New Report Shows Ethanol Industry Fueled by Veterans

Cindy Zimmerman

A new study on employment in the U.S. energy sector shows that America’s ethanol industry employs a significantly larger share of military veterans than any other segment of the energy industry. Nearly one in five ethanol industry employees is a veteran (19%), compared to a national average of 6% across all sectors of the workforce, according to the 2020 U.S. Energy and Employment Report published by the National Association of State Energy Offices and Energy Futures Initiative.

The results of this study come as no surprise to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), said president and CEO Geoff Cooper, an Army veteran who attained the rank of Captain.

“The ethanol industry is a perfect fit for thousands of veterans across the country. After serving our country in uniform, we have chosen to work in the renewable fuels industry because it allows us to continue honoring a commitment to make America stronger and more independent,” said Cooper. “We take great pride in knowing we work in an industry that improves our nation’s energy security, economic vitality and environmental quality each and every day.”

With ethanol jobs currently at risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic, oil price war, and EPA abuse of small refinery exemptions under the RFS, Cooper said the report serves as a timely reminder that the ethanol industry is a crucial employer of veterans.

“As a veteran with multiple combat deployments, I am proud to say I have found a home in the ethanol industry making a product that I truly believe in,” said Tony Leiding, Director of Operations at RFA member company Trenton Agri Products LLC. “I would prefer to invest in the energy resources of the Midwest, not the Middle East.” Leiding served eight years on active duty in the U.S. Army, attained the rank of Captain, and was deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Per 100 workers, the ethanol industry employs more than twice as many veterans as the petroleum, natural gas, nuclear, coal, and wind energy sectors. Across all energy segments, veterans comprise 9% of the U.S. energy sector’s workforce, slightly above the national average.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Senators Stress COVID-19 Relief for Agriculture

Cindy Zimmerman

Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) led a Senate colloquy Monday to outline the importance of supporting farmers, ranchers and rural America in legislation to provide relief from the impacts of COVID-19. Hoeven worked to include $50 billion in funding authority for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Several senators joined Hoeven, including Deb Fischer (R-NE) who spoke about about how the outbreak of coronavirus is hurting the agriculture economy by driving down crop and livestock prices.

“This coronavirus is adding another dimension to an already battered agriculture economy and this disease has been driving down crop and livestock prices,” said Sen. Fischer. “Ag futures have been dipping since February, prices offered for ranchers’ cattle have been dropping, ethanol plants are starting to idle or close down across the country, and there’s a lot of unsold grain sitting around the countryside in on farm storage.”

The $50 billion in funding authority sought would include replenishing $30 billion in Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funding authority for USDA; increasing the CCC borrowing authority an additional $20 billion for USDA to respond to COVID-19; and enabling USDA to utilize CCC funding to assist livestock producers, as well as other sectors of the agriculture economy.

Listen to the senators here:
Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) (10:12)

Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) (2:34)

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Farming, Government, livestock

Ankeny Casey’s Becomes 5,000th Station to Offer E85

Cindy Zimmerman

The number of fuel stations now offering Flex Fuel E85 has reached an important milestone this week as a Casey’s store in Ankeny, Iowa, became the 5,000th station nationwide to sell E85.

“Reaching the 5,000-station mark is a significant achievement for the ethanol industry and our partner in the retail sector,” said Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “We’re especially happy to see that this notable landmark was reached by our friends at Casey’s, a company that has long been dedicated to making ethanol-blended fuels available to their customers.”

“We are proud to be a part of this historic milestone as we continue bringing consumer-driven products like Unleaded 88 and E85 to the communities we serve,” said Jake Comer, Fuel Pricing Manager for Casey’s General Stores. “We are grateful for key industry partners like the Renewable Fuels Association that work hard to ensure the success of renewable fuels.”

The E85Prices.com website has a map of E85 locations nationwide and visitors also can share reviews and current prices.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Retailers, RFA

Iowa Biofuel Plants Donate Raw Products for Hand Sanitizer

Cindy Zimmerman

Absolute Energy employees prepare totes of ethanol for shipment to be used in hand sanitizer production.

