2026 Ethanol Production Off to Record Start

Cindy Zimmerman

According to the latest Energy Information Agency data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association, U.S. ethanol production is getting off to a record start this year.

For the week ending January 9, ethanol production skyrocketed by nearly nine percent to a record high of 1.20 million barrels per day, equivalent to 50.23 million gallons daily. Output was 9.2% higher than the same week last year and 13.7% above the three-year average for the week. The four-week average ethanol production rate increased 1.4% to 1.13 million b/d, equivalent to an annualized rate of 17.32 billion gallons (bg).

Ethanol stocks scaled up 3.5% to 24.5 million barrels but were 2.1% less than the same week last year and 0.9% below the three-year average.
Ethanol exports strengthened by 5.3% to an estimated 119,000 b/d (5.0 million gallons/day).

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Exports, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Grassley Demands Answers for Small Refinery Exemptions

Cindy Zimmerman

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) sent a letter this week to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin regarding concerns that some refiners may be making false claims to receive Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

Sen. Grassley sent the letter as a follow up on a request sent by Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird in October asking for an investigation into small refiners that may be manipulating the RFS by falsely claiming economic hardship to the EPA in order to be exempted from blending renewable fuels or buying renewable fuel credits.

“Attorney General Bird’s letter raises meaningful questions about Small Refinery Exemptions. Iowa’s biofuel producers need timely answers about the health of their industry. For 20 years, the Renewable Fuel Standard has supported biofuels producers, family farmers and rural communities. Its integrity is essential for long-term success. I thank Administrator Zeldin for hearing my concerns for the biofuel industry, and I urge him to fully investigate these allegations,” Grassley said.

Listen to Grassley’s comments here:
Sen. Chuck Grassley (2:17)

Audio, EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFS

Gevo Awarded Ethanol-to-Olefins Process Patent

Cindy Zimmerman

Gevo, Inc. has been awarded a patent for its Ethanol-to-Olefins (“ETO”) technology to produce renewable jet fuel.

The patented process produces light olefins from ethanol and can convert those olefins into transportation fuels using commercially proven Alcohol-to-Jet (“ATJ”) technologies. Olefins can be used to make cost-effective renewable chemical building blocks such as bio-propylene. ETO technology continues to advance and is expected to deliver up to 35% lower capital and operating costs compared to current technologies.

“We are actively developing the most efficient pathways to convert ethanol to fuels and chemicals,” said Dr. Paul Bloom, president of Gevo. “The effort by our team to secure this patent expands our proprietary technology position and enhances a pathway to renewable jet fuel that is more cost-effective for Gevo and our partners. We continue to build an intellectual property portfolio that we believe will put Gevo in a cost-leadership position on ATJ for years to come.”

Gevo is expected to pioneer the deployment of its ETO technology in North America, expanding economic development and creating jobs in rural areas, while Axens is expected to provide licensing, equipment, and engineering services globally.

aviation biofuels, biojet fuel, Ethanol, Ethanol News, SAF

United Ethanol Deploys Fluid Quip LED Technology

Cindy Zimmerman

Fluid Quip Technologies (FQT) announces the expanded deployment of the patented Low Energy Distillation™ (LED™) system at United Ethanol in Milton, Wisconsin.

The LED™ system, is a next-generation distillation platform designed to reduce steam usage, eliminate unnecessary phase changes, lower water consumption, and support continuous, reliable operation. By removing direct-inject steam from the distillation process and incorporating advanced heat integration, LED™ can significantly reduce energy usage, helping producers lower operating costs and improve carbon intensity (CI) scores.

The LED™ platform integrates technology developed over a multi-year collaboration between Fluid Quip Technologies and RCM Thermal Kinetics, combining FQT’s system integration expertise with RCM’s advanced Distillation, Dehydration and Evaporation (DDE) process design and intellectual property. The underlying architecture rethinks conventional ethanol distillation by tightly integrating heat recovery, allowing plants to achieve significant energy reductions.

Ethanol, Ethanol News

New Director Appointed for Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center

Cindy Zimmerman

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has appointed a new executive director of the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC). The appointment of Praveen V. Vadlani, PhD, MBA, was effective January 7, and he will also hold a tenured faculty appointment as a professor in SIUE’s Department of Chemistry.

