Tindal Joins Advanced Biofuels USA’s Board of Directors

Carrie Muehling

Advanced Biofuels USA welcomes Chris Tindal to its board of directors. Tindal spent 40 years in the United States Navy, working in facilities management, operations, and energy management.

In 2008, Chris became the Director for Operational Energy working for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy. In this position, Chris was in charge of setting energy policy and direction for the Department of the Navy and promoting the adoption of alternative fuels and renewable energy resources. Tindal led the Great Green Fleet effort, overseeing the planning and logistics, discussing interoperability concerns with alternative fuel use by the U.S. Navy with many countries.

Tindal retired as a Captain in the Navy Reserves in 2010.

AgWired Energy

Ecuador Livestock Producers Visit MN Ethanol Plant

Cindy Zimmerman

A delegation of livestock producers from Ecuador visited the Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company (CVEC) plant in Minnesota this week to get a better understanding of dried distiller’s grains (DDGs) production.

“We were honored to welcome the delegation from Ecuador. DDGs are an important co-product in ethanol production and we produce about 120,000 tons of DDGs a year,” said Chad Friese, CEO of CVEC and board member of the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association.

The delegation, comprised of small to mid-size poultry, swine and dairy producers from five provinces in Ecuador, were on a visit organized by the U.S Grains Council and Minnesota Corn Growers Association to learn about DDGs and the possibility of using it for their respective operations. The delegation was also given an extensive briefing on ethanol production at CVEC as well as the ethanol industry in Minnesota.

“The DDGs we produce are generally used in Minnesota or shipped out to the west coast to be fed there. A small portion is exported overseas,” said Friese.

In 2016, Minnesota’s ethanol industry produced 3.5 million tons of DDGs, which was sufficient to meet the annual feed requirements of over 2.5 million beef and dairy cattle or the entire inventory of cattle and calves in Minnesota.

AgWired Animal, Distillers Grains, Ethanol, Ethanol News, livestock feed

Trade, Farm Bill & Taxes…Oh My!

Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst represented the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) at last week’s NAFB Trade Talk. As you can guess, trade, 2018 farm bill and tax reform we key issues we discussed.

When it comes to NAFTA renegotiations, Hurst said, “U.S. agriculture can see some benefits from this renegotiation. We can see changes to phytosanitary rules. We can see improvements in dairy trade with our Canadian neighbors. So, there is hope.”

Last week we had confirmation that we will not see a vote on the 2018 farm bill this year. No surprise there. State Farm Bureau’s are working on their own resolutions which will be presented at the AFBF Convention in January. Hurst said three key issues he believes will be priorities are county to county differences in ARC payments, dairy and cotton programs.

We wrapped up our chat talking taxes. Listen to my complete interview to hear that and more on infrastructure and the need for wide-spread rural broadband. Interview with Blake Hurst, Missouri Farm Bureau

2017 NAFB Convention Photos

Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by
Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by FMC
AFBF, Ag group, AgWired Animal, AgWired Energy, AgWired Precision, Audio, farm bill, Farm Bureau, Government, NAFB, Trade

Biodiesel Documentary Premieres

Cindy Zimmerman

NBB’s Jessica Robinson (second from right) poses with Hot Grease film team

Grease is the word of the day for the National Biodiesel Board, with tonight’s on-air debut of the new Discovery Impact documentary “HOT GREASE”.

NBB Director of Communications Jessica Robinson says HOT GREASE showcases what the biodiesel industry is about and the challenges it faces. “At the end of the film I felt like the audience was really rooting for biodiesel,” said Robinson, who was interviewed for the documentary and attended the premiere at the DOC NYC festival earlier this week. “The documentary crew did a great job of telling the story of an entrepreneur spirit and a blue collar workforce that joined forces to put this industry together.” Interview with Jessica Robinson, NBB

The Discovery Impact documentary HOT GREASE debuts tonight, November 16 at 9pm ET/PT on Discovery and will be available on Discovery Go and Discovery On Demand on tomorrow. In addition, the producers of the documentary will be at the 2018 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo in January to discuss how the story came to be and how their impressions of the biodiesel industry evolved as they invested nearly 18 months in making the film.

Audio, Biodiesel, NBB

RFA Refutes Ethanol Storage Tank Claims

Cindy Zimmerman

Double-wall fiberglass tanks are “compatible with 0-100 percent ethanol storage” (JPM Resources)

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is calling out the Petroleum Marketers Association of America (PMAA) for a “slew of inaccurate statements about E15 storage” in a recent letter to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY).

PMAA claims up to “95 percent of all gasoline supply outlets in the United States cannot legally store or dispense ethanol blends higher than 10 percent.” RFA was compelled to correct that and other “grossly overstated” claims by the organization which represents 8,000 independent petroleum marketers nationwide.

“Since 1990, all steel tanks and double-walled fiberglass tanks have been approved to store up to 100% ethanol,” RFA wrote to Sen. Barrasso. “Further, all double-walled fiberglass tanks and piping have been manufactured for storage of 100% ethanol since 1990 and 1988, respectively. EPA issued guidance in 2001 allowing tank manufacturers to issue letters to fuel retailers and authorities having jurisdiction stating the compatibility of their tanks with specific ethanol blends. All existing tank manufacturers have issued such letters, and today most installed tanks are compatible with E15,” RFA explained.

