Groups Support Biodiesel Tax Credit

Cindy Zimmerman

A diverse group of trade associations are presenting a united front to Congress in support of maintaining and extending the current biodiesel blenders tax credit.

Eight organizations joined the National Biodiesel Board in a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX), and Senate Committee on Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT).

“To provide certainty in planning, we believe Congress should extend the full $1.00 per gallon tax credit for 2018 and 2019. Beyond that, we are seeking long-term certainty, including a permanent tax incentive at a level that will continue to foster growth in the domestic biodiesel market,” the letter reads. “Extending the biodiesel blenders credit will allow us to continue to provide the economic and environmental benefits associated with the program.”

Groups signing the letter include the Advanced Biofuels Association, the American Trucking Associations, National Association of Convenience Stores, National Renderers Association, NATSO – Representing America’s Travel Centers and Truckstops, New England Fuel Institute, Petroleum Marketers Association of America, and Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America.

The groups also noted that the “on-again, off-again” nature of the credit disrupts access to capital, frustrates the sector’s ability to make investments, and hinders companies’ ability to hire and expand. The trade associations urged Congress to restore the tax credit for 2018 and 2019, and provide long-term certainty to the industry through a permanent tax incentive.

Read the letter.

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, NBB, transportation, Trucks

National FFA and AgriNovus Indiana Announce Blue Room

The National FFA Organization and AgriNovus Indiana have joined together to announce the “Blue Room” will debut at the 2018 National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis Oct. 24-27.

The Blue Room is the kickoff to Blue 365, an initiative that will bring this same innovation into classrooms and impact more than 650,000 members nationwide. FFA student members are the future leaders of the food industry, which is relying on this generation to meet unparalleled challenges to feed a growing world population.

The 17,000-square-foot interactive Blue Room will center on the challenges facing our community—from respecting the planet to the urgent matter of feeding the world. This cutting-edge approach will focus on experiential learning and thought-provoking exposure to the convergence of agriculture, technology, human health, engineering, and more.

Corteva Agriscience, the agriculture division of DowDuPont, and Elanco are also proud participating sponsors of The Blue Room and supporting partners of AgriNovus Indiana.

Making the Blue Room announcement Monday in Indianapolis were National FFA CEO Mark Poeschl, AgriNovus Indiana president and CEO Beth Bechdol, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, and FFA alumnus Loren King. Listen to their remarks here: National FFA and AgriNovus Indiana Announce Blue Room

Agribusiness, AgWired Animal, AgWired Energy, AgWired Precision, Audio, Education

Doggett Interim CEO for NCGA as Novak Joins CropLife America

Jon Doggett has been named interim CEO for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) starting August 1, taking over for Chris Novak, who becomes president and CEO of CropLife America (CLA) in August.

Novak will become just the fifth staff leader of CLA in its 85-year history on August 20. He replaces Jay Vroom, who has been CEO since 1989 and announced his plans to retire last year. Novak has served as NCGA CEO since October 2014, after six years as CEO of the National Pork Board.

Doggett has been with NCGA since 2002 and has served as Executive Vice President since 2014. Prior to that, he served as Vice President, Public Policy, and continues to manage the organization’s 11-person Washington office and lead its public policy efforts.

Raised on his family’s Montana ranch, Doggett has substantial knowledge of production agriculture and more than 30 years of agricultural policy experience. Before joining NCGA, Doggett served 11 years at the American Farm Bureau Federation, where he was the Bureau’s lead lobbyist on a number of public policy issues, including ethanol, climate change, land use, conservation, and endangered species. Doggett also worked for the National Cattleman’s Beef Association/Public Lands Council and served as senior legislative assistant for former Montana Congressman Ron Marlenee.

An announcement regarding the formal search process for a permanent CEO will be made at a later date.

