Muckenhirn Excited About Expanded Role with ACE

Cindy Zimmerman

The American Coalition for Ethanol‘s new Vice President of Public Affairs Katie Muckenhirn is excited about her expanded role with the organization to support the nation’s ethanol producers.

Muckenhirn, whose maiden name is Fletcher, will continue to manage the organization’s media relations, while assuming a larger role in ACE’s public policy efforts and planning of ACE’s Washington, D.C. fly-in and annual conference. She has been with ACE since 2017 after nearly three years of writing and editing for BBI’s Ethanol Producer Magazine, Biomass Magazine and Pellet Mill Magazine and providing event support for the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo.

Chuck Zimmerman interviewed Katie at last week’s National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) annual Trade Talk about her new role.
Interview with Katie Muckenhirn, ACE (2:11)

ACE, Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Ag Secretary Expects “Certainty” From EPA for Biofuels

Cindy Zimmerman

On the day last week that the Environmental Protection Agency proposed extending the deadlines for refiners to comply with Renewable Fuel Standard volume obligations, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack told farm broadcasters that the biofuels industry can expect “certainty” from the Biden EPA.

Answering a question about what role renewable fuels can play in climate change, considering EPA has yet to issue proposed Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) and E15 is essentially back to being banned in the summer, Vilsack said it’s an important role and producers will see support coming from Washington in a number of ways. “I think you’re going to see it in the certainty of the RVOs that basically the EPA puts out,” said Vilsack. “In the past, the previous administration set a number but that number, you could never trust it because there were waivers being granted in a very significant way…which significantly reduced that number.”

Vilsack continued that he believes, from statements Administrator Michael Regan has made, that “when they fix a number, they’re not going to provide a lot of waivers in the way in which the previous administration did.”

The secretary also mentioned COVID aid still expected from the administration, and resources for the industry in the Build Back Better bill.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack biofuels comments 3:53

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NAFB, USDA

Biofuels Groups Frustrated by EPA RFS Delays

Cindy Zimmerman

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday additional extensions for oil refiners to comply with already delayed Renewable Fuel Standard obligations from 2019 and 2020, which were previously extended in April, further frustrating biofuels organizations still waiting for the agency to issue 2021 and 2022 RFS rules or the 2023 volumes or announced decisions on pending small refinery exemptions.

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper says it’s long past time for refiners to demonstrate compliance with their 2019 and 2020 renewable volume obligations. “There’s no good reason for EPA to kick the can down the road again, which only adds uncertainty and instability to the marketplace. Refiners and the EPA need to respect and meet deadlines, and we likewise call on EPA to immediately publish the long-overdue renewable volume obligations for 2021 and 2022. We had hoped things would be different under this administration, but EPA continues to miss its deadlines and create confusion in the marketplace.”

Cooper spoke to farm broadcasters meeting in Kansas City Thursday about this and other issues the ethanol industry is facing.
Interview with RFA CEO Geoff Cooper (10:50)

American Coalition for Ethanol CEO Brian Jennings was also at NAFB Thursday where he said the announcement from EPA is an enormous disappointment. “It’s hard at this stage to hide the frustration we have with the EPA,” said Jennings. “There’s a growing sense of frustration that the RFS continues to be mismanaged, (and) politicized.”

Listen to an interview with Jennings from NAFB here:
Interview with ACE CEO Brian Jennings (6:18)

National Biodiesel Board Vice President of Federal Affairs Kurt Kovarik added, “The Biden administration and EPA are sending the wrong signals on fuel availability and gas prices. The uncertainty they are creating for the RFS will undermine biodiesel and renewable diesel producers, blow up demand for cleaner fuels, and derail the nation’s progress toward carbon reductions. This is simply a gift to refiners who have ignored the RFS obligations for more than a year and a half and are demanding the administration bail them out. EPA needs to finalize RFS rules now.”

ACE, Audio, Biodiesel, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NBB, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

National Biodiesel Board elects new Governing Board

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Biodiesel Board returned to in-person meetings this week in Washington, D.C. and elected a new Governing Board.

