A D.C. Circuit Court ruling on Tuesday upholds EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standards for 2020-2022 and rejects the oil refining industry’s challenges to the rule. The Court found that EPA acted appropriately in setting RFS standards for those years, including a supplemental volume requirement to comply with a 2016 D.C. Circuit Court decision. “Once again, renewable fuel producers claim that EPA’s …
March Ethanol and DDGs Exports Hit 2 Year Highs
U.S. exports of both ethanol and the co-product dried distillers grains (DDGS) were higher in March, according to the latest analysis from the Renewable Fuels Association. March U.S. ethanol exports increased 15% to a 23-month high of 159.3 million gallons (mg), with 97% bound for just ten markets. The largest share (30%) transferred to Canada, our top customer for the …
US Ethanol Industry Seeks to Challenge EU SAF Regulation
The Renewable Fuels Association and LanzaJet are among U.S. ethanol interests seeking to intervene in a legal challenge of the European Union’s ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation, which effectively bans the use of renewable, crop-based biofuels like corn ethanol as a feedstock for decarbonizing the aviation sector. LanzaJet operates the world’s first ethanol-to-jet biorefinery in Georgia. Also collaborating in the intervention are …
Ethanol Report on 40B SAF Tax Credit and Beyond
The 40B tax credit guidance and modified GREET model released April 30 by U.S. Treasury lays the groundwork for U.S. ethanol producers and farmers to participate in the emerging market for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). But since 40B expires at the end of this year, all the attention will now turn to implementing the 45Z credit to start next year, …
Ethanol Industry Reacts to SAF Guidance
Now that the 40B sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) tax credit guidance and modified GREET model has been released, the ethanol industry may have scored a ticket to fly but there’s still a few mechanical problems to sort out before take off. The new 40B GREET model will recognize GHG reductions from carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), renewable natural gas, and …
RFA CEO Honored as Patriotic Employer
Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Geoff Cooper, an Army veteran, was honored this week by the Department of Defense Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve office “for contributing to national security and protecting liberty and freedom by supporting employee participation in America’s national guard and reserve force.” Under Cooper’s leadership, RFA last year founded Veterans for Renewable …
SAF Stakeholders Call for Farm Bill Provisions
Industry stakeholders representing nearly the entire supply chain for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) are calling on House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders to include provisions in the Farm Bill to boost the role of American farms in fueling low-carbon aviation. “SAF, which can be produced from renewable biomass and agriculture-based feedstocks, presents an opportunity to expand U.S. markets for agricultural …
Ethanol Industry Pleased EPA Issues Summer E15 Waiver
The Environmental Protection Agency today issued a waiver to allow E15 (15 percent ethanol fuel) to continue to be sold this summer. The temporary waiver under the Clean Air Act was issued “to address extreme and unusual fuel supply circumstances caused by a confluence of events, including the ongoing war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East, that are …
Year-Round E15 Act Introduced in House
The Year-Round E15 Act was introduced this week in the U.S. House by Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) together with colleagues Adrian Smith (R-NE), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Brad Finstad (R-MN), Eric Sorensen (D-IL), and Don Bacon (R-NE). The legislation would allow for retail sales of E15 this summer across eight Midwestern states which EPA has approved for the Reid Vapor Pressure …
RFA Concerned About Loss of USDA Reports
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is urging USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to reconsider its plan announced last week to discontinue all County Estimates for Crops and Livestock beginning with the 2024 production year. “With the rapid emergence of state and federal climate policies that will compel ethanol producers to carefully track certain feedstock characteristics, the availability of robust …