Vadlani’s work spans biofuels, biochemicals, biomaterials, fermentation systems and scalable process development, with a focus on improving yield, productivity and commercial viability.

“It’s a great honor to serve as the executive director at NCERC, SIUE,” said Vadlani. “NCERC is a premier nationally recognized research center catering to the needs of the biofuels, biochemicals and bioproducts industry, and I am delighted to be involved in the research, innovation and commercialization activities. I am also excited to be part of NCERC’s vision to enable the dawn of the new sustainable bioeconomy.”

Prior to joining SIUE, Vadlani held research and faculty appointments at Kansas State University, with work focused on grain science, renewable energy and bioprocessing systems. His earlier experience includes serving as a research scientist in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University and as a research fellow at the University of Malaysia’s Institute for Post-Graduate Studies and Research.

Vadlani’s background includes direct experience with ethanol systems and co-product optimization, as well as industry-scale fermentation and recovery operations and he has authored more than 100 scholarly publications and has served in professional and federal review roles related to biofuels and bioproducts research.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Research

Registration Open for ACE DC Fly-in

Cindy Zimmerman

Registration is now open for the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) 15th annual DC Fly-In & Government Affairs Summit March 17-18, 2026. This year’s event will occur when both chambers are in session, and in an election year, when timing matters.

The first half of the year is Congress’s prime window to act so ACE’s Fly-In comes at a critical moment to engage members of Congress, their staff, and senior Administration officials on ethanol priorities, which include securing permanent, nationwide E15 market access; expanding access to new markets and tax incentives, along with opportunities to reward conservation farming practices; removing barriers to higher ethanol blends; and ensuring the Renewable Fuel Standard is fully implemented and back on track.

There is no registration fee; participants simply cover their own travel expenses. ACE strategically builds Hill visit teams to ensure every participant—whether it’s your first Fly-In or your fifteenth—has a meaningful and effective advocacy experience. Without these face-to-face meetings, it becomes far easier for policymakers to depersonalize our issues.

Click here to learn more and register.

ACE, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Iowa Ethanol Stagnation Blamed on Lack of CSS

Cindy Zimmerman

Iowa ethanol production has remained stagnant for the past three years and the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association puts the blame on the blocking of carbon capture and sequestration technology usage in the state.

Iowa’s ethanol plants produced 4.6 billion gallons of ethanol in 2025, matching its output level from the past two years. Iowa accounts for 28% of total U.S. ethanol production, which hit 16.4 billion gallons in 2025, the fifth straight annual increase.

IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw says while Iowa production levels have stagnated, national ethanol production increased by 850 million gallons and ethanol plant expansions are happening in states such as Indiana, Illinois, North Dakota, and Nebraska.

“Investment dollars flow to areas with a perceived competitive advantage,” said Shaw. “The states attracting significant investment have one thing in common – the ability to sequester carbon either locally or via pipeline infrastructure. While Iowa remains the largest ethanol-producing state, we are behind in the race to maximize the incentive and market benefits from producing ultra-low carbon ethanol.”

This week, as USDA announced a record corn crop in Iowa, the Iowa Legislature introduced a bill that would ban the use of eminent domain for CO2 pipeline projects and carbon capture, use and sequestration (CCUS) initiatives, which Shaw says would essentially ban CO2 projects in Iowa while neighboring states are moving forward. “Capturing and using or sequestering carbon from Iowa plants would generate $3 billion in federal incentives while helping enhance U.S. oil production, create investment opportunities for new projects in Iowa, and reduce CO2 in the atmosphere. This bill would slam the door on Iowa’s ability to compete, and we urge Iowa House members to oppose it.”

IRFA notes that President Trump has called CCUS central to his American Energy Dominance agenda. In Nebraska, a CO2 pipeline has already attracted a nearly $2 billion investment to make green methanol. CO2 sent to places like North Dakota, Wyoming, and Texas can be sequestered, but also allow enhanced oil recovery from America’s fracking fields.

Carbon, carbon capture, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Iowa RFA

New Corn Estimate Causes Concerns

Cindy Zimmerman

The USDA World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimate for this month shows even more corn than the last report, causing greater concerns among corn growers worried about the demand and price situation going forward and further highlighting the need for year-round, nationwide E15.

