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) …
Pruitt Provides Vague Answers About RFS Exemptions
The budget for the Environmental Protection Agency was the topic of two separate House hearings Thursday, but lawmakers spent the majority of the time addressing other concerns with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was brought up immediately by House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment Chairman John Shimkus of Illinois, who made it clear he would …
RFS Architects Question EPA Waivers
Two former senators who played key roles in developing the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) are calling on Congress to investigate the EPA’s recent waivers to major refiners and failure to follow the law. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Jim Talent (R-MO) say EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s granting of multiple small refinery hardship waivers skirts the law and threatens to undermine the …
EPA Data Shows Waivers Have Lowered RFS Obligations
An analysis of EPA data by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) shows that small refinery exemptions for 2016 and 2017 have cost at least 1.6 billion gallons of biofuels in lost blending obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The volume of lost blending obligations for these two years is 10 times the collective volume of lost volume from 2013-2015. …