In an effort to curb global rising food prices and food insecurity concerns, members of G20 nations will be meeting in Paris this week. A major focal point of discussion is set to be biofuels and earlier this month a report from Oxfam concluded that biofuels were part of the reason food prices are rising. The ethanol industry deems this …
Crazy Week for Ethanol in the Senate
For those of you who might be wondering just what the heck happened this week in the Senate, where they voted in favor of ethanol before they voted against it and then for it again, Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen offers some insight in a post on The E-xchange blog. Dinneen explains that the vote Tuesday to …
Senate Votes to End Ethanol Blenders Tax Credit
The same amendment to end the ethanol blenders tax credit (VEETC) that failed in the Senate on Tuesday passed today on a vote of 73 to 27. The only difference between the two amendments is that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) took the lead on it instead of Republican Tom Coburn of Oklahoma who broke procedure to bring it to the …
More Senate Ethanol Votes Today
An effort to end the ethanol blenders tax credit continues today in the Senate. Just two days after an amendment by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) was defeated, the Senate is expected to vote on the same amendment, the effort this time spearheaded by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). A second amendment by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to prohibit federal investment in …
BYO Ethanol Helps Retailers With Blender Pump Applications
There is funding available for gas retailers to install ethanol blender pumps, the trick is navigating the application process to get it. That’s where Blend Your Own (BYO) Ethanol can help. The joint effort by the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is playing a key role in helping expedite the USDA REAP (Rural Energy …
Ethanol Future Could be Headed to Senate Showdown
After the defeat Tuesday in the Senate of an amendment by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) to immediately eliminate the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC), the ethanol industry is supporting another approach and the two concepts could be heading for a showdown in the Senate before the end of the month. “That indeed has been teed up with a commitment …
Coburn Amendment Quashed
In a vote of 40-59, Sen. Tom Coburn’s (R-OK) Amendment No. 436 to immediately eliminate the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) and the tariff on imported ethanol was quashed. Coburn’s proposal needed 60 votes to move forward but fell short by 20 votes. Shortly after the news hit, the ethanol industry began calling for “real reform.” “The fight is …
Diverse Groups Oppose Coburn Ethanol Amendment
In advance of a vote in the Senate on an amendment to eliminate the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) immediately, ethanol interests remain “cautiously optimistic” that the measure will fail. Seven agriculture and ethanol organizations sent a letter to the Senate leadership urging a no vote on the amendment proposed last week by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK). In it …
Thune/Klobuchar Bill Endorsed by Ethanol Industry
Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) along with a bipartisan group of nine other Senate colleagues have introduced the Ethanol Reform and Deficit Reduction Act. The bill is designed to modify the current Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Incentive (VEETC), which is a set tax, to a variable tax incentive tied to the price of oil. To help open …
Ethanol Safety Seminar Coming to Portland
The latest Ethanol Safety Seminar is coming to Portland and will be held on June 15, 2011 at the Portland Community College, Science and Technology Building. The seminar is hosted by the Renewable Fuels Association and the Columbia-Willamette Clean Cities Coalition. There will be two FREE sessions – the first will be from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm and the …