Stand Off Over RFS and RIN Prices Continues

Cindy Zimmerman

The stalemate continues in Washington D.C. over what, if anything, should be done to lower Renewable Identification Number (RIN) prices designed to help oil refiners comply with the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Late last week, Midwest Republican senators requested a meeting with President Trump as rumors continued to circulate that the administration might take action to cap RIN prices. And members of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) are heading to the Hill this week to discuss the issue with lawmakers, including Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) who will address the group on Thursday.

Speaking to members of the National Grain and Feed Association meeting in Arizona Monday, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said he has been working with “the corn producers, the Renewable Fuels Association, all the biodiesel people about what are some creative ideas we can do to help the president resolve this issue.” Perdue added that “we have to be careful we don’t do anything to create demand destruction for ethanol.”

The National Corn Growers Association has been running a major advertising campaign in the nation’s capital with the theme “Mr. President: Don’t Cap Our Future.” The effort, which has now been underway for more than a week, targets the White House, Congress, government Departments and Agencies and politically active individuals in and around Capitol Hill.

ACE, Biodiesel, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NCGA, RFA, RFS, RINS

RFA and Paul Jr. Designing Custom Ethanol Bike

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has enlisted the talent of Paul Jr. Designs to develop a signature ethanol-powered motorcycle that will be featured on the return of AMERICAN CHOPPER to Discovery Channel this year.

After a six-year hiatus from reality TV, Paul Teutul, Jr. and his legendary team of motorcycle craftsmen are returning to Discovery Channel with the premiere of AMERICAN CHOPPER on May 27 and RFA’s signature, themed chopper that runs on ethanol will be part of the show.

“RFA has been fighting the misinformation campaign surrounding ethanol in motorcycles for years, and this is our next step,” said RFA Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White. “Partnering with Paul Jr. Designs allowed us to create a unique tool to further carry our message and ensure that the quality of the design and build is unmatched. Combined with the global brand and broadcast power of American Chopper, our message will be loud and clear.”

Discovery Channel crews will film the unveiling of RFA’s signature build on Saturday, March 24 at East Kansas Agri-Energy (EKAE), an RFA member ethanol plant in Garnett, Kan. RFA expects to draw a large crowd for the 3pm CT reveal, which is open to the public. Motorcycle parking is allowed at the EKAE plant; other vehicle parking is available at Anderson County High School with free event shuttles running 1-2:30pm CT. Attendees will be required to check-in upon arrival and are asked to not wear logos.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Motorcycle, RFA

Upcoming Ethanol Emergency Response Webinars

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and TRANSCAER® have three more ethanol safety webinars coming up this year for ethanol emergency response teams.

The “Train the Trainer” webinars are funded through a Federal Railroad Administration / TRANSCAER® grant and designed as a “pay-it-forward” program so that a single webinar can train a group of individuals, who can then turn around and pass that information forward, equipping entire communities with the knowledge necessary to respond to any potential ethanol-related emergency.

The webinar, led by national hazardous materials trainer Joel Hendelman, is open to all professional individuals above the technical level of training who are interested in learning how to teach ethanol emergency response. These professional individuals must also have an awareness level of hazardous material storage, handing and emergency response. The webinar is intended to develop instructors to lead operations-level training.

The next webinars are scheduled for March 28, May 23, and July 25 and will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET. Registration is free, but is limited to the first 100 attendees per webinar. Certificates of attendance will be awarded following the completion of the safety seminar.

For more information or to register, visit www.rfa.traincaster.com.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA, safety

REG Announces Board of Directors Changes

Cindy Zimmerman

Renewable Energy Group has announced the appointment of two new Board members to the company’s Board of Directors.

Joining the Board are Ms. Debora (Deb) Frodl, a former GE Executive and Mr. James C. (Jim) Borel, a former DuPont Executive. Both began serving on the Board effective March 14.

As a top senior executive at GE, Frodl led Ecomagination, a business strategy group focused on developing clean technology innovation that drives positive environmental and economic impact at global scale. Borel retired in 2016 from DuPont as executive vice president and a member of the company’s Office of the Chief Executive.

The company also announced that Michael Jackson has decided to retire from the Board and has submitted his resignation, effective March 14, 2018.

Biodiesel, REG

Ethanol Report for St. Patrick’s Day

Cindy Zimmerman

Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen really got his Irish up this week over EPA administrator Scott Pruitt allowing bankrupt Philadelphia Energy Solutions to get out of half its obligation under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), so he is really ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this weekend. He updates us on the latest episode in the RINs saga in this Ethanol Report.

