Growth Energy CEO Keynotes #FEW18

Cindy Zimmerman

Two years ago, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor was brand new to the job and the Fuel Ethanol Workshop was her first public introduction to the ethanol industry. Today, Skor keynoted the industry event again as an ethanol professional who has been seasoned by fighting for the fuel during some very difficult battles.

“The battles ahead are tougher, and higher-stakes, and we need to remind ourselves that we have what it takes to win,” said Skor. “And we’ll keep on fighting, from the EPA to the halls of Congress, where other oil-backed lawmakers have already announced their latest plans for so-called reforms of the RFS.”

Skor highlighted the victories over the past year and the challenges the industry continues to face. Listen here:
Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor #FEW18 Keynote

Fuel Ethanol Conference content sponsored by

Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by Syngenta Enogen

Audio, Ethanol, FEW, Growth Energy

NFU Raises Concerns About EPA REGS Rule

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Farmers Union (NFU) and South Dakota Farmers Union are raising concerns that a proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule would ban the use of E16 or higher blends of ethanol in non-flexible fuel vehicles.

The organizations sent a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt this week urging EPA not to finalize the proposed rule, Renewables Enhancement and Growth Support (REGS), as it is written.

“If the REGS rule were finalized as proposed, it would codify a ban on E16+ fuel blends in non-flexible fuel vehicles,” said the letter. “This would unduly restrict use of ethanol’s ‘clean octane’ in the U.S. gasoline market, inflicting severe damage on the nation’s family farmers, and the public health and welfare.”

“The most cost effective and environmentally safe way for EPA to comply with Section 202(l) (of the Clean Air Act) is to encourage the widespread use of EXX/E30 blends in 98 – 100 RON higher octane gasoline…This is consistent with automakers’ requests to support higher octane fuels. Unfortunately, the REGS proposed rule would do the exact opposite—it would prevent their use.”

Read more from NFU.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, NFU

American Chopper Unveils Ethanol Bike

Cindy Zimmerman

The highly anticipated debut of the custom Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) ethanol motorcycle created by Paul Jr. Designs on Discovery Channel’s American Chopper revealed a masterpiece with a patriotic theme that runs on E85.

“The bike encapsulated everything we were hoping to get,” said RFA Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White. “Patriotic theme, running on 85 percent ethanol, E85 – it’s perfect.”

Bike designer Paul Teutel Jr. said it was easier than he expected to make the chopper run on E85. “The only thing we had to do was up the jets about 30 percent and advance the timing a little bit and the thing runs like a top.”

Teutel says the whole effort is to help educate people about ethanol. “The same way I got educated about ethanol through the process of building a bike for RFA,” he said. “It’s about public awareness and letting them know that ethanol is a good product – matter of fact it’s a very good product and it works very well in motorcycles.”

The custom motorcycle is the centerpiece for RFA’s new consumer-focused educational campaign called “Fuel Your Knowledge” to educate and inform consumers about the proper use of ethanol-blended fuels in boats, motorcycles, lawn and garden equipment and other off-road engines.

Teutel was with White last night at a viewing party in Omaha for the big reveal and today will be at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop meeting and greeting folks at the RFA booth from 11 am to 1 pm. The bike will be on display at the booth as well.

Click here to see more photos of this awesome motorcyle.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, FEW, Motorcycle, RFA

DuPont Opens Industrial Biosciences Global Headquarters

DuPont Industrial Biosciences officially opened the doors of its renovated global business headquarters last week in Wilmington, Delaware.

“At this new facility, we have hundreds of people working toward a more sustainable future by innovating biobased solutions that are better, safer and more renewable. These technologies go into products that are used in everyday life,” said William Feehery, president of DuPont Industrial Biosciences. “The redesigned and upgraded laboratories and office spaces are incubators for some of DuPont’s most groundbreaking work.”

The revitalization of Building E353 is part of a more than $200 million investment in the Experimental Station campus, which began in 2016 and encompasses about 50 buildings, with over 2 million square feet of space.

Read more from DuPont.

Agribusiness, AgWired Animal, AgWired Energy, AgWired Precision, biofuels, Dupont

American Chopper to Debut RFA Ethanol Bike

Cindy Zimmerman

The custom RFA motorcycle designed by Paul Jr is located right in the middle of that crowd of bikers!

The custom Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) motorcycle created by Paul Jr. Designs will be revealed to the world on Discovery Channel’s American Chopper tonight at 10 pm Eastern time.

Discovery Channel crews filmed the unveiling of the RFA custom motorcycle earlier this year at East Kansas Agri-Energy in Garnett, Kansas and a crowd of more than 500, mostly on motorcycles, were part of the show. The bike will be the centerpiece of a RFA’s new “Fuel Your Knowledge” educational campaign to inform consumers about the proper use of ethanol-blended fuels in boats, motorcycles, and other small engines.

The custom chopper will also be on display this week at the RFA booth in the Fuel Ethanol Workshop trade show, and Paul Jr. is scheduled to stop by for a visit Tuesday from 11 am to 1 pm.

Learn more about RFA’s American Chopper promotion in these recent interviews with RFA Vice President for Industry Relations Robert White.