Ag group, AgWired Animal, AgWired Energy, AgWired Precision, corn

House Subcommittee Hearing on Advanced Biofuels

Cindy Zimmerman

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment held its fourth hearing this year aimed at addressing issues related to fuels and vehicles, this time focusing on advanced biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

Among those who testified at the hearing on Friday were Advanced Biofuels Association president Mike McAdams, National Association of Truck Stop Operators representative Robin Puthusseril, Renewable Energy Group (REG) CEO Randy Howard on behalf of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), and Advanced Biofuels Business Council Executive Director Brooke Coleman. Click on names for links to written testimony.

Listen to opening comments from subcommittee chairman Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) and statements from these four witnesses. Advanced biofuels hearing 6-22-18

advanced biofuels, Audio, Biodiesel, biofuels, Cellulosic, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NBB, RFS

Lamberty Focused on E10 in Mexico and E15 in US

Cindy Zimmerman

Right after the Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW) wrapped up in Omaha this month, word came that a Mexican federal court overturned an injunction blocking ethanol blends from climbing to 10 percent from 5.8 percent, allowing most of the country to move forward with E10 blends.

That was very good news as American Coalition for Ethanol senior vice president Ron Lamberty returned to Mexico last week for the third time this year to speak at a meeting of Mexican petroleum equipment installers and retailers in León about equipment compatibility and other practical considerations when implementing and selling up to E10 blends for the first time.

“Like we’ve seen as ethanol expanded in the U.S., ethanol’s competitors in Mexico have created roadblocks to higher ethanol use,” Lamberty said. “One of those roadblocks was removed when a Mexican court overturned the injunction.” That injunction was put in place a year ago and ethanol opponents are expected to continue litigating the expansion of ethanol in the country.

Lamberty joined the U.S. Grains Council for two other technical workshops this year in Monterrey and Tijuana. “Now that E10 is a real possibility in most of Mexico, and “the math” of adding ethanol is so attractive, I explained to these station owners how they can differentiate themselves from competitors and still make better margins,” Lamberty added.

Back here in the states, Lamberty continues to help retailers with the ins and outs of offering E15, which has its own roadblocks in the way. At FEW, Chuck Zimmerman talked with Lamberty about the ever changing policy landscape for getting a Reid Vapor Pressure waiver to allow E15 to be sold during the summer months.

Interview with Ron Lamberty, ACE

2018 Fuel Ethanol Workshop Photos

Fuel Ethanol Conference content sponsored by

Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by Syngenta Enogen

ACE, Audio, E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Exports, FEW

Enogen-Enhanced Cellerate Technology Advancing Biofuels

Cindy Zimmerman

The Advanced Biofuels Conference ran in conjunction with the 2018 Fuel Ethanol Conference last week in Omaha and several sessions were sponsored by Cellerate® process technology, enhanced by Syngenta Enogen corn.

Miloud Araba, Technical Services for Enogen, participated in two panels to discuss how Enogen and Cellerate are helping move advanced biofuels forward. “Cellerate allows producers to get more ethanol, maybe more cellulosic ethanol as well, and also improves yield by converting fiber and getting more oil,” said Araba. “More importantly, it adds value to the feed part by concentrating the protein and improving digestibility.”

Cellerate and Enogen corn can help deliver notable benefits to ethanol plants beyond what can be achieved through either technology alone – including increased throughput and yield and a notable reduction in natural gas, electricity and water usage.

Araba also discussed how farmers growing Enogen corn are producing enzymes for ethanol plants, which saves plants from having to add them in the process. “An enzyme could come from anywhere, here we’re doing it in the corn itself, and it’s produced locally,” he explained.

Learn more in this interview: Interview with Miloud Araba, Enogen

2018 Fuel Ethanol Workshop Photos

Fuel Ethanol Conference content sponsored by

Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by Syngenta Enogen

advanced biofuels, Audio, Cellulosic, corn, Enogen, enzymes, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Syngenta

White House Reorganization Plans Would Change USDA

During an open media cabinet meeting Thursday, which was mostly dominated by President Trump commenting on the immigration issue, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director Mick Mulvaney gave an entertaining summary of the administration’s plans to reorganize the government.

