanol production in 2014 according to the study by ABF Economics: • $52.7 …