On Monday, two Iowa biofuel plants sent the first donated shipments of ethanol and glycerin to be used by Iowa Prison Industries for the production of hand sanitizer during the national shortage.

The donation was made by ethanol producer Absolute Energy and biodiesel producer Western Iowa Energy. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) worked with Iowa Prison Industries to secure the shipment of these products and other necessary ingredients from . Templeton Rye is also providing distilled water for the project. The finished product will be distributed free of charge by the state of Iowa for priority use.

IRFA notified Governor Kim Reynolds’ office early last week that Iowa biofuel producers would be willing to help with hand sanitizer production if needed and her team worked hard to help ensure the project’s success.

“Governor Reynolds and her team deserve credit for making this happen,” said IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw. “Even during this time of emergency, a number of regulatory technicalities crossing multiple federal agencies stood in our way. Thanks to the efforts of staff in Governor Reynolds’ and Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst’s offices, we were able to overcome these hurdles that could have otherwise prevented this production of much-need hand sanitizer. Knocking down these barriers will have impacts beyond Iowa. In fact, we already know other states have heard about Iowa’s project and are working with their biofuel producers to implement similar programs.”

Similar stories are coming from around the country, such as Kentucky, where Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. is using its alcohol supply to produce hand sanitizer and provide it free of charge.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Iowa RFA

Ethanol Report 3-23-20

Cindy Zimmerman

Coronavirus is making its presence felt in the ethanol industry.

Many ethanol plants are on the verge of closing as margins have become non-existent with lower gas prices and declining demand for transportation fuel nationwide.

In this episode of The Ethanol Report, we hear from Renewable Fuels Association Chief Economist Scott Richman about the price and demand picture, three ethanol producers provide perspective on how coronavirus is impacting them, and RFA CEO Geoff Cooper discusses actions Congress and the administration should take now to avoid a potential collapse in the ethanol industry. Ethanol producers included are Jeanne McCaherty, CEO, Guardian Energy Management; Randy Doyal, CEO, Al-Corn Clean Fuel; and Chad Friese, General Manager, Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company, representing plants in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Ohio.

Ethanol Report 3-23-20 (21:32)

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, RFA

Ethanol Plants Can Shift to Produce Hand Sanitizer

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol plants are now able to shift to the manufacture of hand sanitizer without permits from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).

According to the public guidance issued Wednesday, industrial denatured ethanol can be used “to manufacture hand sanitizer consistent with World Health Organization (WHO) guidance without first obtaining formula approval.”

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson welcomed the announcement. “Expanding the operations making hand sanitizer grows the need for ethanol at a time when farmers need that,” he said.

Some ethanol plants, like Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company (CVEC) in Benson, Minnesota, were already approved to supply industrial grade ethanol for human use, but most plants are not designed for it. “Pharmaceutical grade is what you need because it’s coming in contact with humans, so it’s a big shift,” said CVEC General Manager Chad Friese. “It’s a lot of additional cost and most plants will not be able to make that conversion.”

Friese says beverage grade alcohol producers are more suited to make the transition to pharmaceutical grade than fuel ethanol producers, and “there’s not enough growth to supply the volumes that the fuel side needs.”

Friese discusses the difference between fuel and industrial ethanol production in this audio:
Chad Friese, Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company (3:25)

Ethanol, Ethanol News

Coronavirus is Latest Threat to Ethanol Industry

Cindy Zimmerman

The impact that coronavirus is having on the energy markets is just the latest threat to the solvency of the U.S. ethanol industry, coming on top of weather, trade disputes and small refinery waivers that hurt producers last year.

In a media conference call Thursday, Renewable Fuels Association leaders discussed the impact of these hits on ethanol producers and the communities and customers they serve.

