Ethanol Report on the Trade Front

Cindy Zimmerman

The United States is on track to export a record amount of fuel ethanol for the second year in a row in 2025, driven by growing international demand.

That demand was evident at the recent Global Ethanol Summit, hosted by the U.S. Grains and Bioproducts Council and supported by the Renewable Fuels Association, which drew more than 450 international buyers and end-users of ethanol and its co-products from more than 40 countries.

In this edition of the Ethanol Report podcast we hear from RFA’s exports expert Ed Hubbard who discusses the summit, his participation in a recent trade mission to the UK, and what the new trade deals in Southeast Asia mean for the ethanol industry.

Ethanol Report 10-30-25 17:29

The Ethanol Report is a podcast about the latest news and information in the ethanol industry that has been sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association since 2008.

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SIRE Celebrates Two Billion Gallons of Ethanol Production

Cindy Zimmerman

Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy (SIRE), based in Council Bluffs, Iowa, is celebrating production of two billion gallons of ethanol since its opening in 2009.

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper congratulated the company for the milestone. “The investors and staff at Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, along with the entire Council Bluffs community, should be proud of this remarkable achievement. Over the past 16 years, SIRE has made invaluable contributions to the economy of southwest Iowa, southeast Nebraska, and northwest Missouri, while at the same time boosting national energy security and improving the environment.”

Eric Fobes was recently appointed President and CEO of SIRE, replacing Mike Jerke who will retire at the end of 2025 after seven years of leadership. SIRE’s dry mill ethanol plant sits on 275 acres and produces 140 million gallons of ethanol each year. The company began production in February 2009 and sells its ethanol, distillers grains, corn syrup, and corn oil across the continental United States, Mexico, and the Pacific Rim.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Ethanol Impact Tool Offers Global Insights

Cindy Zimmerman

USGBC Chairman Mark Wilson (USGBC photo)

At last week’s Global Ethanol Summit in Washington D.C., the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) introduced an Ethanol Impact Tool which brings global data to life, offering insights into ethanol’s role in reducing emissions and particulate matter, supporting economies and advancing energy security.

“I am excited to share that the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council is unveiling a new interactive tool here at the Global Ethanol Summit that allows users to compare the blending economics and greenhouse gas reduction benefits of ethanol around the world,” USGBC Chairman Mark Wilson said.

“Designed to support policymakers, industry leaders and researchers alike, this tool showcases the global impact of bioethanol with real world data and the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council’s commitment to advancing sustainable energy solutions through data-driven innovation.”

More than 450 international buyers and end-users of ethanol and its co-products from more than 40 countries arrived attended the summit sponsored by USGBC with support from Growth Energy, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and BASF.

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

Southeast Asia Trade Deals Good for U.S. Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

The Trump administration this week announced a series of trade deals and frameworks with several Asian countries, some of which include new market access for ethanol as well as additional opportunities for corn and corn products, like distiller dried grain solubles. U.S. Trade Representative’s Office (USTR) announced that agreements on reciprocal trade were reached with Cambodia and Malaysia, and frameworks for similar deals were secured with Thailand and Vietnam with the goal of eliminating trade barriers to further increase U.S. producers’ competitiveness.

“This is all very good news for the nation’s corn growers,” said National Corn Growers Association President Jed Bower. “Eliminating tariffs on ethanol exports to Malaysia and Cambodia will boost demand. We are encouraged to see that the framework for Thailand included agriculture purchases of corn and DDGS. The announced framework for Vietnam is also promising, as this is already a robust market for DDGS and corn growers are well positioned to supply corn and ethanol as well.”

The today thanked President Trump and administration officials for recent trade announcements important to U.S. farmers and the ethanol producers who partner with them.

“President Trump’s trade actions in Asia this past week are evidence of his clear commitment to promoting American agriculture and renewable fuels around the world,” said Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper, noting President Trump’s work this week in Japan.

