Sen. Thune Criticizes Democrat Agenda

Cindy Zimmerman

Sen. John Thune (R-SD) spoke out on the Senate floor this week about Democrat policies that he says are harmful to farmers and ranchers.

“For starters, I’m worried that Democrats’ bill could mean the end of some family farms thanks to the bill’s expansion of the death tax,” said Thune. “Death should not be a taxable event.”

Sen. Thune also criticized Democrats for focusing on electric vehicles at the expense of biofuels when it comes to climate policy and manipulating farm policy.

“Democrats have picked their preferred winner in the clean energy stakes – electric vehicles,” Thune said. “Biofuels take a back seat in Democrats’ legislation, despite the essential role they have played in making American energy cleaner – and despite the significance of biofuels to the rural economy.”

Sen. John Thune (R-SD) floor speech (7:50)

Audio, biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government

RFA Redesigns Website

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association debuted a redesigned website last week during the association’s annual membership meeting taking place this week in Des Moines.

“As we celebrate our 40th anniversary this year, we want to ensure a digital presence that symbolizes our organization’s experience and leadership in a way that is clear and compelling,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “This website does just that in a fresh look that is far more responsive than our prior design, helping users find the information they need, more quickly.”

Built on a custom platform for optimum speed, the newly streamlined website provides regularly updated market statistics and news of importance to the ethanol industry, as well as RFA studies, publications and infographics, and connections to RFA’s increasingly popular social media accounts. The website also features a design that allows its display to be easily and clearly viewed on mobile devices.

In addition to an improved search function and other ways to quickly sort information, the new website uses the Tableau platform to help users publicly share and explore data visualizations online. This functionality will be built out more in the months ahead and updated as needed.

EthanolRFA.org

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Ethanol Remains Top Concern for NCGA

Cindy Zimmerman

Chris Edgington of St. Ansgar, Iowa, became president of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association as of October 1 and during a media Zoom call Monday he said ethanol remains a top concern for the organization as the industry continues to await the administration’s proposal for blending obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

“The RVO numbers should be 15 billion gallons, that’s what it says they should be,” said Edgington. “We see no reason it should not be 15 billion gallons.” Edgington says anything less than that will erode the trust farmers had that President Biden would keep his campaign promise to maintain the RFS.

Regarding the court decision against E15, Edgington said there is no easy answer. “Growth Energy is applying to the Supreme Court so that’s the last avenue that I understand on the legal front,” he said. “But we do have champions in Congress that are working on legislation that will allow E15 to be sold year round,” such as the Next Generation Fuels Act.

As NCGA President, Edgington also serves as president of the National Corn Growers Association Foundation, as the association’s delegate to the U.S. Grains Council, and also as liaison to the Agriculture Markets Advisory Council and the Renewable Fuels Association.

NCGA president Chris Edgington, Iowa (18:18)

Audio, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NCGA

NBB Hits the Airways with NPR Sponsorship

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) has commenced a three-week sponsorship of National Public Radio (NPR) as part of a comprehensive educational campaign aimed at decision-makers and the public. The 15-second radio spot will air on some of NPR’s most listened to programs including Morning Edition, All Things Considered and 1A.

“We’re excited to share the biodiesel industry’s ‘Better. Cleaner. Now!’ message with a national audience through this NPR sponsorship,” said Liz McCune, NBB director of communications. “Thanks to the generous support of the United Soybean Board, Kentucky Soybean Board, Nebraska Soybean Board and Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board, we are able to educate a broad and diverse audience about how biodiesel and renewable diesel are reducing carbon emissions now, from coast to coast.”

NBB is sponsoring a total of 46 spots on nine programs for the next three weeks, with estimated impressions of more than 30 million.

Biodiesel, NBB

Ethanol Blended Gas Lowers Carbon Even More

Cindy Zimmerman

New research was released this week showing that gasoline blended with ethanol lowers carbon intensity (CI) even more than what is currently believed.

