The drive toward higher blends of ethanol in gasoline is accelerating and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is working to ensure that the blend wall is just another bump in the road for ethanol to ride over. This edition of “The Ethanol Report” podcast features comments from RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, EPA Acting Biomass …
Ethanol Industry Formally Petitions for 15 Percent
A broad alliance of ethanol industry groups have joined together to formally petition the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to allow the use of up to 15 percent ethanol in gasoline for motor vehicles, according to the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE). In addition to ACE, the alliance includes Growth Energy, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), and the National Ethanol …
Final 2008 Ethanol Numbers
The final 2008 ethanol production and demand numbers are in and despite industry issues towards the end of the year, it was another record with both numbers up over 40 percent from 2007. According to year-end figures released by the Energy Information Administration, American ethanol facilities produced more than 9.2 billion gallons of ethanol in 2008, up from some 6.5 …
K-State Students Take Flex-Fuel Challenge
Manhattan, KS looked more like Manhattan, NY yesterday as cars were lined up to get E85 for just 85 cents a gallon and E10 for only a dollar, plus a free lunch at the Manhattan Farmers Cooperative Association. Hundreds of hot dogs and thousands of gallons of ethanol-blended fuel were given away to Kansas State college students at the “Wildcat …
Take the Flex-Fuel Challenge
Young people all over the country are encouraged to take the Flex-Fuel Challenge and help pave the way for our nation’s renewable energy future. The Renewable Fuels Association is kicking off the initiative today at Kansas State University and unveiling a new website, e85challenge.com to get college students engaged in the debate surrounding issues that impact their future: the economy, …
“2008 an Anomaly Year”
“When the history books are written, 2008 most likely will go down as an anomaly year, ” began John Urbanchuk, Director of LEGC, LLC. Housing market crash. Financial market crash. Global recession. Commodity boom and bust. Wave of bankruptcies. “We slipped into a recession in December 2007, ending a seven year run of economic growth.” But, he continued, President Obama, in his address …
NRDC’s Take on Indirect Land Use
Indirect land use has been a hot topic at this year’s 14th annual National Ethanol Conference. The ethanol industry has been working closely with many organizations on this issue including the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). I caught up with Nathanael Greene, Senior Policy Analyst–Air and Energy, after he participated in the panel: The Impact of Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions …
New Corn Ethanol Land Use Study Released
Indirect land-use affects of corn-based ethanol would be “small” reported Thomas Darlington, with Air Improvement Resource, Inc., today during a special press conference as part of the National Ethanol Conference. Darlington has been working with RFA to help legislators, in particular the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) better understand Land-Use Change. Indirect land use research …
Petroleum Gives Keynote Address to Ethanol
The vice president of the American Petroleum Institute provided the keynote address at the 14th Annual National Ethanol Conference in San Antonio on Tuesday. Introducing Jim Ford with API, Renewable Fuels Association president Bob Dinneen stressed the importance of working with the petroleum industry. “They’re our customers, they’re the ones bringing our product to the consumer, so we have to …
Small Engine Challenge for Ethanol
As the ethanol industry pushes towards higher level blends, one of the biggest challenges will be small engines. Kris Kiser, Executive Vice President of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, spoke to the National Ethanol Conference on a Marketing Higher Level Blends panel. “We are not anti-ethanol,” said Kiser. “We are simply concerned about the welfare and well being of the …