Following a vote by NBB members, the following individuals will serve two-year terms:

• Chad Stone, Renewable Energy Group, Inc.
• Chris Hill, Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council
• Dave Walton, Iowa Soybean Association
• Harry Simpson, Crimson Renewable Energy LLC
• Kent Engelbrecht, ADM
• Mike Devine, World Energy
• Ryan Pederson, North Dakota Soybean Council

Greg Anderson, Tom Brooks, Tim Keaveney, Gary Louis, Mike Rath, Rob Shaffer, Robert Stobaugh and Paul Teta remain on the board. The board elected Chad Stone as Chair, Mike Rath as Vice Chair, Rob Shaffer as 2nd Vice Chair, Harry Simpson as Treasurer, and Ryan Pederson as Secretary. Kent Engelbrecht continues his role as Past Chair.

Biodiesel, NBB

National Ethanol Conference Scholarships Available

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association and the Renewable Fuels Foundation (RFF) are offering scholarships for young adults interested in attending the 27th annual National Ethanol Conference, scheduled for Feb. 21-23 in New Orleans. Members of RFA’s Young Professionals Network are also eligible for consideration for the first time, in addition to college students.

Now in its 13th year, the program is named in honor of Robert “Bob” Sather, an educator who helped found RFA member company Ace Ethanol in Wisconsin. Sather was a past Chair of the Renewable Fuels Foundation. The aim of the Bob Sather Memorial Scholarship is to reach young adults aspiring to a career related to ethanol and open new doors and present new perspectives on biofuels’ place in our world today and beyond. The program provides eligible applicants with opportunities to hear from and engage with top industry leaders, policymakers, and academic and technical experts.

“As we prepare to gather once again at the U.S. ethanol industry’s most widely attended annual conference, we want to continue to provide young adults the opportunity to experience the educational and networking benefits of the National Ethanol Conference,” said Bill Pracht, chairman of RFF and CEO of East Kansas Agri-Energy. “We highly recommend this scholarship to any student studying in the fields of agriculture, economics, marketing or renewable energy, and we are likewise pleased to now offer assistance to young professionals in the industry who otherwise would not have been able to attend.”

The scholarships fully cover the registration fee, hotel, and up to $500 in airfare; a total of five will be awarded. Interested college students are asked to submit a 500-word essay explaining how their attendance at the NEC will help them achieve their future goals. They should also submit two letters of recommendation and an up-to-date resume, as well as a current college transcript.

Interested members of the RFA Young Professionals Network need to complete the application questions and provide a resume and letter of recommendation from a supervisor or someone else familiar with their qualifications. They also need their supervisor’s signature on the application.

For complete application details and to apply, visit www.nationalethanolconference.com/scholarships. Applications are due Jan. 14.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

NBB Testifies to Value of Biodiesel in Rural Economies

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Biodiesel Board this week submitted written testimony to the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit for the hearing, “A Look at the Renewable Economy in Rural America.” The testimony outlines the contribution of the clean fuels industry in terms of jobs and value-added markets for agricultural as well as improved environmental health and reduced associated costs for both rural and urban communities.

NBB CEO Donnell Rehagen wrote that because our industry’s clean fuels are made from an increasingly diverse mix of resources, they “add value to fats, oils and greases that might otherwise lead to costs for other sectors of the bioeconomy.”

Moreover, “clean fuel production contributes to the bioeconomy by reducing the impacts and costs of carbon and particulate emissions,” Rehagen writes. Biodiesel and renewable diesel immediately and substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions in difficult-to-decarbonize transportation. And, they significantly reduce criteria pollutants from diesel transportation and other end uses, which can have direct benefits for both rural and urban communities, according to the testimony.

Read the testimony.

Biodiesel, NBB

RFS Revisit Rumors Resurface

Cindy Zimmerman

Rumors that the Biden Administration is looking at lowering biofuel blending obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) resurfaced this week, prompting the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) to send a letter to the White House explaining why that would be a bad idea.

“To be clear, lowering biofuel blending requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) would not reduce the cost of gasoline for American households,” wrote RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper in a letter to National Economic Council Director Brian Deese. “In fact, cutting RFS volumes would most assuredly have the exact opposite effect on consumer gas prices. Reducing the domestic usage of low-cost renewable fuels like ethanol would increase demand for petroleum at a time when global oil inventories are already strained and prices are at seven-year highs.”

Instead, Cooper encouraged him to follow through on President Biden’s pledge to “double down on the liquid fuels of the future,” which includes “immediately proposing strong RFS volumes for 2021 and 2022, and taking swift regulatory action to facilitate the rapid expansion of E15 availability nationwide.”

