Biodiesel Industry Files Antidumping Petition

Cindy Zimmerman

The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) this week filed an antidumping and countervailing duty petition against Argentine and Indonesian companies that are allegedly violating trade laws with dumped and subsidized biodiesel in the U.S. market.

The petition was filed with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission on behalf of the National Biodiesel Board Fair Trade Coalition, which is made up of the National Biodiesel Board and U.S. biodiesel producers.

“The National Biodiesel Board and U.S. biodiesel industry is committed to fair trade, and we support the right of producers and workers to compete on a level playing field,” said Donnell Rehagen, National Biodiesel Board CEO. “This is a simple case where companies in Argentina and Indonesia are getting advantages that cheat U.S. trade laws and are counter to fair competition. NBB is involved because U.S. biodiesel production, which currently support more than 50,000 American jobs, is being put at risk by unfair market practices.”

Rehagen says that biodiesel imports from Argentina and Indonesia surged by 464 percent from 2014 to 2016 taking over 18 percent of the market away from U.S. manufacturers. “The resulting imbalance caused by unfair trade practices is suffocating U.S. biodiesel producers,” said Rehagen.

Based on NBB’s review, Argentine and Indonesian producers are dumping their biodiesel in the United States by selling at prices that are substantially below their costs of production.

Biodiesel, NBB

Successful ACE Fly-in

Cindy Zimmerman

The president of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) says this week’s turnout for Congressional visits on the Hill was outstanding.

“We got a really nice mix of different interests that came to support ACE and go to the Hill and talk about the benefits to not only the fuel and corn industry, but also to the fuel marketing industry and to the environment and many other positive aspects of renewable fuels.”

Alverson, who is founder of South Dakota Corn Growers and on the board of Dakota Ethanol, likes to talk about the improvements in corn ethanol’s life cycle greenhouse gas emissions over the years that have made previous modeling obsolete. “There’s been dramatic improvements on the farm in terms of fertilizer use efficiency, water use efficiency, reduced tillage, and higher yields and that’s all been positive,” he said.

Listen to my interview with Ron here: Interview with ACE president Ron Alverson, South Dakota

ACE DC 2017 Fly-in Photo Album

ACE, Audio, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Ethanol Powering Crappie Masters Boats

Chuck Zimmerman

When it comes to using ethanol blended fuel in your boat engine it is important to follow manufacturer directions and actually just properly maintain your equipment. That is advice from pro fishermen like Terry Richard here. Terry and teammate Casey Rayner will be competing in this weekend’s Crappie Masters tournament sponsored by The Renewable Fuels Association, American Ethanol, and Bass Pro Shops. It’s the Grenada Lake National Qualifier Mississippi State Championship. Terry and Casey are sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association.

In the picture you can see Terry with a 3+ pound crappie he caught on pre-fishing day here on Grenada Lake. That’s his first three pound crappie! You’ve got to believe he’s excited for competition to start.

I’ll have more information from this event as I talk with teams like this one about their use and experience with E10 gas in their boat engines.

You can find photos from Grenada, MS here: 2017 Crappie Masters Grenada Tournament

American Ethanol, biofuels, Boats, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

Ethanol Supporters on the Hill

Cindy Zimmerman

The American Coalition for Ethanol had over 70 participants for this year’s Washington D.C. fly-in, the second largest attendance in the nine years the event has been held, so many that it was difficult to get them all in a group photo. Click on the photo for a larger version.

The group included farmers, ethanol plant owners, retailers, corn grower group representatives, agribusiness, and more. Split up into teams, the group stormed the Hill yesterday and visited the offices of more than 120 members of Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Listen to comments from some of the participants here: Interviews with ACE DC Fly-in participants

ACE DC 2017 Fly-in Photo Album

ACE, Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Branstad Affirms Trump Support for #Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Eric Branstad, presidential advisor and son of Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, believes that the ethanol industry has the support of President Donald Trump.

“We’ve earned his support by first of all educating him as to how important the industry is, to Iowa, to rural America, to farmers,” said Branstad, who spoke to members of the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) meeting in Washington DC this week. “We have the support of the White House we have the support of the president.”

Branstad is a political strategist and lifelong ethanol supporter who engineered the very successful America’s Renewable Future campaign to make ethanol an issue in the presidential election. Once the Iowa caucus was over, he was selected to run the Trump campaign in Iowa, and since the inauguration Branstad has served as senior White House advisor in the Commerce Department.

In this interview, Branstad talks about his relationship with President Trump and how he thinks his father’s new job as Ambassador to China will help the ethanol industry. Interview with Eric Branstad, presidential advisor

ACE DC 2017 Fly-in Photo Album

ACE, ACE Ethanol Conference, Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News

ACE #Ethanol Supporters in DC

Cindy Zimmerman

Over 70 ethanol supporters from the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) are in Washington, D.C. this week as part of the organization’s 9th annual fly-in.

