NBB Communications Director to Head KS Soybean

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) is losing a great communications director, but Kansas soybean growers are gaining a great new CEO for their organization.

NBB director of communications Kaleb Little has been named Chief Executive Officer of the Kansas Soybean Association and Administrator of the Kansas Soybean Commission. Little, who is a native of Kansas, follows in the footsteps of retiring Kenlon Johannes, who was the first executive director of the National SoyDiesel Development Board, which became NBB.

“We hate to see Kaleb leave NBB but couldn’t imagine a better fit for him, his family, and his leadership mindset than this position at Kansas Soybean,” NBB CEO Donnell Rehagen said. “I am extremely confident he will succeed in this new role and will provide valuable leadership to the farmers of his home state and on the national level.”

Little served in various communications roles at NBB since March 2010, most recently as the director of communications since June 2018 where he lead a team of two staff members and 18 key contractors to execute the wide array of annual communications projects at NBB. He has led high-level communications strategy and messaging on behalf of the biodiesel industry and has been instrumental in the annual National Biodiesel Conference & Expo over the years.

A native of Rossville, Kan., Little will take on the CEO and Administrator duties following the announced retirement of longtime Kansas Soybean leader Kenlon Johannes. Little remains with NBB through December and will start with Kansas Soybean January 4.

Biodiesel, NBB

Ontario to Increase Ethanol Content in Gas to 15%

Cindy Zimmerman

Canada’s most populous province has made a commitment to gradually increase the required ethanol content in gasoline to 15 percent by 2030.

Renewable Industries Canada (RICanada) welcomed the release of Ontario’s Environment Plan “Preserving and Protecting our Environment for Future Generations: A Made-In-Ontario Environment Plan” and the move to 15% ethanol in gasoline. RICanada estimates the province’s move to 15% ethanol blending will increase the annual economic impact of the locally produced biofuel by approximately $1.2 billion to a total of $3.7 billion.

Most of the ethanol produced in Ontario is made from corn grown in the southwestern part of the province. Over 90% of ethanol used in Ontario, or about 1.2 billion litres, is made in the province, supporting local jobs and farmers. Under the current 10% mandate, about 110 million bu of Ontario corn is used in ethanol production each year, accounting for almost one-third of total annual provincial production.

RICanada member companies worked with local farmers to pioneer Ontario’s ethanol industry. “For our ethanol company that is largely owned by Ontario farmers, these measures will have a direct and positive impact on our business by ensuring that there is a growing market for our made-in-Ontario product” said Kevin Norton, CEO-COO of IGPG Ethanol Inc.

E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Growth Energy Threatens to Sue EPA

Cindy Zimmerman

Growth Energy has submitted a notice of intent to sue letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding its failure to fulfill its statutory obligation to issue the 2021 Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) by the November 30th statutory deadline. The notice gives EPA 60 days to issue the 2021 RVO before risking a lawsuit in federal court.

Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor said, “As we head into a new year and our industry continues to try and recover from the effects of COVID-19, EPA’s failure to meet their statutory obligation to issue RVOs piles on the uncertainty in the fuel marketplace. The Agency needs to take action on behalf of rural America and follow through with its RFS obligation.”

The Growth Energy letter to EPA notes that failure to set the RVO undermines the RFS and could lead to uncertainty in the market and lower than necessary biofuel blending levels.

EPA, Ethanol, Growth Energy

NFU Disappointed by EPA Failure to Set 2021 RVOs

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Farmers Union (NFU) is disappointed by the Environment Protection Agency’s (EPA) failure to meet the November 30 deadline to issue 2021 renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

“By punting a decision on 2021’s RVOS to the next administration, EPA is introducing yet more uncertainty to the biofuels industry ­– uncertainty that most farmers and biofuels producers can’t afford right now,” said NFU President Rob Larew. “To add insult to injury, fuel use – and, consequently, ethanol use – has dropped significantly during the pandemic, cutting deeply into profits.

“Trump’s EPA has almost invariably fallen short in its handling of biofuels, and today’s decision, or lack thereof, is no different. We sincerely hope Biden’s EPA learns from their mistakes and takes biofuels policy in a much more promising direction.”

EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NFU

Less Flex Fuel Vehicle Offerings for 2021

Cindy Zimmerman

The annual Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) analysis of vehicle owner’s manuals and warranty statements finds almost all new 2021 automobiles are approved for E15 gasoline, but very limited offerings for flex fuel vehicles (FFVs) capable of operating on fuel blends containing up to 85% ethanol.

Only Ford and General Motors are offering FFVs in model year 2021 with 11 models available, five of which are models available only to fleet purchasers. That’s down from more than 80 different models from eight manufacturers being available to consumers as recently as model year 2015. See what models are FFV compatible

RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper says they continue to strongly advocate for the production of more FFVs and fairness in how alternative fuel vehicles are incentivized under fuel economy and greenhouse gas regulations. “Consumer demand for E85 and other flex fuels is at an all-time high, meaning drivers are looking for more—not fewer—FFV options on dealership lots across the nation,” said Cooper. “Unfortunately, however, EPA’s latest vehicle emissions regulations essentially eliminate the automaker incentive to build FFVs, while at the same time heaping incentives on automakers who build electric vehicles.”