Listen to it here: Ethanol Report for St. Patrick's Day

Watch Bob’s special St. Patrick’s Day message on the RFA Facebook page.

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Audio, EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, RFA, RFS, RINS

Hot Grease Heading to DC Environmental Film Festival

Cindy Zimmerman

The D.C. Environmental Film Festival will be airing Discovery Channel’s HOT GREASE this weekend, a documentary made with the help of the National Biodiesel Board. Following the film, the makers and stars of the film will participate in a moderated discussion.

HOT GREASE is a documentary that follows several innovators, entrepreneurs, environmentalists and grease collectors involved in biodiesel production. The Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital is the world’s premier showcase of environmentally themed films. Since 1993, their mission has been to celebrate Earth and inspire understanding and stewardship of the environment through the power of film.
Several members of NBB’s staff and leadership are featured throughout the film.

HOT GREASE was featured at the 2018 National Biodiesel Conference. Jason Lawrence with Amerigreen moderated a panel on the documentary at the #NBB18 with NBB communications manager Jessica Robinson, director/producers Jessica Wolfson and Paul Lovelace, and cinematographer Andrew Miller.

Enjoy the panel discussion here: Hot Grease documentary panel

2018 National Biodiesel Conference

Audio, Biodiesel, Biodiesel Conference, National Biodiesel Conference, NBB

Celebrate Biodiesel Day with 25 Fun Facts

Cindy Zimmerman

Rudolf Diesel would be celebrating his 160th birthday this March 18, if he were still alive, but his name lives on and the example he set of using peanut oil in the first diesel engine celebrates 25 years this year in the National Biodiesel Board (NBB).

To celebrate 160 years of Rudolf Diesel and 25 years of biodiesel, NBB has put together a slide show highlighting 25 Fantastic Facts about biodiesel.

For example, did you know?

– Willie Nelson was keynote speaker for the National Biodiesel Conference in 2006
– All OEMs producing diesel vehicles and equipment for the U.S. market support the use of at least B5 biodiesel blends
– It is the nation’s first domestically produced, commercially available advanced biofuel.
– Biodiesel is used in the Northeast as a blended product for heating oil called Bioheat®

Find out more here.

Biodiesel, NBB

Governors Urge President to Reject RFS Changes

Cindy Zimmerman

Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa and five of her Midwestern counterparts sent a letter to President Donald Trump this week thanking him for his continued support of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and urging him to reject proposals designed to weaken or waive “this key pillar of the farm economy.”

Governors Eric Holcomb of Indiana, Jeff Colyer of Kansas, Eric Greitens of Missouri, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska and Dennis Daugaard of South Dakota, signed on to the letter which asks the president to reject, in particular, any “RIN cap” or waiver credit proposal, as put forth by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

The governors note that “adopting Senator Cruz’s RFS waiver credit proposal would have the same real-world effect as reducing RFS levels during an annual rule-making.”
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Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFS, RINS

XCELIS™ is DuPont’s Fuel Ethanol Platform

Cindy Zimmerman

DuPont gave its new XCELIS™ fuel ethanol platform a colorful debut at the National Ethanol Conference last month in San Antonio, with a rainbow of pastel colored arches along the walkway to the meeting area.

“XCELIS is really the way we’re approaching the fuel alcohol market globally now as DuPont,” says Judy Underwood, DuPont Global Marketing Lead. “It’s a new approach pulling together all of the tools and technologies that we have access to and bringing them to this market.”

XCELIS is a partner-based approach tailored to each customer’s unique needs and Underwood says they unveiled XCELIS at the NEC because they know a lot of producers attend that event. “A lot of folks are invested and involved in the RFA,” she said.

Learn more about XCELIS in this interview. Interview with Judy Underwood, DuPont XCELIS

2018 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

Audio, Dupont, enzymes, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, RFA

Cornyn Says He’s Trying to Find “Consensus” on RINs Issue

Cindy Zimmerman

Texas’ other senator claims he is “working hard to try and find some consensus” on the issue of Renewable Identification Number (RIN) prices, but Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has pretty much the same attitude that Sen. Ted Cruz has when it comes to ethanol.

“I’ve been working on a bi-partisan basis with allies in the Senate to see if we can come up with something that will address the concerns of the corn state senators and senators like me who come from oil and gas states who are concerned that this is an unsustainable mandate,” said Cornyn in a phone interview this week with All Ag News. “This is a very delicate negotiation and we are trying to address the needs of all the stakeholders in a way that will be successful and return the fuel supply to a market-based demand economy and not one involving government mandates.”

Listen here: Sen. John Cornyn comment

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, RFS, RINS