Federal investigators are looking into why seven ethanol tanker cars derailed in South Dakota over the weekend. No one was injured in the derailment that occurred early Saturday morning, but at least one of the cars caught fire in the accident involving a 98-car Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad train. Senate Transportation Committee chairman John Thune (R-SD) is watching the …
RFA Honored with 3rd TRANSCAER Award
For the third year in a row the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) was awarded the annual TRANSCAER® Achievement Award for its work training first responders for ethanol-related emergencies. The award is given to “recognize the achievements of individuals, companies, and organizations which have gone beyond the normal call of duty to advocate, demonstrate and implement the principles of TRANSCAER®.” The …
DOT Announces New Rail Car Standards
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today announced a final rule for the safe transportation of flammable liquids by rail. The final rule, developed in coordination with Canada, focuses on “safety improvements that are designed to prevent accidents, mitigate consequences in the event of an accident, and support emergency response.” “Safety has been our top priority at every step in the …
DOT Issues Energy Transportation Actions
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), together with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), has announced a package of targeted actions to address some of the issues identified in recent train accidents involving crude oil and ethanol shipped by rail. The volume of crude oil being shipped by rail has increased exponentially in …
Forum to Address Ag’s Challenges in Transportation
News of too few rail cars to move this year’s grain harvest from farming areas to consumers has grabbed the headlines most recently, but agriculture and rural America are facing several other transportation issues this year. Farm Foundation will look to address some key issues, including the nation’s aging transportation infrastructure, which is also important to the movement of biofuels …
RSI-CTC Calls for Rail Rulemaking Harmonization
The Railway Supply Institute Committee on Tank Cars (RSI-CTC) has submitted comments to the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) in response to efforts to create new regulations for the shipment of crude oil and ethanol. While RSI-CTC is glad of the government’s work, they are warning of significant disruption to safety and major sectors of the North …
Ethanol Report with New RFA Chairman
Randall Doyal, General Manager and CEO of Minnesota-based Al-Corn Clean Fuel, is the new Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). Doyal’s plant located in Claremont, Minnesota opened in 1996 and now produces 50 million gallons annually. In this interview, he talks about some of the challenges and opportunities facing the ethanol industry in the …
Railways Not Required to Report Ethanol Delays
A few weeks ago, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) directed Canadian Pacific Railway Company and BNSF Railway Company to report their plans to resolve the backlogs of grain car orders and to submit weekly status reports on grain car service. However, the order failed to address rail service problems for the delivery of ethanol, and Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis …
Forecast for Greater GHG Reduction from Ethanol
A new report forecasts global ethanol consumption will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions this year by over 106 million tons. The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA), in cooperation with (S&T)2 Consultants Inc., released their Global Green House Gas (GHG) Emissions Reduction Forecast for 2014 as the International Transport Forum Summit begins today in Germany. The annual report shows the reduction …
Ethanol on the Rails
In the last couple of weeks there have been two derailments of trains carrying crude oil, one in Virginia on April 30 and one in Colorado on May 9. These incidents are just the latest in a string of accidents that began last summer when a runaway oil train carrying Bakken crude derailed and exploded in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, killing 47 …