The good news for drivers is that manufacturers responsible for nearly 95 percent of U.S. light-duty vehicle sales unequivocally approve the use of E15 in their model year 2021 automobiles. For the 10th consecutive year, all new General Motors vehicles are clearly approved to use E15, while Ford has explicitly endorsed E15 in nine straight model years. Among major automakers, only Mercedes-Benz, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Volvo do not mention E15 as an approved fuel, while BMW and Mini vehicles approve the use of up to E25 blends in all models. See all autos E15 approval status

Car Makers, E15, E85, Ethanol, Ethanol News

EPA Misses 2021 RFS Deadline

Cindy Zimmerman

For the first time under the Trump administration, the Environmental Protection Agency missed the November 30 statutory deadline for publishing the final rule for next year’s Renewable Volume Obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In fact, EPA never even issued a proposed rule for the 2021 RVOs.

“And even if a proposed rule was released today, it would be next to impossible to have a final rule done by the end of the calendar year, or even by inauguration day,” said Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “Typically we see those proposed volumes in July and it’s a four or five month process from beginning to end.”

RFA CEO Cooper comments on RVO delay (:49)

American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings says it was common for the final rule to be delayed prior to the current administration. “Under the Obama Administration, EPA notoriously failed to get the volumes finalized by the November 30 statutory deadline,” said Jennings.

ACE CEO Jennings comments on RVO delay (:54)

At this point, the new administration will likely handle the entire 2021 RVO rulemaking process, but that will have to wait until a new EPA administrator is confirmed. “We know it may take a few months for the new administration to get a final 2021 RVO rule done, but in the meantime, the statute is crystal clear that refiners must blend at least 15 billion gallons of conventional renewable fuel in 2021,” said Cooper.

ACE, Audio, EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

Ethanol Production Closer to Pre-COVID Levels

Cindy Zimmerman

Weekly ethanol production is edging closer to pre-COVID levels.

According to the latest data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association for the week ending November 20, ethanol production increased almost 3% to 990,000 barrels per day and the highest production since the end of March. However, production remained 6.5% below the same week last year. The four-week average ethanol production rate rose for the seventh straight week, up 1.3% to 972,000 b/d, equivalent to an annualized rate of 14.90 billion gallons (bg).

Ethanol stocks grew by 3.3% to 20.9 million barrels, the highest volume since August and 2.9% above a year-ago.

Click on the image to see full size graph.
Find more ethanol supply and demand information from RFA.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

Ethanol Report 11-25-20

Cindy Zimmerman

2020 has been the year of going virtual for meetings and conferences. In fact, one of the very last live, in-person events to be held this year was the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) 25th annual National Ethanol Conference in Houston. The 26th annual NEC however, will be an all digital format. Information about the conference can be found on the NationalEthanolConference.com website.

In this edition of the Ethanol Report podcast, we hear about the digital decision from RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper, who participated in the virtual National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) Trade Talk last week. RFA Director of Special Projects and Events Mary Giglio provides more details about the 2021 NEC, and RFA Vice President of Industry Relations shares some of the good news for ethanol in 2020.

Ethanol Report 11-25-20 (25:56)

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, National Ethanol Conference, RFA

ACE Pleased to Participate in Virtual NAFB

Cindy Zimmerman

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) was pleased to be a sponsor and exhibitor for the second year in a row at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) virtual convention and trade talk.

ACE CEO Brian Jennings discussed a number of topics with farm broadcasters, including possible scenarios for when the industry might finally see the Renewable Volume Obligations for 2021, and some of the positive news for ethanol this year.,

2020 NAFB Interview with Brian Jennings, ACE (14:15)

ACE Senior Vice President Ron Lamberty participated in one of the NAFB Newsmaker sessions on Ag and Energy, as well as doing interviews with farm broadcasters.

Lamberty discussed the gains made this year in higher ethanol blends and how ACE helped retailers across the country work with USDA to receive HBIIP grants to install new pumps that give consumers more choices.

Listen here:
2020 NAFB Interview with Ron Lamberty, ACE (12:40)

ACE, Audio, Ethanol, NAFB

Farm & Biofuel Groups Ask Court to Enforce EPA Ruling

Cindy Zimmerman

Farm and biofuels leaders say it’s way past time for EPA to act on a court order from 2017 and they are going back to the court to make it happen.

A coalition of biofuels and agricultural trade groups filed a motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia Monday asking the court to enforce its 2017 decision requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to address its improper waiver of 500 million gallons of biofuel demand in the 2016 renewable volume obligation (RVO).

The coalition, which includes the Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, National Corn Growers Association, National Biodiesel Board, American Coalition for Ethanol, National Farmers Union, and National Sorghum Producers, issued a statement following the filing:

“It is simply unconscionable that EPA would so brazenly ignore a federal court’s order. The agency must do right by America’s farmers and biofuel producers and supporters. Together, our coalition represents millions of rural families, who should not have to resort to more court proceedings to hold EPA accountable to the law. It’s well past overdue that EPA restore the 500 million gallons and focus on restoring integrity to the Renewable Fuel Standard.”

In the July 2017 ruling of the case Americans for Clean Energy et al. v. EPA et al., the court invalidated the EPA’s improper waiver of 500 million gallons in the 2016 RVO and ordered EPA to revisit the rule. The court held that EPA’s interpretation of the “inadequate domestic supply” waiver provision “runs contrary to how the Renewable Fuel Program is supposed to work.” To date, EPA has failed to open any proceedings to reconsider the 2016 RVO, and has not restored the 500 million lost RIN gallons.

Specifically, the coalition is asking the court to require EPA to issue a 500 million gallon “curative obligation” on obligated parties to make up for the lost gallons no more than 6 months after the court’s order; require obligated parties to show compliance with the additional obligations no more than 3 months after EPA issues the curative obligation; and feclare that it will not extend these deadlines.

Read the motion

ACE, Ag group, Biodiesel, biofuels, EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NBB, NCGA, NFU, RFA