Sales of E15 (15% ethanol fuel) hit a record 814 million gallons in 2021, according to a new analysis from the Renewable Fuels Association. The 2021 volume represents a 62 percent increase over 2020 and was nearly double pre-pandemic sales volumes in 2019. The analysis is based on recently released data for Minnesota and Iowa that show sales of E15 …
RFA Issues ‘Pump Up the Savings’ Challenge
Snap a photo of lower-priced, higher-ethanol blends at the pump could get you some free fuel. The Renewable Fuels Association has kicked off a new “Pump Up the Savings” sweepstakes encouraging consumers to share pictures of fuel prices when they fill up at the pump, showing the savings associated with ethanol blends like E15 and E85. Qualifying entries will be …
Groups Urge EPA to Use GREET Model
Ethanol organizations submitting feedback to the the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) request for comment on the current scientific understanding of greenhouse gas (GHG) are asking for an update. Both the Renewable Fuels Association and the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) recommend the agency adopt the Argonne National Laboratory GREET model, calling it the “gold standard” of lifecycle models. “The Agency’s …
White House Fuel Price Plan Overlooks Biofuels
Biofuel organizations are baffled by the White House “Plan to Respond to Putin’s Price Hike at the Pump” released Thursday that completely ignores increasing use of renewable fuels. The plan to address higher fuel prices resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine calls on petroleum companies to ramp up oil production and includes an unprecedented release of up to 180 million …
Americans Support Expanded E15 Use to Lower Gas Prices
A new nationwide survey indicates Americans see the potential for ethanol to help lower gas prices at the pump, with the national average running above $4 per gallon. The survey conducted by Morning Consult found that 72 percent of American voters support expanding the availability of E15 as a way to replace petroleum imports from Russia, and more than 80 …
Ethanol Report on How to Lower Gas Prices
With E15 selling as much 50 cents less than regular unleaded gasoline, it seems obvious that higher blends of ethanol can help lower prices at the pump. But so far, nothing is being done on the national level to unleash the power of biofuels to ease the pain of high gas prices. In this edition of The Ethanol Report podcast, …
E85 Sales Shatter Records in California
Sales of E85 flex fuel in California hit a new record last year, soaring 55 percent over 2020 levels and nearly doubling since 2018, according to new data released by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Last year, California drivers purchased nearly 62.5 million gallons (mg) of E85 flex fuel, up from about 40 mg in both 2019 and 2020, …
Argonne Debunks Recent Negative Ethanol Study
Experts with the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, Purdue University, and the University of Illinois system have just published an assessment finding major flaws in a recent paper that made unfounded allegations about the greenhouse gas benefits of ethanol compared to gasoline. Responding to the report Environmental Outcomes of the US Renewable Fuel Standard, which was led by Tyler …
1000 Biofuel Supporters Sign Letter to White House
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is sending a letter to the White House today signed by more than 1,000 farmers, workers in the ethanol industry, and other biofuel supporters asking President Biden to help lower gas prices immediately by allowing broader use of lower-cost ethanol blends like E15. “Simply allowing gasoline blenders to sell E15 year-round would instantly help moderate …
Ethanomics 101: How More Ethanol Lowers Gas Prices
Everyone can agree that the price of gasoline is higher than it has ever been. However, no one seems to agree on any way to make it lower, even though an obvious answer is staring us right in the face – ethanol. According to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), it’s simply a matter of Ethanomics 101. Listen up, class! Increased …