The USDA reports the 2025/26 corn outlook is for larger production, higher feed and residual use, reduced food, seed, and industrial use, and greater ending stocks. “Corn production is estimated at 17.0 billion bushels, up 269 million on a 0.5-bushel increase in yield to 186.5 bushels per acre and a 1.3-million acre rise in harvested area. Since the July 2025 WASDE, harvested area has surged 4.5 million acres. Notably, the record crop in 2025 exceeds the prior high set in 2023 by 1.7 billion bushels or over 40 million tons.”

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper says the report underscores the pressing need to eliminate regulatory obstacles that are suppressing demand and limiting market opportunities for corn and ethanol alike.

“Today’s surprise USDA report serves as a sobering wake-up call about the state of farm economy and underscores the need for lawmakers to take immediate action to expand markets for America’s corn growers,” said Cooper. “The fastest and easiest way to shore up the growing supply-demand imbalance in the corn market is to permanently remove the summertime barrier on E15 sales and eliminate obsolete fuel retail infrastructure rules. These decades-old regulatory barriers are literally choking off demand and shortchanging America’s farmers.”

The National Corn Growers Association says the surplus supply promises to keep corn prices low as farmers struggle to pay high input costs. “We need long-term market solutions, and we need them quickly, or this is going to deepen the economic crisis in the countryside,” said Ohio farmer and NCGA President Jed Bower. “The urgency for Congress and the president to open new markets abroad and expand consumer access to ethanol just increased exponentially.”

Bower noted that an immediate boost to demand would be the passage of legislation authorizing year-round consumer access to fuels with 15% ethanol blends. He says this solution comes at no cost to consumers, requires no additional infrastructure developments and could use 2.4 billion additional bushels of corn annually at full implementation, according to NCGA estimates.

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

USDA Secretary Urges Congress to Pass Year-Round E15

Cindy Zimmerman

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins addressed the American Farm Bureau Federation convention for the first time Monday, hitting on key issues being discussed by the nation’s largest general farm organization this week, including the need for nationwide, year-round E15.

Rollins says President Trump is arguably the most pro-biofuels leader in history. “While the Trump administration has gone as far as we can regulatory-wise to provide EPA E15 waivers, Congress must now do its job and pass nationwide, year-round E15 legislation to continue to drive domestic crop demand, a clear win-win for farmers and consumers.”

In addition, Rollins noted that the Trump EPA has “proposed the highest and most aggressive renewable volume obligation, or RVO, proposal in history, which, once final, will ensure corn and soy and sorghum producers have a long-term certainty and a demand stream domestically that is already helping consumer prices at the pump.”

Talking about trade and increased exports, Rollins said ethanol was a big winner in 2025, with exports increasing by 11 percent, and she highlighted the importance of extending the 45Z biofuel tax credit through 2029 in the One Big Beautiful Bill.

Listen to Rollins’ full remarks here:
AFBF26 USDA Secy Rollins address 29:59

AFBF, Audio, E15, Ethanol, USDA

E15 Remains Priority for American Farm Bureau

Cindy Zimmerman

At the 107th American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in Anaheim, California on Sunday, AFBF President Zippy Duvall said the organization is committed to getting year-round, nationwide E15 approved this year.

In his annual address to the membership, Duvall said the entire Farm Bureau leadership group was invited to the White House last year to meet with cabinet members about their priorities. “One clear opportunity we addressed with the White House is making E15 available year-round,” he said. “This would expand the market for farmers and deliver real cost savings to consumers at the pump. A clear win-win.”

Duvall also discussed E15 with reporters at his opening press conference. “For nearly two decades, we’ve advocated for year-round E15. It’s so close, we can almost taste it. We think we’re really close to getting that done, and it makes a lot of sense to get that done,” said Duvall. “Ethanol-blended fuels save drivers money at the pump and creates the demand for our homegrown corn and sorghum and other feedstocks. It definitely is a win-win for consumers, our farmers, and it would be a win for the president and his administration if they could get that done.”

Duvall urged farmers to call their members of Congress to get E15 finally across the finish line. “And I’ve talked to the president about it. I’ve talked to everybody around him about it. It’s a no-brainer. It doesn’t cost the government anything.”

Listen to Duvall’s E15 comments during the press conference:
AFBF president Zippy Duvall - E15 comments 1:33

AFBF, Ag group, Audio, E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News