Groups Urge EPA to Propose Higher Octane Fuel Standard

Cindy Zimmerman

A coalition of agriculture and biofuel groups is urging the administration to propose a higher octane fuel standard as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updates its greenhouse gas emissions standards for passenger vehicles and light duty trucks,

In a letter to President Joe Biden, the group also requested that EPA open a comment period on the role that high octane low carbon (HOLC) fuels can play in advancing the administration’s “climate, environmental justice, public health, economic revitalization, and energy security objectives.”

The letter notes that the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI), which manufactures 99 percent of affected vehicles, also supports a transition to HOLC fuels “in new and existing internal combustion engines…as soon as possible” to facilitate the nation’s transition to a lower carbon economy.

Letter signers includes the High Octane Low Carbon Alliance, comprised of the Clean Fuels Development Coalition, National Farmers Union, National Corn Growers Association, and the Renewable Fuels Association. Additional organizations include American Farm Bureau Federation, American Coalition for Ethanol, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, state NFU and corn grower groups

“High octane, low carbon fuels, including higher-level blends of ethanol, hold so much potential – and we should be doing everything we can to realize that potential,” said NFU President Rob Larew. “These fuels improve vehicle and fuel efficiency, which in turn can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, conserve oil, and strengthen energy security.”

ACE, AFBF, Ag group, biofuels, EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NFU, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Ethanol Industry Excited for FEW 20021

Cindy Zimmerman

Members of the ethanol industry are gearing up to be able to see each other again next week at the 2021 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop and Expo (FEW) July 13-15 in Des Moines.

The general session kicks off Wednesday morning with the keynote address from Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper who will have plenty to discuss regarding the current state and future of the ethanol industry with recent negative court decisions. Cooper will be followed by a panel discussion on “Charting the Prospects for the Renewable Fuels Sector in the Biden Era” featuring Troy Bredenkamp with RFA, American Coalition for Ethanol CEO Brian Jennings, and Chris Bliley with Growth Energy.

The following panel “Paradigm Shift: Surveying Producer Attitudes about New Products and Markets in a New Era of Biorefining” will provide perspectives from ethanol producers including Mick Henderson, Commonwealth Agri-Energy; Walt Wendland, Ringneck Energy; and James Broghammer, Pine Lake Corn Processors.

Over 300 exhibitors will be at FEW this year and more than 430 biofuels producers are registered. Registration is complimentary for producers.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, FEW, RFA

10th Plant to Install Whitefox ICE Technology

Cindy Zimmerman

Golden Grain Energy LLC in north central Iowa will be the tenth facility to install Whitefox ICE® membrane dehydration unit for improved energy use and future expansion.

With a firm commitment to sustainable and energy efficient ethanol production, Golden Grain was one of the first Midwest plants certified under California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard program. The plant has continued to take significant steps through innovative technology and operations to increase its efficiency and lower its carbon intensity (CI) score. Installing Whitefox’s energy-efficient membrane technology will further improve its efficiency and competitive advantage.

Chad Kuhlers, CEO of Golden Grain Energy, said, “We’ve been in discussions with Whitefox and watching the technology continue to advance for a few years now, and we felt the time was right to adopt membrane dehydration as part of our operational future. Whitefox systems have been verified in 24/7 operations at several other plants. With the other yield and operational improvements Golden Grain has implemented, Whitefox is a good solution for our plant to de-bottleneck existing process units and we expect additional benefits in plant maintenance and overall operational efficiency.”

The installation will take ICE® membrane system capacity to over 150 million gallons per year.

Ethanol, Ethanol News

Biodiesel Board Seeing Membership Growth

Cindy Zimmerman

With interest in low carbon fuels growing, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) is experiencing growth in membership within the biodiesel and renewable diesel industry. Eight new companies have joined the organization in the last year, according to CEO Donnell Rehagen.

“It’s an incredible time for the biodiesel and renewable diesel industry as we push toward our vision of 6 billion gallons by 2030,” said Rehagen. “With the growth in demand, we see broader and growing interest in the success of the industry. The addition of these members demonstrates the value they see in being part of our trade association that has been built to expand this industry year after year.”