The research, conducted by Transport Energy Strategies (TES) and THiggins Energy Consulting, found that blending ethanol into gasoline enables a reduction of aromatics in the fuel, and since aromatics have a high CI, their reduction further decreases the GHG impact of 10 percent ethanol blends (E10).

“For years, the ethanol industry has touted the value of displacing aromatics with ethanol from an air pollution and public health standpoint, but no one has, to our team’s knowledge, ever considered what displacement might mean for carbon intensity and for reducing GHG emissions,” said Tammy Klein, founder and CEO of Transport Energy Strategies and a member of the study team. “Our findings break new ground.”

Based on the findings by TES, Urban Air Initiative calculates that when credited for lowering aromatics, ethanol’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are 56% lower than gasoline, compared to the currently modeled 43% reduction.

“This is just one more example of how ethanol helps decarbonize liquid transportation fuels. It’s a readily available, clean, plant based solution that’s already made more of a difference than it has been credited for. The findings by TES demonstrate the need to update the current science and recognize ethanol’s ability to have an even larger carbon benefit with increased availability of higher blends,” said Urban Air Initiative President Dave VanderGriend.

American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings says the research aligns with ACE’s multi-year engagement with administration and legislative officials, as well as scientists at the Argonne National Laboratory in regards to properly valuing corn ethanol’s low carbon and high octane attributes. “We hope future lifecycle models will credit ethanol for the role it plays in displacing aromatics in gasoline.”

ACE, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Urban Air Initiative

Renewable Energy Group Closes Houston Biodiesel Plant

Cindy Zimmerman

Renewable Energy Group (REG) has announced the closing of its 35 million gallon per year biodiesel production facility located near Houston, Texas. The company acquired and commissioned the plant in 2008 and has been operating it since.

“We have made the decision not to renew the lease for our REG Houston biorefinery, which would have imposed an uncompetitive fixed cost on the plant,” said REG President & CEO Cynthia ‘CJ’ Warner. “The plant has run very well but has always been relatively challenged due to its leasing agreement coupled with a lack of REG’s hallmark multi-feedstock processing capability.”

The company is currently working with plant employees on relocation opportunities within the production network. The company will completely shut down the Houston plant in November 2021.

“It is never an easy decision to shut down a plant. We greatly appreciate the team at REG Houston for their dedication to safety and operational excellence,” said Warner. “Within our larger system, we remain focused on executing our growth strategy and we will continue to work with our existing customers and vendors to provide clean fuel solutions that are delivering meaningful carbon reduction today.”

Biodiesel, REG

RFA Celebrates 40 Years of Industry Leadership

Cindy Zimmerman

RFA CEO Geoff Cooper and Chairperson Jeanne McCaherty

The Renewable Fuels Association celebrated 40 years of industry leadership this week during its annual membership meeting in Des Moines. Jeanne McCaherty, CEO of Guardian Energy Management, was re-elected as chairperson. She became the first female chairperson elected in the history of RFA last year, and first among any national ethanol trade association.

“Without question, 2021 has been a year of change for the ethanol industry, and through it all the Renewable Fuels Association has continued to lead the industry forward, just as the organization has done for 40 years,” McCaherty said. “Our recent carbon neutrality commitment is a poignant example of RFA’s reputation as a thought leader and an agent of change, and I look forward to working with RFA’s members and staff this next year as we embrace change and zero in on new opportunities for ethanol.”

RFA’s board also re-elected Badger State Ethanol CEO Erik Huschitt as Vice Chairman, and Absolute Energy’s Rick Schwarck as Secretary. Mike Jerke, CEO of Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, was elected Treasurer, replacing the retiring Charlie Wilson of Trenton Agri Products.

RFA also welcomed new members this week. EcoEngineers and Cozairo Consultants became the organization’s newest associate members, while ICM, Inc. was welcomed as the group’s newest producer member. “RFA has had a long and fruitful relationship with ICM as an associate member, and we are thrilled to now welcome the company and its ICM Biofuels biorefinery to our producer member ranks,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “ICM CEO Dave VanderGriend is one of the true pioneers in the ethanol industry, and he’s been a longtime friend of the RFA. We’re pleased to have Dave joining our board of directors and look forward to working more closely with the entire ICM team.” VanderGriend received RFA’s annual industry award in 2012.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

USDA Announces Climate Smart Efforts

Cindy Zimmerman

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new initiative Wednesday to “finance the deployment of climate-smart farming and forestry practices to aid in the marketing of climate-smart agricultural commodities.”

