Summit Carbon Continues to Make Progress

Cindy Zimmerman

Summit Carbon Solutions continues to make progress on the pipeline project that has a footprint in five states.

Summit Carbon CEO Lee Blank told attendees at the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) annual meeting this week that he believes the project will get to completion. “I know what this pipeline means to the ethanol industry today, and I know what the infrastructure means to agriculture today, which is why we have to get it completed,” he said.

Blank says they are currently preparing for a series of public meetings around Iowa approved by the Iowa Public Utilities Commission. Approval by the Iowa Utilities Board in June was a significant milestone for the project.

“It’s a wonderful project to reduce carbon. It’s the next step change project for US agriculture, just like the ethanol industry was in 2004, 2005,” said Blank. “And so I try and communicate that to the to the landowner about what would be if we didn’t have the railroad. That’s physically a taking. Our eminent domain that we may or may not have to use is not a taking. We’re actually just trying to put a piece of property under your property and give it right back to you. So ultimately it’s different.”

The pipeline was originally expected to be operational by the end of this year is now looking to be more like late 2026 or 2027, according to a recent report citing remarks from Summit Agricultural Group CEO Justin Kirchhoff.

Listen to Blank’s remarks here:
ACE 24 Lee Blank, Summit Carbon 23:13

2024 ACE Annual Conference Photo Album

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ACE Wants Corn Ethanol to be the Gold Standard

Cindy Zimmerman

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) 37th annual conference kicked off in Omaha Wednesday with the theme “The Gold Standard.”

“To future-proof our industry, steps must be taken to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,” said ACE CEO Brian Jennings in his opening remarks. “That’s precisely what ethanol producers have been doing; innovating, optimizing, and becoming more efficient. During this time, ACE has tackled the other half of the carbon intensity equation; how ethanol companies can further reduce their GHG emissions based on farming practices. Our goal; to make corn ethanol the undisputed, gold-standard, clean fuel of the future.”

Both Jennings and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack discussed ACE’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), which generating a great deal of interest. Over the past few weeks, ACE has conducted meetings with more than 500 farmers interested in learning about the opportunity, and those farmers have expressed interest in enrolling nearly 250,000 acres in ACE’s project, approaching five times available funding.

ACE 24 Brian Jennings remarks 12:35

2024 ACE Annual Conference Photo Album

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Vilsack Addresses ACE Ethanol Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack addressed members of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) this week for the first time since 2012 and he thanked them for the work they have been doing on the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

The RCCP started in South Dakota in 2021 and recently received a $35 million investment through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

“You’ve now expanded it to 10 states,” said Vilsack. “You’re providing resources to help farmers reduce tillage to manage nutrients and to utilize cover crops. You have expanded this program and opportunity to 167 counties across those 10 states. You’ve got the possibility of 10s of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of acres being committed to this in an effort to help 13 ethanol facilities make sure they can comply with whatever the carbon intensity score needs to be to be able to take full advantage of new opportunities. You are creating a database that will be verified and measured…And you’re setting the stage for us to make, I think a more powerful case that ethanol needs to be part of the sustainable aviation fuel future.”

Listen to Vilsack’s remarks here:
ACE 24 Sec. Vilsack remarks 48:40

2024 ACE Annual Conference Photo Album

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Export Exchange 2024 Registration Open

Cindy Zimmerman

Registration is now open for Export Exchange 2024, which will be held in Fort Worth, Texas, Oct. 7-9.

The biennial event, which was first held in 2010, is co-sponsored by the U.S. Grains Council (USGC), Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), and Growth Energy. It is expected to bring together 200 international buyers and end-users of coarse grains and co-products, including distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), with approximately 300 U.S. suppliers and agribusiness representatives.

U.S. suppliers of coarse grains and co-products, industry representatives and members of the grain trade are encouraged to attend and members of the sponsoring organizations are eligible for discounted pricing during online registration.

Previous editions of the conference have each resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in sales of grains and co-products traded on-site or immediately following the event.

In addition to networking opportunities, the event will focus on timely topics related to exports of U.S. corn, sorghum, barley, DDGS and related products. Council-sponsored trade teams from more than 30 countries will also be in attendance, participating in tours before and after the main conference.

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SAF Information Act Introduced in House

Cindy Zimmerman

Reps. Mike Flood and Troy Carter

U.S. Representatives Mike Flood (R-NE) and Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA), last week introduced legislation that would require more reporting of data about Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Information Act would direct the Energy Information Administration (EIA) to include regular reporting of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) on their weekly and monthly reports, consistent with other fuel types that are regularly reported on by the agency.

“Nebraska is the second largest producer of biofuels in the nation and we’re constantly working to grow our bioeconomy,” said Rep. Flood. “Sustainable Aviation Fuel is an incredible growth opportunity that can help expand the biofuels industry and our rural economy. This commonsense legislation directs the EIA to start including SAF in data sets they publish, allowing stakeholders and industry to better understand how production is developing. Thank you to my colleagues, especially Congressman Carter, for stepping up and pushing to help include SAF in key reports as the industry takes off.”

“Aviation currently represents approximately 10 percent of our nation’s transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions,” said Congressman Carter, Sr. “Without coordinated action between government and industry, these emissions will continue to increase as more people and goods fly through our skies. Sustainable aviation fuel is an exciting, new green fuel with a proven record of success. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to ensure America is on track to meet the growing demand for cleaner transportation and healthier communities. I’m committed to supporting innovative, eco-friendly aviation solutions like this.”

Original co-sponsors of the bill include Reps. Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Don Bacon (R-NE), Dina Titus (D-NV), and Hillary Scholten (D-MI).