NBB’s newest members include the American Lung Association, fuel supplements manufacturer ET Products, rail shipper OmniTRAX, Propane Education and Research Council (PERC), home heating supplier Cubby Oil & Energy, technical service provider V-TIC Services Inc., NEXT Renewable Fuels, Inc. of Oregon, and Continental Refining Company, a soybean crush plant with biodiesel and renewable diesel refining and blending capabilities.

Biodiesel, NBB, renewable diesel

Research Suggests Use of Biofuels Reduces Cancer Risk

Cindy Zimmerman

A newly published review of top scientific literature suggests that ethanol-blended fuels “result in less toxic emissions from vehicles and present a lower risk to human health than regular gasoline.”

The study was a collaboration between The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota and the Energy Resources Center, University of Illinois Chicago, and was supported in part by the Renewable Fuels Association.

The review article, “An Assessment on Ethanol-Blended Gasoline/Diesel Fuels on Cancer Risk and Mortality,” was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2021) by Dr. Steffen Mueller of the Energy Resources Center and Dr. Shujun Liu and Gail Dennison of The Hormel Institute. It reviews research on the toxicity of gasoline and expected toxicity reductions with ethanol.

“I’m excited to see the research point to what we’ve suspected after years of working in this field – that replacing aromatics with ethanol indeed can have a direct positive impact on human health,” said Dr. Mueller, Principal Economist at the Energy Resources Center, University of Illinois, Chicago. “To further protect people from the unnecessary promotion of diseases like cancer, it is critical to continue research that examines the human health effects of these emissions.”

The research suggests cancer risks are positively associated with exposure to occupational and environmental chemical carcinogens, including those from gasoline combustion exhausted in vehicles. The toxicity of chemical agents has been thoroughly studied, however less effort has been put into studying the epigenotoxicity (e.g., aberrant DNA methylation that may lead to cancer). While the authors concluded that the available research points to biofuels containing fewer carcinogens and therefore reduced cancer risk, larger exposure studies are still needed to confirm the results.

Read the review here.

biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

House Bill Would Clarify Refinery Waiver Language

Cindy Zimmerman

Reps. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and Angie Craig (D-MN) last week introduced the Small Refinery Exemption Clarification Act of 2021 to clarify the definition of “extension” in response to the recent Supreme Court ruling that favored oil refineries over biofuel producers.

“The biofuels industry is an important driver of economic growth in Iowa, supporting hundreds of jobs and expanding market options for our corn and soybean growers. That is why we must erase ambiguities and ensure oil refineries are not able to take shortcuts when it comes to blending biofuels. I would like to thank Rep. Craig for joining me in this effort. As a cleaner and more affordable option for consumers, I will continue supporting efforts that will help bolster biofuels,” said Rep. Feenstra.

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper said, “As we argued before the Supreme Court, we believe Congress has always intended the small refinery exemption to be temporary in nature. We also continue to believe the statute only allows EPA to extend exemptions for refineries that were continuously exempt, but only if they can prove disproportionate economic hardship will be caused solely by RFS compliance.”

Feenstra is a freshman member of Congress who talked about his passion for biofuels in a recent interview.
All Ag News interview with Rep. Randy Feestra (R-IA) (8:45)

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

DC Court Decision Reverses Year-Round E15 Rule

Cindy Zimmerman

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals handed down a decision Friday that impacts the year-round sale of 15% ethanol blended fuel (E15) to the great disappointment of the ethanol industry.

The decision reverses a 2019 rule by the Environmental Protection Agency that lifted outdated restrictions on the sale of E15 in a case brought by the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers. The Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, and the National Corn Growers Association were intervenors on behalf of EPA in the case.

