REG Teams With Manchester United

Cindy Zimmerman

Manchester United Football Club and Renewable Energy Group, Inc. have teamed up for a shared mission to tackle climate change and create a cleaner world.

The Club and Renewable Energy Group will work together to raise awareness of the company’s biofuel products and encourage positive environmental change among Manchester United’s global fanbase and beyond.

Manchester United was among the first football clubs in the world to launch a carbon reduction programme in 2008 and since then has reduced annual emissions from its operations by 2,700 tonnes. The Club will be seeking to build on this record through its new partnership with Renewable Energy Group.

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, biofuels, Environment, REG

Governors Urge Expanded Use of High Octane Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Governors’ Biofuels Coalition leaders Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem are asking the Biden Administration to expand the use of higher-octane ethanol to meet climate and public health goals.

The governors’ letter focuses on the timeliness of the expanded use of ethanol now: “As the Office of Management and Budget continues to review the Safe Affordable Fuel Efficient Vehicles (SAFE) rule, there is a great opportunity to meet the Administration’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality while providing continued growth of the nation’s biofuels industry.”

The governors pointed out that a higher-octane requirement in the SAFE rule will allow “… automakers to increase engine efficiency and achieve the objectives of the proposed SAFE rule. The use of low carbon fuels such as ethanol will ensure … octane does not come from carcinogenic aromatics that release fine particulate emissions associated with respiratory diseases that affect all Americans, especially vulnerable populations and those living in urban areas.”

Read more.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Octane

New Campaigns Promote Ethanol in DC

Cindy Zimmerman

Two new campaigns are taking aim at lawmakers in Washington D.C. with information about the environmental benefits of corn ethanol to reduce carbon emissions.

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) launched a digital campaign including non-skippable video units on streaming services, video on local websites within Washington D.C. and social media marketing on Facebook and Instagram. In addition, NCGA was the sole sponsor of the latest Agri-Pulse Podcast Deep Dive series on biofuels and sponsored content in Politico.

Meanwhile, Growth Energy has launched a new digital ad campaign urging President Biden and leaders in Congress to stop oil industry handouts and uphold their commitments to reduce carbon emissions and support low-carbon biofuels. The ads, appearing online in the Washington Post and POLITICO, will run until August and will direct readers to an action page focused on restoring year-round sales of E15 and emphasizing the importance of strong Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

The actions come in the wake of recent court decisions that could limit the market for U.S. biofuels and reports that the Biden administration will delay proposing new Renewable Fuel Standard volume obligations for next year even longer as it grapples with trying to please both the oil and the ethanol industries.

corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Corn Growers Oppose Anti-Ethanol Bill

Cindy Zimmerman

A bill aimed at corn ethanol that was introduced in the U.S. Senate this week is being challenged by the National Corn Growers Association.

The bill, referred to as the “Corn Ethanol Mandate Elimination Act,” was introduced by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Susan Collins (R-MN). It’s aim is to remove the implied conventional biofuel blending requirement from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which corn growers note would result in increasing harmful emissions and use of fossil fuels.

“This bill is ill conceived and would have a devastating impact on air quality, the diversity of our energy supply, fuel prices and rural economies,” said NCGA president John Linder. “Blending ethanol into the fuel supply is one of the most effective ways to lower carbon emissions to combat climate change and replace the most toxic components of gasoline.”

“If you want to understand today’s sustainable corn and ethanol production, you can always ask a farmer for the facts. If Members of Congress want to reduce use of the low carbon renewable fuels that have enabled successful environmental policies, this bill would certainly do it,” said Linder.

Linder notes that corn growers sustainably produce more corn on less land with fewer resources than when the RFS was enacted and are committed to further improvements in sustainability. These extraordinary results have been accomplished as food price inflation has decreased as ethanol production has grown.

corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NCGA

ACE Conference Breakout Sessions to Explore Industry Issues

Cindy Zimmerman

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) 34th annual conference is less than a month away now and plans include a variety of breakout sessions covering the latest in technology updates, strategic planning advice, and ways to make ethanol plants more profitable.

“Our conference theme is ‘Accelerate,’ which aligns with the membership initiative we launched this year that builds upon ACE’s work to increase demand and value through new clean fuel policies, protect and support existing policy-driven markets, and develop domestic and international markets,” said Shannon Gustafson, ACE Senior Director of Operations and Programming. “This year’s breakout sessions will explore a variety of technologies, strategies, and practices that complement these efforts to help producers accelerate this industry to the next level.”

The breakout sessions will be held concurrently in three rounds on the afternoon of Thursday, August 19, following the morning general session panels.

Check out the full schedule and registration information.

ACE, ACE Ethanol Conference, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Court Upholds 2019 RFS Volumes, Rejects Refiner Arguments

Cindy Zimmerman

A D.C. Circuit Court decision Friday upholds 2019 renewable fuel volumes under the Renewable Fuel Standard, while at the same time rejecting arguments from oil refiners that the RFS causes them economic hardship.

The National Biodiesel Board, one of the biofuels petitioners in the case challenging EPA’s failure to account for retroactive small refinery exemptions that undercut the annual volumes by 7% in 2019, expressed disappointment in the decision.

NBB Vice President for Federal Affairs Kurt Kovarik says the decision creates renewed uncertainty for the industry because it does not require EPA to account for retroactive exemptions. “Small refinery exemptions harm biodiesel and renewable diesel producers when they retroactively reduce demand for advanced biofuels,” he said. “On behalf of NBB’s members, I call on EPA to quickly issue the 2021 and 2022 RFS rules, provide a strong signal of growth for advanced biofuels like biodiesel and renewable diesel, and fully account for any small refinery exemptions it plans to grant—as it has already done in the 2020 RFS rule.”