Geoff Cooper, President and CEO, Renewable Fuels Association
Jeanne McCaherty, CEO, Guardian Energy Management; Vice Chairman, RFA
Randy Doyal, CEO, Al-Corn Clean Fuel; Board Member, RFA
Chad Friese, General Manager, Chippewa Valley Ethanol Co.; Board Member, RFA.
Scott Richman, Chief Economist, RFA

RFA call ethanol industry coronavirus impact (54:33)

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

Coalition Launches Drop the Appeal Campaign

Cindy Zimmerman

The Trump Administration needs to make a decision by March 23 whether to appeal the unanimous 10th Circuit Court decision against the EPA’s small refinery exemption program, and the coalition that brought the case has launched a new social media campaign urging the administration to drop the appeal.

The coalition, made up of the Renewable Fuels Association, National Corn Growers Association, American Coalition for Ethanol and National Farmers Union, took the EPA to court and won over several exemptions it granted to small refineries, releasing them from their renewable fuel obligations in 2016 and 2017. The Trump administration sought and secured an extension of the appeal deadline until Tuesday, March 24.

“With the renewable fuels industry reeling from coronavirus, trade disputes and small refinery exemptions, now is certainly not the time for the Trump administration to take any action that would cause further pain for ethanol producers or the farmers that supply them,” the coalition said. “The best thing they could do to support our industry and keep ethanol plants open is to announce immediately that they will not appeal.”

Watch a video created by the four organizations below:


ACE, biofuels, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NCGA, NFU, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

NBB Kicks Off 2020 Biodiesel Branding Program

Cindy Zimmerman

It’s National Biodiesel Day, in honor of Rudolf Diesel’s birthday, and the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) is celebrating with its 2020 vehicle branding program designed to showcase biodiesel’s sustainability and emissions reduction benefits with the theme “Biodiesel: Better. Cleaner. Now!”

“When Rudolf invented the diesel engine in the 1890s, it was designed to run on peanut oil and he envisioned the prominent role plant oils could play in fueling vehicles of the future,” said Kaleb Little, NBB director of communications. “Our industry has come a long way since then and we are excited to highlight numerous fleets advertising their biodiesel use right on their vehicles.”

NBB is also launching the 2020 branding program to help biodiesel users across the country share their stories of sustainability and emissions reductions.

“Our new tagline, “Biodiesel: Better. Cleaner. Now!”, tells the biodiesel story simply,” said Little. “Biodiesel is better and cleaner than petroleum diesel – with proven environmental, health and economic benefits – and is ready to use now, unlike some other options that require massive infrastructure or retrofit investments.”

NBB encourages biodiesel users to promote their use of biodiesel and share its benefits by applying for matching funds to be used for vehicle branding initiatives which may include wraps, stickers, or other innovative efforts. Applications are available online and are due by April 30, 2020. Last year, NBB provided matching funds to six biodiesel users – Roslin Enterprises; Cape Cod Biofuels; The City of Moline, Illinois; G&D Integrated; CityLink, Greater Peoria Mass Transit District; and Al Warren Oil.

NBB held a webinar Wednesday to discuss the vehicle wrap program. Listen below to part of the webinar with Kaleb Little of NBB and Tim Keaveney of Hero BX, who talks about how the program has worked for them.

NBB Branding vehicle wrap program (10:07)

Biodiesel, NBB, Promotion

IRFA Announces Partnership with ISU BioBus

Cindy Zimmerman

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association is announcing a partnership with Iowa State University’s BioBus program, an on-campus, student-run organization that collects used cooking oil from Iowa State’s campus dining facilities and uses it to make biodiesel to be used in the school’s CyRide buses.

“We are excited to partner with a group of your scientists who recognize the power and potential of biodiesel,” said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Marketing Director Lisa Coffelt. “BioBus provides students a platform where the next generation of scientists can learn not only about the science behind biodiesel but see its benefits play out in the real world.”

In addition to providing a donation to the program, IRFA intends to work alongside the group and help support their growth, enabling them to achieve their goals to expand production and student participation.

“We are thankful to IRFA for their support,” said John Cramsey, President of the BioBus club. “Our club looks forward to expanding our reach here on campus in terms of both biodiesel production and student awareness of the benefits of biodiesel.”

Biodiesel, Iowa RFA