ACE Conference 2026

Huge Crowd Turns Out for President Trump in Iowa

Cindy Zimmerman

With a background of green hats saying “Make Farmers Great Again,” President Donald Trump basked in the warmth of a huge crowd from Iowa and Nebraska during a rally in Council Bluffs on Tuesday night after an announcement that the administration was moving forward with rulemaking to allow 15% ethanol to be sold year round.

“We are unleashing the power of E15 to fuel our country all year long,” President Trump said to great applause, noting that he kept his promise to them.

During his 90 minute speech, Trump frequently urged the crowd to get out and vote, especially for Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, who was thrilled with the turnout. “Mr. President, thank you for year round E15,” said Reynolds. “Our farmers thank you, Iowans thank you and we are grateful. Promises made, promises kept.”

Rally sound bites from Pres. Trump and Gov. Reynolds
Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Ethanol Stakeholders Welcome E15 Announcement

Cindy Zimmerman

Christmas came very early this year for ethanol stakeholders who have been pressing for sales of E15 to be allowed year round, as President Trump announced he was instructing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to initiate a rulemaking process that would extend the summer Reid Vapor Pressure waiver to E15.

“What it really means is that we’re helping our farmers,” said President Trump to reporters asking questions as he arrived in the Midwest for a rally in Council Bluffs, Iowa – adding that “there is no negative impact” on the environment by allowing E15 to be sold all year. “In fact, there are those that say, you do this and the air is cleaner, I agree with that,” Trump said. Pres. Trump comments on E15 to reporters

Following the announcement, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor hosted a telephone press conference with Iowa farmer Kelly Nieuwenhuis, Iowa ethanol producer Delayne Johnson with Quad County Corn Processors, and E15 retailer Mike Lorenz, Sheetz.

Listen to or download here – Growth Energy E15 press conference

American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings thanked the president for making good on his promise and asked EPA to work quickly on rulemaking. “The President’s decision will not prevent Big Oil from stonewalling year-round E15, so we encourage Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to expeditiously publish a legally-defensible approach for extending RVP relief to E15 in the Federal Register for public comment and to finalize the rule before the 2019 low-RVP season kicks-in.”

Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) CEO Geoff Cooper says the announcement should help expand availability of E15 nationwide. “This is the right signal to the marketplace at just the right time, as both farmers and renewable fuel producers desperately need new market opportunities and sources of demand.”

RFA Chairman Neil Koehler, CEO of Pacific Ethanol, was featured on Fox Business just as the announcement was made official. “It’s very positive for our business, we are the world’s sixth largest ethanol producer,” said Koehler, as the company’s stock ticker was shown heading up. “Now we have a growth story because of this announcement.” RFA chairman Neil Koehler, Pacific Ethanol, on Fox Business

Koehler added that the announcement was great news also for American farmers, and National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Lynn Chrisp agrees.

“Earlier this year, the President correctly described this barrier as ‘unnecessary’ and ‘ridiculous’,” said Chrisp. “The President also faced pressure to fix this regulatory problem through a bad deal that would have been harmful to farmers. He made the right decision to move this common-sense regulatory relief on its own, and farmers are very grateful.”

ACE, Audio, biofuels, corn, E15, EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Growth Energy, RFA

E15 Announcement Expected Today

Cindy Zimmerman

President Donald Trump is heading to Council Bluffs, Iowa later today for a Make America Great Again Rally this evening, but before he leaves he is expected to make an announcement the ethanol industry has been waiting a long time to hear – that he is directing EPA to start rulemaking on year-round sales of 15% ethanol blends (E15).

The White House confirmed that the president is requesting a Reid Vapor Pressure waiver for summer E15 sales and ethanol industry representatives are excited to hear it. “We eagerly await this announcement because it will benefit rural America, retailers who want to sell E15, and consumers who deserve choice at the pump.” said American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings.

“It’s wonderful for the American farmer. It’s great for #biofuels producers. And it’s great for the American consumer, so we’re thrilled,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor.

Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) CEO Geoff Cooper says the announcement should help expand availability of E15 nationwide. “The top barrier we hear when we ask retailers why they’re not doing E15 is this RVP barrier and the fact they can’t sell E15 year round,” said Cooper. “It will serve as a very important signal to the marketplace and really provide a shot in the arm to expand the domestic market for ethanol.”

