There is plenty of corn in the latest reports out from USDA this week, which is good news for the ethanol industry. In the first official estimate of the 2010/11 crop, USDA is projecting corn production to beat last year by 260 million bushels and total 13.4 billion. “Based on the rapid pace of 2010 planting as reported in Crop …
Ethanol Pioneer Responds to Recent Article
The president of a company responsible for designing half the corn ethanol plants in the country is responding to comments attributed to him in the on-line publication of the Minnesota 2020, which describes itself as a “progressive, non-partisan think tank.” The opinion article was written by a college student from an interview done with Ron Fagen, president and CEO of …
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute Awards
The Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute (AFVi) recognized outstanding leadership in the alternative fuels and vehicles industry as part of the 16th Alternative Fuels & Vehicles Conference + Expo 2010 today in Las Vegas. Among this year’s honorees is Robert White, Director of Market Development for the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), who was awarded the 24/7 Blend Award for “his leadership …
Biofuels Digest Names Top Twitterati
Biofuels Digest has named the top 20 “biofuels observers who are shaping opinion via Twitter.” Some of the top names in the industry are on this list that Biofuels Digest calls “the leading practitioners of the art – the Twitterati that are shaping the biofuels landscape with their bursts of 140-character or less messages – sometimes as many as 50 …
Ethanol Report on Oil Spill Response
Addressing the tragedy hitting the Gulf of Mexico and coastal areas requires both an aggressive short term response and an equally aggressive long term energy and environmental strategy. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen is asking the Obama administration to take action to help increase the use of ethanol, starting with immediately allowing up to 12 percent ethanol …
Ethanol Production Continues Record Pace
U.S. ethanol production continued on a record pace in February. According to information from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), February 2010 ethanol production averaged more than 833,000 barrels per day, 186,000 more than February 2009. Ethanol demand, as calculated by the Renewable Fuels Association, also reached an all time high of 795,000 barrels per day in February. However, production continues …
Meat Producers Oppose Ethanol Tax Incentives
Major livestock and poultry trade associations sent a letter to the House Ways and Means Committee this week asking that they allow the blenders’ tax credit and associated tariff for ethanol to expire at the end of this year. The request was made in a letter signed by industry trade associations, including the American Meat Institute, the National Turkey Federation, …
Purdue Report Disputes Indirect Land Use Findings
A recently completed state-of-the-art analysis from Purdue University concludes that the California Air Resources Board (ARB) overestimated the indirect land use change (ILUC) impact of grain-based ethanol by a factor of two in developing its Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS) one year ago. The Renewable Fuels Association sent a letter sent this week to ARB Chair Mary Nichols pointing out …
RFA CEO Takes Case for Ethanol Incentives to The Hill
Federal incentives for the U.S. ethanol industry are good public policy by every measure of “economic growth, energy security and environmental responsibility,” according to Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, in an opinion column penned for The Hill. Dinneen makes the case that biofuels offer hope for three major challenges facing the nation – the economy, …
Ethanol Leaders Take to the Hill
America’s ethanol industry is taking its message to Capitol Hill this week with a variety of key issues to discuss. Extending key tax incentives for all forms of ethanol, expanding the market through higher ethanol blends, and increasing the production of flexible fuel vehicles are all topics of discussion during the visit. Members of the Renewable Fuels Association are scheduled …