Ethanol Report on Custom Ethanol Chopper

Ethanol Report on Biker and Boater Education
Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, FEW, Motorcycle, RFA

2018 Fuel Ethanol Workshop Opens in Omaha

Cindy Zimmerman

The 34th annual International Fuel Ethanol Workshop is being held this week, June 11-13, in Omaha. The event features industry awards, speakers, sessions and a large trade show.

Organizers say the event is on pace to be the biggest since 2009, with over 550 biofuels producers registered and more than 300 industry companies and organizations exhibiting.

The opening general session Tuesday features the High Octane Award and Award of Excellence presentations with Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor as keynote for this year. A panel discussion on “Surveying the Health of Renewable Fuels Policy under the Trump Administration” will include representatives from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), and Growth Energy.

Fuel Ethanol Conference content sponsored by

Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by Syngenta Enogen

ACE, biofuels, Enogen, Ethanol, Ethanol News, FEW, Growth Energy, RFA

Ethanol Exports Still Strong in April

Cindy Zimmerman

Despite being lower than March, April was still another strong month for U.S. exports of ethanol and the co-product dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), according to Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) Research Analyst Ann Lewis.

U.S. ethanol exports totaled 162.3 million gallons (mg) in April, a 25% drop from the near-record export volume recorded in March, but still the fourth-largest monthly export volume in six years. Brazil was the leading destination for U.S. ethanol exports for the sixth straight month, receiving 38% of total exports, although shipments to the country were 36% lower than March.

Canada received 27.6 mg of U.S. ethanol in April, up 13% from March and a six-month high (17% market share). U.S. ethanol exports also flourished in several previously tepid markets in April, including Oman (12.6 mg, up 254% from March) and the Netherlands (11.4 mg, up 583%). The U.S. also continued modest export growth in India with a 4% gain over March with 12.3 mg. As predicted, China stepped completely out of the market for the first time in six months, as implementation of the additional 15% import duty shut out U.S. product. Year-to-date exports stood at 684.3 mg through April—44% stronger than the first four months of 2017—implying a record annualized export volume of 2.05 billion gallons.

U.S. exports of DDGS rallied in April to a six-month high of 997,633 metric tons (mt), up 10%. Shipments to top customer Mexico (representing 18% of total exports) swelled by 20% over March to 182,642 mg.

Read more from RFA.

Distillers Grains, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Exports, RFA

2018 CUTC is a Wrap

The first Corn Utilization and Technology Conference was held 30 years ago. Since 1987, CUTC has brought together leading innovators to focus on new uses for corn with the goals of expanding markets and demand while improving quality and efficiency.

National Corn Growers Association CEO Chris Novak says this year’s conference this week was another great success for the future of the industry. “Corn can be at the forefront of a biobased economy,” said Novak. “We have the opportunity to use corn and corn products to replace petrochemicals in a way that will create additional demand for our farmers and create more sustainable products.”

Listen to Novak’s wrap up interview from CUTC: CUTC interview with NCGA CEO Chris Novak

2018 CUTC Photo Album

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Ethanol Policy Concerns for Corn Growers

Cindy Zimmerman

This week’s apparent backing off by the White House from a deal involving biofuels policy leaves a cloudy situation for ethanol, according to National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) CEO Chris Novak.

During an interview at this week’s Corn Utilization and Technology Conference, Novak says while nothing official has come out of the White House, they are pleased with word from ethanol champions in the Senate that the president has decided not to move forward with a plan to allow biofuels credits for exports. “This was a step that would have undermined the Renewable Fuel Standard,” said Novak. However, that means nothing is being done now to allow summer sales of E15, “and yet at the same time, in total, this would have been a bad deal for American farmers.”

Meanwhile, EPA is continuing to grant refinery exemptions that have resulted in lost gallons and demand destruction and Novak says NCGA is a party to two industry lawsuits filed against the agency in the past week.

Listen to this interview with Novak –
Interview with NCGA CEO Chris Novak

2018 CUTC Photo Album

Audio, corn, CUTC, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NCGA

DuPont Launches New Products for Fuel Ethanol Market

Cindy Zimmerman

Building off the launch of its fuel ethanol platform DuPont™ XCELIS™ at the National Ethanol Conference, DuPont Industrial Biosciences has unveiled the first three products from the innovation hub.

DuPont™ SYNERXIA® THRIVE GX: Next Generation in Yeast for the Fuel Alcohol Industry
DuPont™ DISTILLASE® DXT: Advanced Glucoamylase Blend
DuPont™ OPTIMASH® AX: Xylanase for Enhanced Liquefaction

The new products are designed to increase yields, speed fermentation and reduce energy and chemical consumption. The new XCELIS™ platform also will feature an online partner community for the industry, GRAIN CHANGERS. This online community and innovative product offerings represent a new age for DuPont’s XCELIS™ biorefinery team. By improving performance, efficiency and fuel ethanol yields – and working hand-in-hand with customers – XCELIS™ helps ethanol producers reach their goals with new products, tools and technologies.

Learn more from DuPont Industrial Biosciences.

Dupont, Ethanol, Ethanol News