PMAA claims that because of the “inability of marketers to legally certify their equipment to be compatible with E15″, the Renewab le Fuel Standard (RFS) should be capped at no more than 9.7 percent for ethanol blends. “The truth is that E15 can be safely stored at the overwhelming majority of underground storage tanks and there is absolutely no reason why EPA should reduce ethanol volumes as part of the RFS,” said RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Retailers, RFA, RFS

Biodiesel Sponsors Roll Call Energy Decoded Event

Cindy Zimmerman

Roll Call Live, in partnership with CQ News, held an event in Washington D.C. this morning to provide insight into the latest developments in federal energy policy.

The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) was presenting sponsor for the “Energy Decoded” event which included a moderated discussion on the economic benefits of biodiesel and why this fuel is so important to the U.S. energy mix. The discussion featured NBB chairman Kent Engelbrecht of Archer Daniels Midland, NBB COO Doug Whitehead, and Newport Biodiesel CEO Robert Morton.

Listen to their comments here: Biodiesel Board - Energy Decoded

AgWired AgNewsWire, Audio, Biodiesel, NBB

More 2018 Vehicles Approved for 15% Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

More new vehicles are approved by manufacturers to use 15% ethanol blends (E15) – including Nissan and Infiniti – according to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA).

Nearly 90 percent of new 2018 model year (MY) vehicles are explicitly approved by the manufacturer to use 15 percent ethanol blends (E15), according to the results of RFA’s annual analysis of warranty statements and owner’s manuals, up from last year, when approximately 81 percent of MY2017 vehicles were formally approved by automakers to use E15.

For the first time, Nissan Motor Company has warrantied the use of E15 in most of its MY 2018 vehicles, joining the majority of its competitors. Together, Infiniti and Nissan represent slightly more than 9 percent of the U.S. light-duty automobile market. Language allowing the use of E15 appears in the owner’s manuals for popular Nissan models, including the Altima, Maxima, Pathfinder, Rogue, and Sentra, as well as Infiniti’s QX60, Q60, Q70, and certain Q50 models.

RFA estimates that approximately 34 percent of the estimated 235 million cars, trucks, and SUVs on the road today are clearly approved by the automaker to use E15 (including FFVs), while more than 90 percent of vehicles on the road were built in 2001 or later, meaning they are legally approved by EPA to use E15.

Read more from RFA.

E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

Discovery Channel Documentary Spotlights Biodiesel

Cindy Zimmerman

The biodiesel industry is spotlighted in a new Discovery Impact documentary “HOT GREASE” which makes its on-air debut this week, November 16 at 9:00 Eastern.

“Set in Houston, Texas in the shadow of the nation’s oil industry, HOT GREASE tells the surprising story of how the biodiesel industry is turning an ostensibly worthless raw material—spent kitchen grease—into a renewable energy source capable of fueling cars, buses and fleets of trucks throughout the country. But, powerful forces are working to stop that from happening. Featuring innovators, entrepreneurs, grease collectors and supporters like Senator Al Franken (D-MN) and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), HOT GREASE follows the battle for biodiesel’s future and its very survival.”

The film features footage from National Biodiesel Board events, as well as interviews with NBB Director of Communications Jessica Robinson; former Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Gene Gebolys, founder and CEO of World Energy.

HOT GREASE debuts tomorrow on Discovery, following its premiere at the prestigious DOC NYC festival. The film will be available on Discovery Go and Discovery On Demand on November 17.

Biodiesel, NBB

ACE Optimistic About E15 Parity

Cindy Zimmerman

Last month’s concession letter to ethanol state senators from EPA administrator Scott Pruitt is providing some hope that 15% ethanol might soon be treated the same as E10 when it comes to Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP), which would allow the fuel to be sold year round in all parts of the country.

“We believe they have the statutory authority today to extend RVP relief to E15,” said American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) executive vice president Brian Jennings during an interview at the NAFB convention. “Now we have an administrator who has an interest in the topic himself.”

Pruitt’s letter to the lawmakers concerned that EPA was looking at changing the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to the detriment of biofuels, said that the agency will “actively explore” whether it has the legal authority to approve year-round access to E15. The ethanol industry has been trying to get the rule glitch fixed since E15 was first approved for use, either by legislation or regulation. “I’m sort of at the point now that I just want it to get done,” said Jennings.

Listen to the interview with Jennings here: Interview with Brian Jennings, ACE

2017 NAFB Convention Photos

Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by
Coverage of the NAFB Convention is sponsored by FMC
ACE, Audio, E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NAFB

E15 Retailer Video Series Debuts

Cindy Zimmerman

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) has debuted the first two in a series of fuel marketer-focused videos on the flexfuelforward.com website as part of a campaign to feature real world E15 and flex fuel retailer success stories.

All episodes are hosted by ACE Senior Vice President Ron Lamberty with the first video introducing the series and some of the people who will be featured. “The Flex Fuel Forward campaign recognizes marketers trust the experience and opinions of other marketers,” Lamberty said. “Thousands of stations across the country are now selling E15 and flex fuels, and they aren’t doing it as a favor to anybody, they’re doing it because they make more money.”

The second video features Bob O’Connor, who became the first E15 and flex fuel retailer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last November when he added the fuels at one of his Jetz Convenience Centers. O’Connor accompanied a “sneak preview” of the videos at ACE’s booth at the National Association of Convenience Stores’ (NACS) trade show in Chicago last month and provided “live and in person” answers to other retailers’ E15 and flex fuel questions.


ACE, E15, E85, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Retailers