“We disagree with the court’s decision to reject EPA’s move to expand the RVP waiver to include E15, a decision that could deprive American drivers of lower carbon options at the pump and would result in more carbon in the atmosphere,” the organizations stated in a joint release. “We are working to ensure the continuity of E15 sales through the 2021 summer season and beyond. This decision could impact summertime sales across all non-RFG areas where nearly two-thirds of retail sites offering E15 currently do business. If E15 in those markets were to end, summertime E15 sales would fall by 90%.”

The industry will be pursuing all available options “to ensure that we have a solution in place before the 2022 driving season.”

RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper says the decision is a heavy blow to the ethanol industry, retailers across the country, and consumers looking for cleaner, greener fuel options. “If, as a result of this decision, EPA were to return to the summertime ban on E15, it would reverse the tremendous progress we’ve made on reducing GHG emissions from transportation, growing markets for America’s farmers, and lowering fuel costs for consumer,” said Cooper. “It is sadly ironic that the refiners crying about high RIN credit prices and tight RIN stocks are the same refiners that are trying to halt E15 expansion and artificially constrain the supply of RINs. This is just another case of refiners cutting off their nose to spite their face. But in the end, we are confident that global outcry and demand for low carbon fuels will win out over the refiners’ deep pockets and their incessant campaign to protect dirty petroleum’s market share.”

E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Klobuchar Introduces Bipartisan Biofuel Package

Cindy Zimmerman

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) has announced the introduction of a new package of bipartisan bills, along with Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and John Thune (R-SD), to expand the availability of low-carbon renewable fuels, incentivize the use of higher blends of biofuels, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The legislation, supported by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and American Coalition for Ethanol, includes the Biofuel Infrastructure and Agricultural Product Market Expansion Act, which would expand the availability of low-carbon renewable fuels in the marketplace by providing for federal investment in renewable fuel infrastructure like blender pumps and storage tanks.

The Clean Fuels Vehicle Act would incentivize the manufacture of Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) capable of utilizing higher blends of clean fuels. The bill would create a $200 refundable tax credit for each FFV manufactured for the light duty vehicle market. The credit would be made available to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and sunset after a period of 10 years.

Finally, the Low Carbon Biofuel Credit Act introduced with Sen. Thune would create a tax credit for each gallon of fuel containing 15 percent or greater ethanol content (E15) and would allow an ethanol blender or fuel retailer to claim a five cent tax credit for each gallon of E15 blended or sold and a 10 cent tax credit for each gallon greater than E15 blended or sold. Reps. Cindy Axne (D-IA) and Adrian Smith (R-NE) introduced similar legislation in the House.

ACE, Biodiesel, biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Senators Urge President Biden to Keep Biofuels Promises

Cindy Zimmerman

A group of six U.S. senators, led by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), are holding President Biden accountable for the promises he made on the campaign trail to support biofuels producers and farmers in light of recent reports about his consideration of favors to the oil industry.

In a letter, the senators reminded Biden, “During your campaign for President, you indicated your support for biofuel and your intent to ‘promote and advance renewable energy, ethanol and other biofuel.’ […] Yet now that you are president, having no doubt heard the same tired and debunked complaints from big oil refiners about the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) harming them, you are reportedly considering bailouts for these refineries, which would undermine the biofuel industry and the family farmers who rely on it.”

The senators urge the president to resist oil industry demands to undercut the RFS, by either reducing annual blending obligations, or any by other means that destroys demand for clean renewable ethanol and biodiesel. “The farmers and biofuel industries in our states would welcome the same access to your National Climate Advisor to discuss shared priorities.”

Biodiesel, biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Ethanol Report – RFA Summer Ethanol Promotions

Cindy Zimmerman

It’s summertime and Americans are celebrating by hitting the road again after being mostly stuck at home last year.

The Renewable Fuels Association is also celebrating by bringing back the ‘Ethanol Days of Summer’ Contest offering weekly drawings for $100 in free fuel to participants for reporting prices of E15 and E85 on E85prices.com or on the E85Prices.com app

In this edition of the Ethanol Report, RFA Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White talks about this and other summertime ethanol promotional and educational activities.

Ethanol Report 6-30-21 (13:53)

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

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