“Every day, we’re getting closer to Japan fulfilling its commitment to buy $8 billion in U.S. corn, soybeans, rice, ethanol, and other agricultural goods,” said Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins on X. “This announcement capitalizes on our earlier agreements with Japan, opens new markets, and honors the hard work of our farmers, ensuring prosperity for rural communities.”

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US Ethanol Exports on Record Pace

Cindy Zimmerman

According to a new EIA analysis, the United States is on track to export a record amount of fuel ethanol for the second year in a row in 2025, driven by growing international demand.

In the first seven months of 2025, U.S. fuel ethanol exports averaged 138,000 barrels per day (b/d)—the highest January through July average in our data, which goes back to 2010, and 9% more than 2024’s annual record of fuel ethanol exports. Growing international demand and a slight increase in production capacity are driving the high fuel ethanol exports this year.

With growing exports and flat consumption, exports are making up an increasing share of U.S. fuel ethanol production. Through the first seven months of 2025, 13% of domestic ethanol production was exported, compared with a record 12% in 2024 and a pre-pandemic high of 11% in 2018.

Growing demand in Europe has been driving the increase over the past year, with ethanol exports to the Netherlands accounting for most of the growth from 2024 through July 2025. Tracking data indicates ethanol exports have increased from the trade ports in the Netherlands, to the United Kingdom, France, and Ireland.

Other significant markets for U.S. ethanol include India, the United Kingdom, and Canada, all of which have blend mandates, with Canada remaining the top destination.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Exports

Ethanol Production and Exports Increase

Cindy Zimmerman

The latest EIA data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association shows an increase in ethanol production and exports and a decrease in stocks.

Ethanol production was up 3.5% for the week ending October 17 to a 19-week high of 1.11 million b/d, equivalent to 46.70 million gallons daily. Output was 2.9% higher than the same week last year and 5.8% above the three-year average for the week. The four-week average ethanol production rate increased 2.1% to 1.06 million b/d, equivalent to an annualized rate of 16.34 billion gallons (bg).

Meanwhile, ethanol stocks dropped over three percent to 21.9 million barrels, a 51-week low. Stocks were 1.4% less than the same week last year and 0.2% below the three-year average.

Ethanol exports jumped 20.4% higher to an estimated 130,000 b/d (5.5 million gallons/day).

Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

USTR Urged to Close Tariff Loophole for Renewable Diesel

Cindy Zimmerman

Clean Fuels Alliance America this week called on U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to close a loophole exempting diesel and renewable diesel from reciprocal tariffs under the Trump administration protocol.

“This loophole invites duty-free access to the United States for imported renewable diesel, putting U.S. biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel (“SAF”) producers – who are essential to America’s energy security and to U.S. farm security – at a competitive disadvantage,” Clean Fuels writes. “Given the ongoing imports of foreign renewable diesel and current challenges for domestic producers and farmers, we ask that you take prompt action to close this loophole.”

Clean Fuels asks that the administration modify the order and impose consistent tariffs on imported renewable diesel, and also requests that Greer seek greater global market access for U.S. farmers and biomass-based diesel producers.

Kurt Kovarik, Vice President of Federal Affairs for Clean Fuels, added, “Growing U.S. biodiesel, renewable diesel, and SAF production is one bright spot for U.S. farmers facing pressure from the global market. Domestic biomass-based diesel represents 10 percent of the value of all U.S. grown soybeans. U.S. trade policy should be consistent in supporting U.S. farmers and fuel producers.”

aviation biofuels, biofuels, Clean Fuels Alliance, renewable diesel, SAF

E15 Legislation Loses Oil Industry Support

Cindy Zimmerman

The American Petroleum Institute (API) Tuesday came out against the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025, which it had previously supported, citing “sweeping changes to federal biofuel policy, state volatility mandates, and market conditions (that) have upended the fuels landscape.”

