Make no mistake about it. The ethanol industry is engaged in a war of words with anti-ethanol forces and every weapon in the arsenal needs to be deployed to fight against these well-funded opponents. Communications and Social Media War Room was the title of one of the breakout sessions at last week’s 2014 National Ethanol Conference. Renewable Fuels Association executive …
Patriot Out Front with Ethanol
Patriot Renewable Fuels wants to be the “poster child” for other ethanol plants when it comes to marketing higher blends in their own communities. You might remember Darrell Rakestraw as the veteran we interviewed last fall about the EPA proposal to lower the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). When we spoke to him last week at his first National Ethanol Conference, …
State Level Blend Walls Update
The phrase “all politics is local” seems like it sure could apply to some of the decisions to overcome the ethanol blend wall. Challenges to increasing ethanol in the marketplace exist on the state level as well as the federal level, and participants at the National Ethanol Conference learned more about efforts to break down the blend wall in various …
Ethanol Exports Important to Industry
Exports of both ethanol and the animal feed co-product distillers dried grains (DDGs) are important for Patriot Renewable Fuels, located near the Quad Cities and not far from Chicago. Patriot commodity manager Judd Hulting attended a trade mission with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) to Brazil last fall. “It’s just another outlet for our …
RFA Ethanol Industry Outlook and Pocket Guide
Every registration packet at the National Ethanol Conference included two new publications from the Renewable Fuels Association – the annual 2014 Ethanol Industry Outlook and 2014 Pocket Guide to Ethanol. The publications offer both a comprehensive look at the ethanol industry today and a succinct industry overview in a pocket-sized package. They include information about the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), …
Analysis: RINs Price Drop Indicate EPA Reversal
A drop in prices for biodiesel and ethanol Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) could indicate that the government’s proposal to cut the amount of the green fuels to be blended into America’s fuel supply will be reversed. In an analysis by University of Illinois agricultural marketing expert Scott Irwin, lower RINs suggest the market believes odds are the Environmental Protection Agency …
Corn Growers Vow to Protect the RFS
Now that the farm bill is a done deal, National Corn Growers Association Public Policy Vice President Jon Doggett says his organization has three main priorities for this year in Washington – protect the RFS, and protect the RFS, and protect the RFS. That may seem redundant, but that’s just how important the Renewable Fuel Standard is for corn growers. …
Abengoa Honored With RFA Award
To recognize the advancement of cellulosic ethanol in a pivotal year, Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen presented the “RFA 2014 Industry Award” to Gerson Santos-Leon, the executive vice president of Abengoa Bioenergy New Technologies. The award was given by RFA at the National Ethanol Conference this week in Orlando “in gratitude for the sustained vision, innovation, and …
EPA Director Addresses Ethanol Conference
The Director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency addressed the National Ethanol Conference on Wednesday morning on issues related to the Renewable Fuel Standard and EPA’s proposal for the 2014 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVO). Chris Grundler was scheduled to be on a panel at the NEC Tuesday but had a conflict and …
Impact of RFS on Ethanol Industry
The first panel of the 2014 National Ethanol Conference dealt with the impact of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) on the ethanol industry – today and tomorrow. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Senior Vice President for Research and Analysis Geoff Cooper moderated the panel which featured remarks from Bruce Babcock, Cargill Chair of Energy Economics at Iowa State University and Steffen …