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

Saudi Arabia Buying More US DDGs

Cindy Zimmerman

Delegation from Saudia Arabia at the 2016 Export Exchange

Saudi Arabia is ramping up its purchases of the ethanol co-product distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) from the United States, according to the U.S. Grains Council.

Last month, Saudi buyers purchased 18,000 metric tons of U.S. DDGS, a relatively large amount and a dramatic increase from total sales of just 8,400 metric tons in 2014.

While the dairy and poultry sectors in Saudi Arabia are large and modern with an estimated annual compound feed demand of 6.9 million metric tons, the U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC’s) progress in persuading the Saudi industry to utilize DDGS has been limited by shipping distance and local subsidies that did not incentivize use of the product.

Now, those policies are changing, and DDGS is priced well in the market. As a result, Saudi buyers – and others in the region including in Egypt, Turkey, Morocco and Pakistan – are taking a closer look at U.S. DDGS.

Read more from USGC

Distillers Grains, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Exports, USGC

Vets in #Ethanol Industry Send Letter to Trump

Cindy Zimmerman

EKAE CEO Jeff Oestmann in American Coalition for Ethanol ad

Over 100 military veterans who work in the ethanol industry sent a letter to President Donald Trump this week urging him to include a prominent role for ethanol and the RFS in his “America First Energy Plan.”

East Kansas Agri-Energy CEO Jeff Oestmann, a Marine Corps vet, started the effort at the recent National Ethanol Conference. “After serving our country in uniform, we have chosen to work in the renewable fuels industry because it allows us to continue honoring a commitment to make America stronger and more independent,” Oestmann said in an op-ed Thursday. “Our letter thanks Mr. Trump for his stated commitment to renewable fuels, and encourages him to ensure ethanol and the RFS continue to play a key role in our nation’s energy policy moving forward.”

Read more from Morning Consult.

ACE, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA, RFS

Celebrating Minnesota Biodiesel Day

Cindy Zimmerman

March 15 was Biodiesel Day in Minnesota, proclaimed by Gov. Mark Dayton in recognition of the 15 year anniversary of Minnesota’s biodiesel mandate becoming law in 2002.

The Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA) was celebrating yesterday because they helped design that legislation which made Minnesota the first state in the nation to require 10 percent biodiesel, or B10, in diesel blends sold during the summer months. The state moves to a B20 summer blend in May 2018, which will equate to removing 201,100 vehicles from the state’s roads annually.

“It’s really encouraging to see the governor and the state of Minnesota recognizing the value and benefits of biodiesel,” said MSGA president Theresia Gillie. “Biodiesel has been a big winner for Minnesota farmers and renewable fuels, and we’re very honored to receive this proclamation.”

Minnesota got a head start on the rest of the country in celebrating biodiesel. Saturday, March 18, is National Biodiesel Day, observed annually on the birthday of Rudolph Diesel, inventor of the diesel engine.

Biodiesel, Soybeans