Audio with Cooper – RFA CEO Geoff Cooper comments on E15 waiver relief

The announcement is expected today at 3:00 pm Eastern time and Growth Energy will be holding a press conference about it at 3:30 pm.

ACE, Audio, E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Growth Energy, RFA

Baseball Teams Hit Home Run with Biodiesel

Cindy Zimmerman

Sports fans nationwide celebrated sustainable practices over the weekend on October 6 – Green Sports Day. The annual event recognizes the efforts that athletes, supporters, and organizations make to reduce their environmental footprint and baseball fans are already seeing a difference with cleaner air thanks to biodiesel.

The Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, and the San Diego Padres are among many teams whose stadiums are recycling used cooking oil into clean burning biodiesel. During the Royal’s recent championship season, the stadium totaled more than 61 tons of food waste, recycling more than 4,500 gallons of oil. The Brewers home stadium, Miller Park, recycled 6,347 gallons of cooking oil last year alone.

The Green Sports Alliance inspires professional sports leagues, college conferences, sports governing bodies, colleges, teams, venues, their partners and millions of fans to embrace renewable energy, healthy food, recycling, water efficiency, safer chemicals and other environmentally preferable practices. Alliance members represent nearly 600 sports teams and venues from 15 sports leagues in 14 countries.

Biodiesel, NBB

Congressman Discusses Biofuels at Syngenta Seeds

Cindy Zimmerman

Republican Congressman Jason Lewis of Minnesota recently toured the Syngenta Seeds facility and participated in a discussion on the future of biofuels.

Rep. Lewis toured the Syngenta Seeds Stanton, Minnesota, R&D facility and North America Seedcare Institute. “During my visit I also had the chance to discuss a variety of the business’ initiatives, including Syngenta’s work to partner with Randolph’s Agriculture Education classroom to help students learn more about the agricultural trade,” said Lewis.

Established in 1971, the Syngenta Seeds Stanton R&D facility is home to a biofuels lab that helps ethanol plants adopt Enogen® corn enzyme technology, as well as plant breeding research for Enogen corn hybrids. “Syngenta is committed to the success of the U.S. ethanol industry and to helping ethanol plants adopt the best enzyme strategy,” said Jeff Oestmann, head, Biofuels Operations – Enogen at Syngenta. “We are proud to have made a significant investment to bring this game-changing technology to market.”

Enogen corn is an in-seed innovation available exclusively from Syngenta and features the first biotech corn output trait designed specifically to enhance ethanol production.

Enogen, enzymes, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Syngenta

Ethanol Report on the New RFA

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association entered a new chapter at the annual October membership meeting in Kansas City, as Geoff Cooper officially became RFA’s new President and CEO and Bob Dinneen began his new role as Senior Strategic Advisor, according to the succession plan announced in July.

In this edition of the Ethanol Report, we hear from both about their new roles and other changes at RFA.

Ethanol Report on the New RFA

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Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

RFA Welcomes Four New Members

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association welcomed four new members this week – Ringneck Energy, Wisconsin Agri-Business Association, Nebraska Ethanol Board, and Advanced Fuel Dynamics.

Producer member Ringneck Energy, based in Onida, S.D., is in the process of beginning production at its 80-million gallon per year ethanol plant. The biorefinery will use an estimated 28 million bushels of corn and also produce an estimated 224,000 tons of distillers grains. The facility will employ about 40 people.

Associate member Wisconsin Agri-Business Association, based in Madison, is the voice of agribusiness in the state of Wisconsin. The trade association provides communications, training programs, legislative and regulatory affairs, promotion, and support to the agribusiness companies that do business in the state.

Associate member Nebraska Ethanol Board, based in Lincoln, helps to establish procedures and processes necessary to the manufacturing and marketing of ethanol fuel in the state through: sponsoring R&D of industrial and commercial uses for ethanol and its coproducts; promoting state and national air quality improvement programs and influencing legislation that encourages the use of renewable fuels; and promoting the use of renewable ethanol as a partial replacement for imported oils to ensure the energy security of the country, among other efforts.

Associate member Advanced Fuel Dynamics, based in Troy, Texas, manufacturers patent-pending, plug-and-play technology that makes existing gasoline-powered vehicles, motorcycles and recreational off-road vehicles flex fuel vehicles, increasing their performance, reducing fuel cost and reducing pollution by running E85 at the pump.