Among the industry supporters of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Information Act are the Renewable Fuels Association, National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, the SAF Coalition, Greater New Orleans Inc., American Sugar Cane League, National Corn Growers Association, Growth Energy, Renewable Fuels Nebraska, the Nebraska Soybean Association, the Nebraska Corn Growers Association, and the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation.

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USDA Forecasting Record Corn and Soybean Yields

Cindy Zimmerman

The latest Crop Production report from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is forecasting record corn and soybean yields this year, with higher total production for soybeans and slightly lower for corn.

Corn production is expected to be down 1% from last year at 15.1 billion bushels while soybean production is forecast to be 10% higher than 2023 at a record high 4.59 billion bushels.

Average corn yield is forecast at record high 183.1 bushels per acre, up 5.8 bushels from last year. NASS also forecasts record high yields in Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, South Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin. As of Aug. 4, 67% of this year’s corn crop was reported in good or excellent condition, 10 percentage points above the same time last year.

Soybean yields are expected to average a record high 53.2 bushels per acre, up 2.6 bushels from 2023. If realized, the forecasted yields in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio will be record highs.

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EPA’s Rod Snyder Steps Down

Cindy Zimmerman

Snyder addresses ethanol stakeholders in Washington DC March 2024

The head of EPA’s newly created Office of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced he was stepping down this week, after only five months in the new position.

Rod Snyder became senior adviser for agriculture at EPA in October 2021 after serving as president of Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture for seven years. EPA Administrator Michael Regan announced the new office and Snyder as head of it at Commodity Classic in March.

Two weeks later, Snyder addressed members of the American Coalition for Ethanol meeting in Washington D.C., talking about important topics such as updates to the GREET model for implementation of Inflation Reduction Act tax credits and summer sales of E15.

In an exclusive interview with Agri-Pulse, Snyder said he had no “specific plans for his next career move” but will be focusing on his family and personal life. There has been no statement from EPA yet regarding a replacement for Snyder in the ag office.

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Vilsack to Speak at ACE Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will be a keynote speaker at the American Coalition for Ethanol 37th annual conference in Omaha next week. Secretary Vilsack will speak on Thursday, August 15, at 9:00 AM Central.

“Under Secretary Vilsack’s extraordinary leadership, USDA has provided critically important support to expand ethanol use and help ensure corn ethanol is part of the climate solution,” said Brian Jennings, ACE CEO. “Most notably, we appreciate USDA’s investments in the Higher Blends Infrastructure and Incentive Program and our Regional Conservation Partnership Program projects to validate the carbon benefits of climate-smart agriculture practices which can help ethanol producers and farmers realize new market opportunities, including tax credits created under the Inflation Reduction Act. Given his tremendous record of support, we are honored to host Secretary Vilsack at this year’s event.”

“The Gold Standard” themed conference kicks off Wednesday, August 14, with a welcome reception at 5:00 PM Central and concludes 11:30 AM Central on Friday, August 16, at the Omaha Marriott Downtown at the Capitol District. The Secretary’s remarks on Thursday will follow updates from ACE leadership, including Dave Sovereign, ACE Board President representing Golden Grain Energy, ACE CEO Brian Jennings and ACE CMO Ron Lamberty, and a keynote address from Lee Blank, CEO of Summit Carbon Solutions.

Coming off the Olympics, the two-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act and its lucrative tax credits, including important updates and announcements when it comes to the gold-standard lifecycle modeling tool for ethanol (the GREET model), ACE’s 2024 event theme this summer is fittingly “The Gold Standard.” The biofuel industry is setting the standard for clean energy solutions to ensure ethanol remains the gold-standard clean fuel for years to come.

Click here to find more information on The ACE annual conference.

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Amazon Joins SAF Coalition

Cindy Zimmerman

Amazon has joined the growing membership of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Coalition.

“We are thrilled that Amazon has joined the SAF Coalition. Their addition to our growing membership marks a pivotal moment for our collective efforts to scale SAF production and create a more sustainable future,” said SAF Coalition Executive Director Alison Graab. “With a significant presence in the logistics and transportation sectors, we look forward to the insights they will bring.”

The SAF Coalition has grown to more than 50 organizations across the SAF value chain since its launch earlier this year. Encompassing airports, airlines, aircraft manufacturers, agribusinesses, feedstock producers, labor unions, and technology companies, the coalition advocates for policies and incentives that will rapidly increase the development, production, and adoption of sustainable aviation fuels.

Membership in the coalition includes biofuels organizations such as the Renewable Fuels Association, SAF producers LanzaJet and Gevo, and airlines American, Southwest and United, among dozens of other organizations and companies.

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Business SAF Coalition Comments to USDA

Cindy Zimmerman

The Business Aviation Coalition for Sustainable Aviation Fuel is urging the Biden administration to follow the approach the government uses for existing biofuel programs when it develops rules to quantify and verify greenhouse gas emissions from various feedstocks for producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to determine the level of Inflation Reduction Act tax incentives available to SAF producers.

“The BizAv SAF Coalition encourages the Department to enable as much adaptability and flexibility in its framework as is practicable and encourages the USDA to embrace a performance-based approach in its analysis, focusing on outcomes rather than prescriptive and exclusionary lists of acceptable feedstocks,” the coalition said in its letter.

Without the right approach and flexibility with the greenhouse gas rules, the U.S. will not be able to meet the SAF Grand Challenge goals, the coalition said. “It is likely that we will only achieve those goals through the existing scale and capabilities of U.S. agriculture through access to sustainable crop-based feedstocks,” the coalition said.

Read the coalition’s letter to USDA here.

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