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper said they welcome the decision because of its outright rejection of arguments from oil refiners. “RFA was pleased to see the court methodically reject the refiners’ claims one by one, and this ruling should dispel the myth—once and for all—that the RFS somehow harms oil refiners.”

The court rebuffed the refiners’ argument that EPA should have waived the 2019 RFS requirements because East Coast refiners purportedly could not pass through their RFS compliance costs and thus experienced “severe economic harm.” According to the judges, “Obligated parties assert that the ‘pass-through’ theory is flawed and that RFS requirements impose severe economic consequences on refiners in the Eastern United States. We reject this challenge. EPA reasonably concluded that obligated parties had failed to make the strong causal showing required to trigger the waiver.” The court added, “It was reasonable for EPA to conclude that RFS costs alone were not the primary driver of the refineries’ economic difficulties.”

The decision also discards arguments from the refiners regarding the RFS point of obligation and treatment of exported renewable fuels.

Biodiesel, biofuels, EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

States Tackle Carbon Emissions with Bioheat®

Cindy Zimmerman

More states are recognizing the benefits of Bioheat® fuel for carbon emissions reduction.

According to the National Biodiesel Board, governors from Connecticut and Rhode Island recently approved mandates requiring increased use of biomass-based heating oil, also known as Bioheat® fuel, over the next decade. A similar bill in New York awaits the governor’s signature.

Each of the mandates differ slightly. Yet, each result in elevated blend levels of Bioheat® fuel, including two of the mandates reaching B50 (a blend of 50 percent biodiesel, 50 percent petroleum diesel):

Connecticut: Signed into law on July 12 by Governor Ned Lamont, the mandate requires B5 by 2022, B10 by 2025, B15 by 2030, B20 by 2034 and B50 by 2035.
Rhode Island: Signed into law on July 13 by Governor Daniel McKee, the mandate expands Rhode Island’s B5 mandate to B10 by 2023, B20 by 2025 and B50 by 2030.

NBB Director of State Governmental Affairs, Floyd Vergara says the team effort among the oil heat industry, NBB member companies and the NBB team is really what helps take legislation like these across the finish line.

“Legislators are finally taking note of the key carbon reduction advantages of biodiesel and renewable diesel, and we are able to see mandates come forward positioned to make a difference,” he said. “The momentum for biodiesel and renewable diesel as carbon-reduction strategies is continuing to grow and these policies help grow demand for our industries, but it wouldn’t be done without a team effort.”

Biodiesel, Bioheat, NBB

Prospects for the Renewable Fuels Sector

Cindy Zimmerman

Representatives from the three U.S. ethanol organizations shared their thoughts on prospects for renewable fuels in the Biden era during the 37th Fuel Ethanol Workshop last week.

BBI International Program Developer Tim Portz moderated the discussion with Renewable Fuels Association Senior VP Government & Public Affairs Troy Bredenkamp, American Coalition for Ethanol CEO Brian Jennings, and Chris Bliley, Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Growth Energy.

The panel discussed how the Biden EPA may handle small refinery waivers and renewable volume obligations, how ethanol fits in the Biden climate agenda with electric vehicles, the future for E15 in light of the recent court decision, and more.

Listen to the conversation here:
FEW 2021 Association Panel (44:39)

ACE, Audio, Ethanol, FEW, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Kemin Launches New Ethanol Production Enzyme

Cindy Zimmerman

Kemin Industries has just launched a new high-temperature alpha-amylase for use during liquefaction, ZyloZyme™ AA.

ZyloZyme AA is used in the production of ethanol by fermentation and has yielded favorable results. In a study comparing the use of ZyloZyme AA to conventional alpha-amylase, Kemin’s product reduced viscosity while maintaining optimal dextrose equivalents, ethanol production and ethanol-to-solids ratio at a dose of 60 percent less than conventional alpha-amylase.

“We are encouraged by the outcome of this study and the positive results of using ZyloZyme AA in ethanol production,” said Brandon Lewis, Ph.D., Senior Technical Services Manager, Kemin Biofuels. “Even at low doses, ZyloZyme AA provides robust liquefaction while maintaining ethanol levels and the ethanol-to-solids ratio. We are excited to start customer trials with ZyloZyme AA and continue showcasing the product’s power.”

ZyloZyme AA is a specialized enzyme allowing ethanol plants to fine tune the amount of amylase used to break down starch, reduce viscosity and improve production output. The low dose allows flexibility for ethanol plants to optimize their product with a cost-effective alpha-amylase, thereby reducing operating costs.

Ethanol, Ethanol News

Ethanol Producer Awards for 2021

Cindy Zimmerman

Awards from Ethanol Producer Magazine were announced during the Fuel Ethanol Workshop this week.

The magazine recognizes plants, companies and projects that are helping their communities, helping the industry, and remaining strong in the face of ever-changing market conditions. The winners of the 2021 Ethanol Producer Awards are:

The Good Neighbor Award:
Commonwealth Agri-Energy

Board of the Year:
Glacial Lakes Energy

Collaboration of the Year:
Absolute Energy and Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits

Project of the Year:
Green Plains Inc.

Workplace of the Year:
Valero-Welcome, NE

Ethanol, Ethanol News, FEW