USDA will support a set of pilot projects that provide incentives to implement climate smart conservation practices on working lands and to quantify and monitor the carbon and greenhouse gas benefits associated with those practices. The pilots could rely on the Commodity Credit Corporation’s specific power to aid in expansion or development of new and additional markets. The Department published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public comment and input on design of new initiative.

“This initiative we are launching will place a premium on accurate greenhouse gas accounting,” said Vilsack. “The pilots will invest in the science, monitoring and verification to measure the benefits of these climate smart practices.”

Vilsack added that biofuels will play a role in USDA’s climate smart efforts. “We believe biofuels today reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 30 to 40 percent relative to gasoline,” said Vilsack. “Our efforts at USDA are going to focus on feedstock development and supply chain efficiencies.”

Vilsack announcements Colorado State University 34:00

Audio, biofuels, Carbon, Climate Change, Ethanol, USDA

Democrats Urge Administration to Support RFS

Cindy Zimmerman

A bicameral group of Democrat Congressional members spanning seven states sent a letter yesterday urging the Administration to increase biofuels usage and reject any reduction in biofuel blending requirements.

Congresswomen Cindy Axne (D-IA), Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Angie Craig (D-MN) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) spearheaded the letter to President Joe Biden and National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy after recent reports that the administration may be considering lowering the Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs).

“We have strong reservations about the potential for the Administration to destroy over 5 billion gallons of biofuel volume from the 2020, 2021, and 2022 RVOs. This action would directly undermine your commitment to address climate change and restore integrity to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS),” the letter states. “Every gallon of biofuels that is blended into our nation’s fuel supply displaces a gallon of oil and cuts carbon emissions…Reducing biofuel blending requirements will increase greenhouse gas emissions.”

The letter was also signed by Reps. Mark Pocan, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Bobby Rush, David Scott, Tim Ryan and Ron Kind, and Senators Dick Durbin, Tammy Duckworth, Tina Smith, Tammy Baldwin and Debbie Stabenow.

“We thank these congressional champions for their strong support and reaching out to the administration at this crucial time,” said Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Geoff Cooper, who added that, if true, the rumored lower RVOs “would increase GHG emissions by up to 15.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.”

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

Groups Encourage Focus on Fuel in Emissions Standards

Cindy Zimmerman

Biofuel stakeholder groups submitting comments on proposed rule for 2023-2026 light-duty GHG emissions standards are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to recognize the benefits of low-carbon fuels like ethanol as it seeks to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

The Renewable Fuels Association says EPA should lay out the roadmap for an orderly transition to high-octane, low-carbon liquid fuels.

“Unfortunately, EPA’s proposal fails to recognize that the fuels we put into our engines can have as much—or more—impact on fuel economy and GHG emissions as the engine technologies themselves,” RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper wrote. “We believe the proposal missed a critical opportunity to expressly solicit public comment on potential regulatory pathways for adopting high-octane, low-carbon liquid fuels as a means of improving fuel economy and reducing emissions from the light-duty vehicle fleet.”

American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings says “ethanol can and should be an even bigger part of the solution to climate change, but this depends upon the Administration’s willingness to engage us on ethanol’s role as a low carbon fuel through policies such as the Renewable Fuel Standard and the topic of this request for comments; how to reduce GHG emissions from future vehicles.”

Both organizations recommend a higher minimum-octane gasoline (98-100 RON) for all new internal combustion vehicles and updating EPA’s Lifecycle Analysis of Corn Ethanol GHG Emissions, as well as allowing GHG emissions credit generation for all alternative fuel vehicles, including flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs).

EPA is expected to finalize revised vehicle standards later this year or early next year.

ACE, EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA