A coalition of biofuel and agriculture groups have petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to change its regulations to “account for lost volumes of renewable fuel resulting from the unprecedented number of retroactive small refinery exemptions from Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) obligations recently granted by EPA.” The petitioners are the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Growth …
More Ethanol Demand Destruction from EPA
The biofuels industry was disturbed to hear news reports this week that the Environmental Protection Agency is continuing to destruct demand for ethanol and corn with more “small refinery” exemptions. Reuters reported that EPA created nearly $34 million worth of Renewable Identification Number (RIN) credits and handed them over to HollyFrontier, along with an additional undisclosed amount of RINs to …
Senators Say Protecting RFS Will Help Lower Gas Prices
Four Democratic U.S. senators are calling on President Trump to take actions to help lower gas prices, including protecting the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, was joined by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), in a letter …
RINs for Exports Would Mean More Demand Destruction
A proposal to allow exported renewable fuel volumes to count toward RFS compliance would lead to further demand destruction for U.S. ethanol producers and corn growers, according to Renewable Fuels Association Executive Vice President Geoff Cooper, who explains why in a blog post this week. In addition, Cooper says allowing exports to qualify for the RFS would likely offset any …
EVs and Ethanol Mix Well Together
The future is bright for electric vehicles and ethanol to work together to increase future vehicle energy efficiencies and reduce costs for consumers, according to Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen who testified yesterday before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment. “Indeed, emerging technologies that utilize ethanol’s unique properties in hybrid electric technology, and even fuel-cell …
Devil in the White House RFS Deal Details
Tweets from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) became the official news from the White House meeting Tuesday on ethanol and the Renewable Fuel Standard. “Had WH mtg on RFS/ethanol. No RIN cap & got E15 yr round. Need to see Perdue+Pruitt plan. Devil in details,” tweeted Sen. Grassley. About the same time, Sen. Cruz happily tweeted, …
Ethanol Report on White House RFS Meeting
Tweets from senators involved in a White House meeting Tuesday on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) say an agreement has finally been reached between oil and ethanol interests that would allow the year-round use of E15 and put to rest the idea of a price cap on Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs), a big win for Team Ethanol. However, the “win” …
Senators Push President for E-15 RVP Waiver
With a growing number of “small refinery” exemptions being granted by EPA to not-so-small companies, a bipartisan group of senators is asking President Trump to allow 15% ethanol fuel (E-15) to be sold during the summer all over the country starting this year. In a letter to the president Monday, 18 ethanol state senators made two specific requests. First, they …
Report Says Icahn Refinery Received RFS Waiver
Reuters published an exclusive report today citing two anonymous sources who claim EPA granted a small refinery hardship exemption to CVR Energy, owned by billionaire Carl Icahn, the power behind last year’s attempt to dilute the Renewable Fuel Standard by changing the point of obligation. CVR Energy just released its 1st quarter earnings last Thursday, posting a net income of …
Ethanol Report on Pruitt and the RFS
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Scott Pruitt has been “unapologetic” under questioning this week about granting dozens of small refinery hardship exemptions, and Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen believes he will continue to do so unchecked. In this edition of the Ethanol Report, Dinneen talks about how the exemptions have effectively cut the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) …