“It’s been almost a hundred years since anybody really reorganized the government,” said Mulvaney, before providing a couple of examples of why it needs to be reorganized. “Because of the Byzantine nature of the way we regulate in this country…if you make a cheese pizza, that is governed by the Food and Drug Administration, if you put pepperoni it, that’s governed by USDA. If you have a chicken, it’s governed by the USDA. If that chicken lays an egg, it’s governed by the FDA, but if you break the egg and make it into an omelet, that is now covered again by USDA.”

“This is stupid,” Mulvaney said simply.

Under the plan, food safety regulations would move from FDA to USDA, while rural housing would move from USDA to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and non-commodity nutrition assistance programs would move to the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS), which would be renamed the Department of Health and Public Welfare (DHP).

Click here to view the administration plan and listen here to Mulvaney explain some of it at the Cabinet meeting. OMB Director Mick Mulvaney outlines reorganization plan

AgWired AgNewsWire, AgWired Energy, Audio, Government, USDA

EPA Decision Boosts Isobutanol

Cindy Zimmerman

In news that was somewhat overshadowed during his Midwest tour last week, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced the registration of isobutanol as a fuel additive for blending into gasoline at levels up to 16 volume percent from the previous 12.5 percent blend level.

Pruitt issued a letter of notification on June 12 to Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC registering isobutanol “after all applicable Clean Air Act requirements were met and after careful review of the numerous comments received.” Isobutanol or biobutanol is considered to be a second generation biofuel that can be made from biomass.

Butamax is a joint venture between BP and DuPont that was locked in a legal battle over the technology with Gevo Inc. for many years until the two companies came to an agreement in August 2015. Shares of Gevo skyrocketed over 300 percent this week on news of the EPA decision.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, isobutanol

ACE Awards 2018 Scholarships

Cindy Zimmerman

(L to R) Keithen Drury, Emma Baker, Brett Galles

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) has announced the winners of its 2018 scholarship program recipients. Keithen Drury, Brett Galles, and Emma Baker will each receive a $1,000 scholarship to help further their collegiate education.

Keithen Drury from Blue Hill, Nebraska, is pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa. Keithen is the son of Terry and Penny Drury. His father Terry is employed at ACE ethanol producer member Chief Ethanol Fuels in Hastings, Nebraska.

Brett Galles of Remsen, Iowa, will be attending Iowa State University in Ames where he plans to study Industrial Engineering. Brett is the son of Bart and Kelly Galles. His father Bart is employed with ACE ethanol producer member Little Sioux Corn Processors in Marcus, Iowa.

Emma Baker is from Lena, Illinois, and will be pursuing nursing at Highland Community College in Freeport. Emma is the daughter of Ray and Amy Baker. Her father Ray works for ACE ethanol producer member Adkins Energy in Lena, Illinois.

The ACE Scholarship Program was initiated in 2004, and ACE has awarded $53,000 since then. Scholarships are made available to employees and dependents of employees and shareholders of ACE Ethanol Producer, Voting and Associate member companies and organizations in good standing.

ACE, Education, Ethanol, Ethanol News

House Democrats Demand Answers from EPA

Cindy Zimmerman

Democratic members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Committee on Agriculture led by Reps. Dave Loebsack (D-IA) and Cheri Bustos (D-IL) are demanding that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt provide additional information regarding his agency’s “failed implementation of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).”

A letter signed by a dozen Democrats presents a series of questions seeking information about “the mismanagement of a program that provided waivers to some of our nation’s largest, most profitable refiners, but were intended to help support small refiners with demonstrated economic hardship and were in danger of going bankrupt.”

The lawmakers also want information about the EPA’s retroactive awarding of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINS), which they have repeatedly requested and which the EPA has refused to answer.

“We appreciate the effort of these members to bring attention to EPA’s woeful disregard of the statute and its indiscriminate granting of hardship waivers,” said Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen. “The Agency’s lack of transparency in this process prompted RFA to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, which has been met with complete silence. We have also filed suit in the 10th circuit challenging specific waivers and in the DC Circuit contesting EPA’s failure to reallocate gallons.”

Read the letter.

EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, RFA, RFS