In a letter to congressional leadership, API urged “a more balanced and up-to-date approach to E15 legislation, warning the current proposal no longer reflects today’s fuel market realities.” The letter details how recent changes to federal tax rules, EPA decisions, and state-level policy reversals have imposed new costs on refiners and disrupted the fuels marketplace.

One of the oil industry’s issues is EPA’s proposal to expand the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In a Washington Examiner op-ed last week, two refinery executives claimed that expansion “directly raises gasoline prices and threatens America’s oil refineries.”

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper refuted that assertion in his own op-ed this week, arguing that independent studies show how ethanol blending drives pump prices down by as much as 77 cents per gallon, and that claims the RFS is driving refineries out of business are “absurd.”

“What’s really at-play is competition,” said Cooper. “Refiners have historically preferred a closed system where petroleum products dominate the market. The RFS opened that system up, allowing homegrown American fuel producers to compete on a level playing field….Opponents want to pit refiners against farmers, but that’s a false choice. America’s energy future depends on both.”

Meanwhile, the future of nationwide, year-round E15 remains elusive as opposition to the bill by the oil industry may make it even more difficult pass before the end of the year.

E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA, RFS

RFA CEO Kicks Off Global Ethanol Summit

Cindy Zimmerman

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper offered the opening keynote address Monday morning at the Global Ethanol Summit in Washington, taking a look at ethanol’s future by way of its past.

“It’s a real privilege for me to start today’s program by sharing the U.S. ethanol industry’s history, our story, and our experience,” he said. “How did we get here? How did the U.S. become the world leader in ethanol production and consumption? How did ethanol evolve into a crucial driver of energy security and rural prosperity in the United States?”

Cooper emphasized how the drivers of ethanol’s incredible growth trajectory over the past four and a half decades are still vital for the decades ahead: smart public policy, innovation and continuous improvement in the industry itself, and the fact that ethanol is a product with many uses and benefits.

With regard to policy, Cooper stressed the industry’s broad, bipartisan support. “Throughout our industry’s history, we have been fortunate to have legislators—at both the state and federal level—along with presidents and governors, who have clearly understood the many benefits of renewable fuels. We’ve also been lucky to have so many highly effective advocates from our industry and strong partnerships with the nation’s leading farm organizations. … And in every case, the policies that have driven growth in ethanol production and use are policies that were explicitly designed to solve the problems and challenges facing American families across the country.”

RFA General Counsel and VP, Government Affairs Ed Hubbard emceed the Monday afternoon panels, including a discussion on Leveraging Regenerative Agriculture for Ethanol Opportunities, and will kick off Tuesday morning’s discussions featuring innovation and emerging markets, vehicle compatibility, and marine fuel.

The summit this week is bringing together top policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, and trade
stakeholders to advocate for the value of U.S. ethanol in various sectors—including on-road, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), industrial applications, clean cooking, and sustainable marine fuels (SMF).

biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

MN Retailers Urged to Apply for Infrastructure Grants

Cindy Zimmerman

The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Bio-Fuels) is urging retailers to apply for $4 million in available biofuel infrastructure grant funding from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) before the application deadline on Oct 23.

Under the AGRI Biofuels Infrastructure Grant program, applicants must have no more than 20 retail stations in Minnesota and may apply for between $5,000 and $199,000 per individual project. Applicants must commit to 35 percent of the total project costs. Program awards may be combined or stacked with Higher Blend Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) awards through the United States Department of Agriculture.

Applications are due by 4 pm on Oct 23. Retailers interested in applying for the grants or receiving assistance in navigating the application process are encouraged to contact MDA or MN Bio-Fuels.

Since the AGRI Biofuels Infrastructure Grant program began in 2021, it has provided 60 grants totaling $9.5 million. There are currently 526 stations in Minnesota that sell Unleaded 88 and as of Aug 31, 94.42 million gallons of E15 have been sold in Minnesota this year.

E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News