“Each of these companies and organizations brings a unique perspective to the RFA, but they all share a passion for renewable fuels and agriculture,” said RFA Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White. “We look forward to working with these new members for years to come on advocacy, technical and regulatory, market development, and consumer awareness efforts that will expand opportunities for American-made ethanol.”

Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

Growth Energy Launches TV Ad for Year Round E15

Cindy Zimmerman

Growth Energy released a new television ad this week stressing the vital role ethanol plays in rural America’s economy and asking Congress to support making E15 year-round a reality. The latest ad campaign begins this week and will appear on televisions in Washington, D.C. and select markets across the heartland.

“The drive to give consumers cleaner, more affordable options at the pump gains momentum every day,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “We’re making sure that President Trump and rural champions in Congress have the support they need to get this over the finish line. Farm families are hurting and there’s no time to delay a fix that could deliver two billion bushels of additional demand for U.S. corn while holding down prices at the pump.”

The ad is the latest in Growth Energy’s ongoing E15Now campaign. Watch it below.


E15, Ethanol, Growth Energy, Video

RFA Implements Restructuring With New CEO

Cindy Zimmerman

At the Renewable Fuels Association annual membership meeting this week in Kansas City, Geoff Cooper officially became RFA’s new President and CEO and Bob Dinneen began his new role as Senior Strategic Advisor, according to the succession plan announced in July.

Cooper joined RFA in 2008 as the organization’s Director of Research and Analysis and since that time has led RFA’s regulatory activities, while also overseeing the association’s research and technical initiatives, supporting public and media relations efforts, assisting with legislative initiatives, and managing the Renewable Fuels Foundation.

As part of RFA’s restructuring, the association also announced the following additional staffing changes:

– Jessica Bennett, who joined the RFA staff in January 2018, has been promoted to lead Government Affairs, with the new title, Vice President of Government & External Affairs.
– Connor Hamburg will join RFA later this month as the new Director of Government Affairs. After working for several members of Congress, Hamburg was most recently Manager of Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs for the National Corn Growers Association.
– Jackie Pohlman has been hired as RFA’s new Manager of Member Relations. Pohlman comes to the RFA from the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) at Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville, where she led client relations.

In addition, RFA elected Neil Koehler, co-founder and CEO of Pacific Ethanol, as chairman of the RFA board of directors, Jeanne McCaherty of Guardian Energy LLC as the board’s Vice Chair, and Charles Wilson of Trenton Agri Products LLC as the board Treasurer.

Koehler succeeds Mick Henderson, general manager of Commonwealth Agri-Energy LLC, as RFA chairman. He has served on the RFA Board of Directors since 1992, and received RFA’s prestigious Industry Award in 2017. Sacramento-based Pacific Ethanol operates nine biorefineries in Nebraska, Illinois, Idaho, California and Oregon with a combined operating capacity of 605 million gallons per year.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

Growth Energy Introduces Unleaded 88 Website

Cindy Zimmerman

Growth Energy has announced the launch of a new consumer-facing website for Unleaded 88 fuel: Unl88.com. Unleaded 88 is the unified brand identify for E15 – a fuel blended with 15 percent ethanol – and is approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for cars model year 2001 and newer.

“The website is designed to highlight the benefits of this biofuel blend in a clear, concise way to better communicate Unleaded 88’s engine smart and earth kind attributes,” said Growth Energy Vice President of Market Development Mike O’Brien. “Unifying the identity of E15 under Unleaded 88 provides a consistent and recognizable fuel brand and by the end of the 2018, consumers will be able to find Unleaded 88 labeled pumps at supporting retail locations across the nation, whether they’re filling up at a station in Minnesota or Pennsylvania.”

UNL88.com is an easy to navigate hub for consumers looking for more information on Unleaded 88 and its’ benefits. The website showcases the value Unleaded 88 provides – whether consumers are looking for a fuel that’s good for their engines, their wallets, or the environment – in a simple and straightforward way. Born out of a request from convenience store retailers for a unified brand identity for E15, Unleaded 88 has made its debut across the country and will be the consistent labeling at more than 80 percent of today’s E15 stations.

E15, Ethanol, Growth Energy