“This unique event brings together a group of advocates from all walks of life, putting a human face on the ethanol industry to communicate our policy priorities to Members of Congress and Executive Branch decision makers,” said Brian Jennings, ACE Executive Vice President. “What sets ACE and this event apart is the emphasis we place on using our most persuasive and effective spokespeople for our industry; the people whose everyday life experiences and authenticity illustrate how the decisions made in Washington, D.C. impact their businesses and communities.”

ACE members will have more than 100 meetings with lawmakers representing 35 states to convey the importance of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), bipartisan legislation to extend Reid vapor pressure (RVP) relief to E15 and higher ethanol blends (S. 517 and H.R. 1311), and the biofuels sector to a robust rural economy. Attendees will also hear from Senior White House Advisor to the Department of Commerce Eric Branstad, who played a critical role in President Trump’s successful presidential bid, serving as state director for the campaign in Iowa.

In this interview from the fly-in, Jennings talks about ACE legislative and policy priorities: Interview with Brian Jennings, ACE

ACE DC 2017 Fly-in Photo Album

ACE, Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Ethanol Celebrates National Ag Week

Cindy Zimmerman

The ethanol industry is joining in the celebrations going on around the country for National Ag Week.

Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Bob Dinneen thanked American farmers for their tremendous productivity which has resulted in a need to increase demand to keep up with supplies. “So, as we celebrate National Agriculture Day, we need to recommit ourselves to increasing demand, building the infrastructure and regulatory environment for higher level ethanol blends like E15 and E30, and removing unfair tariff and non-tariff barriers for free ethanol trade across the globe,” said Dinneen.

Members of the American Coalition for Ethanol are meeting in Washington DC starting tomorrow for their annual fly-in. Listen to a preview of that event and stay tuned for our coverage this week: Interview with Shannon Gustafson, ACE

ACE, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

New High Octane ASTM Standard is Ethanol Victory

Cindy Zimmerman

ASTM International recently published a new high-octane fuel standard which creates a broadly accepted specification for high-octane fuel that could help drive engines that utilize ethanol’s octane boost with higher blends of 25 to 40 percent.

The new standard, D8076-17, follows a year-long joint effort by the U.S. Department of Energy, engine manufacturers, ethanol industry representatives and others who contributed to the committee that developed the standard, which defines a test fuel that can be used by engine designers throughout the global auto industry, according to American Coalition for Ethanol senior vice president Ron Lamberty. “This new ASTM standard shows that we are making progress toward a future where ethanol’s value as a source of affordable octane is recognized, and it is a visible example of why it’s important that we’re involved in that group,” said Lamberty, who represented ACE as a member of the ASTM committee.

Lamberty says the efforts of the Ag-Auto-Ethanol Alliance were key to getting the standard approved. The AAE work group selected Bob McCormick of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as the technical lead to provide the evidence needed for what could be the fuel for the future. “Automakers must design their engines to operate on a common fuel that is broadly available in the marketplace, and this new specification is a crucial step toward commercialization,” McCormick said.

ACE, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Octane

Nebraska Corn Appreciates RFA’s Robert White

Cindy Zimmerman

Dennis Gengenbach, Nebraska Corn Board, presents award to RFA’s Robert White

The Nebraska Corn Board last week presented Renewable Fuels Association Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White with its 2017 Ethanol Industry Appreciation Award for his years of support. White, a Kansas native, is the first non-Nebraskan recipient.

“Mr. White leads the effort to increase the availability and consumption of ethanol through consumer education, social media and marketing,” said Dennis Gengenbach, secretary and treasurer with the Nebraska Corn Board. “He is a well-sought out technical expert for the industry on ethanol, E15, E85 and blender pumps.”

The Ethanol Industry Appreciation Award was first presented in 2007 and is given to individuals or industry partners who go above and beyond to help ethanol markets and expand demand for ethanol.

“I have the unique privilege of interacting with farmers daily, and enjoy the relationships that have developed over the years working together to expand the market for corn and ethanol,” said White, who works with petroleum marketers and retailers, state and federal agencies, commercial fleets, and individual consumers to increase awareness about the benefits of ethanol and encourage greater development and use of renewable fuels.

corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA

Celebrate Biodiesel Day

Cindy Zimmerman

There’s a reason to celebrate green both today and tomorrow – since tomorrow is National Biodiesel Day.

March 18 is the birthday of Rudolf Diesel, who invented the engine that bears his name, ran early models on peanut oil, and was an ardent believer in vegetable oil-based fuel, which is why the industry chose this day to celebrate biodiesel.

“For National Biodiesel Day, we’re highlighting the people who make this industry great. American biodiesel has infused jobs and prosperity in communities throughout the nation,” said Donnell Rehagen, National Biodiesel Board CEO. “Rudolph Diesel would be proud.”

Read a few biodiesel success stories from NBB and remember to wear your green tomorrow, too!

Biodiesel, NBB