RFA noted that ethanol presently extends the U.S. gasoline supply by nearly 1.1 million barrels per day, equivalent to the combined crude oil production from Alaska, California, Utah, and Wyoming.

Read the letter.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA, RFS

ACE Supports Policies to Help Ethanol Reach Net-Zero

Cindy Zimmerman

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Board of Directors voted this month to support new policies that credit farmers and ethanol producers for activities helping ethanol reach net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050.

The resolution supports the adoption of policies at both the state and federal level that “recognize ethanol is part of the climate and health solution while crediting farmers and ethanol producers for these activities, which will help ethanol reduce lifecycle GHG emissions by at least 70% on average compared to gasoline by 2030 and reach net-zero lifecycle GHG emissions by 2050.”

This resolution aligns with ACE’s ongoing work to highlight how climate-smart farming practices, efficiencies at ethanol plants, and the capture and sequestration of biogenic CO2 from facilities puts ethanol on a unique trajectory to reach both net-zero and net-negative emissions. It also aligns with ACE’s advocacy of new technology-neutral clean fuel policies at the state and federal level that will ensure a growing market for low carbon ethanol even as overall petroleum use declines.

ACE, Carbon, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Farming

Hearing Looks at Rural Renewable Economy

Cindy Zimmerman

A House Agriculture Subcommittee hearing on the “Renewable Economy in Rural America” provided a forum for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to urge the Biden administration to keep its promises to the biofuels industry, particularly when it comes to issuing Renewable Volume Obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

“The administration should immediately issue robust RVO numbers for 2022,” said Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN). “I’m hearing from farmers who are wondering about all these rumors swirling about the RVOs the administration is considering. They thought they could expect robust numbers, not more relief for refiners.”

Hearing questioning from Rep. Craig (D-MN) (4:56)

Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) noted that he sent a letter the White House in June asking about rumors that “the administration was considering a nationwide waiver of the RFS to cut demand for more combined gallons than all those cut due to the small refinery exemptions issued by the prior administration.”

Both Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor, speaking on behalf of the ethanol industry, and Missouri Soybean Association Executive Director Gary Wheeler for the biodiesel industry, agreed that the rumored administration plan to retroactively cut volume obligations would be unprecedented.

Hearing questioning from Rep. Davis (R-IL) (4:36)

Lawmakers also brought up the fact that the administration has yet to provide promised aid to biofuel producers impacted by COVID restrictions last year, the court ruling invalidating year round sales of E15, and the importance of accurate greenhouse gas modeling for biofuels.

Ranking Member Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) asked about what impact the uncertainty cause by delayed RVOs and the loss of E15 sales in the summer months is causing. “When we have year round access to E15, when we have the Renewable Fuel Standard upheld as Congress intended, that’s how we start to unleash the power of biofuels,” said Skor in reply.

Hearing questioning from Rep. Fischbach (R-MN) (2:24)

Reps. Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Cindy Axne (D-IA), and Randy Feenstra (R-IA) all had questions about the role of biofuels in a low carbon future, and how infrastructure funding and the Next Generation Fuels Act could help the industry.

Hearing questioning from Rep. Bustos (D-IL) (3:44)

Hearing questioning from Rep. Axne (D-IA) (5:06)

Hearing questioning from Rep. Feenstra (R-IA) (4:11)

Audio, Biodiesel, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Ethanol Report RFA 40th Anniversary – Kelly Davis

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association was born in 1981 and RFA is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year by spotlighting some of the pioneers in the ethanol industry who were there at the beginning, like Kelly Davis.

Three cities straddle the curve at the very south of Ohio: Huntington, W.Va.; South Point, Ohio; and Ashland, Ky. To Kelly Davis, this confluence of the Big Sandy River into the Ohio is not only home, but where she got started in the ethanol industry nearly 40 years ago. A Huntington native, Davis attended Marshall University in the city, earning a degree in chemistry. She found herself at Ashland Oil for 13 years, starting in 1980 when she was the only woman in the refinery, and eventually moving to its startup South Point Ethanol.

Listen to Davis’ reflections and memories of the past 40 years in this edition of The Ethanol Report.

Ethanol Report 11-12-21 (11:28)

The Ethanol Report is a podcast about the latest news and information in the ethanol industry that has been sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association since 2008.

Choose an option to subscribe

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA