Clean Fuels Names New Director of State Governmental Affairs

Cindy Zimmerman

Clean Fuels Alliance America has announced the promotion of Jeff Earl to Director of State Governmental Affairs, following the retirement of Floyd Vergara.

Earl has been a member of the Clean Fuels team for the past two years serving as Director of State Regulatory Affairs and playing a pivotal role in shaping clean fuel policies while building strong relationships with key stakeholders in the industry. In his new role, Earl will lead the organization’s efforts in advocating for enhanced state policies and initiatives to meet the needs of a growing market for biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel.

As Director of State Governmental Affairs, Earl will oversee a team of government relations specialists while engaging with policymakers at the state level to continue developing low-carbon fuel programs and incentives that support homegrown production of clean fuels.

“I am grateful for this opportunity and look forward to continuing the distinguished work that Floyd has accomplished throughout his career,” said Earl. “Our industry is poised for great success, and I welcome the occasion to work with our members to develop policies that recognize the ingenuity of American farmers who provide our country with clean energy solutions for the hard-to-electrify sector.”

Earl holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and mass communications from Southeast Missouri State University and most recently served as legislative director for the Office of Missouri Governor.

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, Clean Fuels Alliance

Scholarships Available for National Ethanol Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association and the Renewable Fuels Foundation are once again partnering to offer scholarships for college students and young professionals interested in attending the annual National Ethanol Conference, Feb. 19-21, 2024, in San Diego.

Now in its 15th year, the program is named in honor of Robert “Bob” Sather, an educator who helped found RFA member company Ace Ethanol in Wisconsin. Sather was a past Chair of the Renewable Fuels Foundation. The aim of the Bob Sather Memorial Scholarship is to reach young adults aspiring to a career related to ethanol and open doors and present new perspectives on ethanol’s place in our world today and beyond. The program provides eligible applicants with opportunities to hear from, and engage with, top industry leaders, policymakers, and academic and technical experts.

“Over the last several years, this program has helped introduce a new generation to the ethanol industry, and we are happy to again provide this opportunity to bring students and young professionals to the country’s premier ethanol industry event,” said Delayne Johnson, chairman of the Renewable Fuels Foundation and CEO of Quad County Corn Processors. “The experiences these students receive at the NEC, both educational and networking, help them prepare for meaningful careers tied to renewable fuels, and we highly recommend this scholarship to any student studying in ethanol-related fields—along with young professionals just getting started in the industry.”

The scholarships will fully cover registration fee, hotel, and up to $500 in airfare, and interested college students are asked to submit a 500-word essay explaining how their attendance at the NEC will help them achieve future goals. They should also submit a letter of recommendation and an up-to-date resume. Members of RFA’s Young Professionals Network are also eligible for consideration and need to complete the application questions and provide a resume and letter of recommendation.
Click here for more information.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Carbon Pipeline Project Cancelled

Cindy Zimmerman

After working for more than two years on a proposed five-state carbon pipeline project, Navigator CO2 today announced it was cancelling the project due to “the unpredictable nature of the regulatory and government processes involved, particularly in South Dakota and Iowa.”

Matt Vining, CEO of Navigator CO2 remarked, “As good stewards of capital and responsible managers of people, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Heartland Greenway project. We are disappointed that we will not be able to provide services to our customers and thank them for their continued support.”

Vining continued, “I am proud that throughout this endeavor, our team maintained a collaborative, high integrity, and safety-first approach and we thank them for their tireless efforts. We also thank all the individuals, trade associations, labor organizations, landowners, and elected officials who supported us and carbon capture in the Midwest.”

It was also reported this week that Summit Carbon Solutions is delaying the start of its pipeline project by two years and is now expected to begin operations in 2026.

Carbon, carbon capture

Ethanol Summit Continues With Tours

Cindy Zimmerman

Japan delegation visits Valero Energy in Iowa

The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) Global Ethanol Summit (GES) concluded its formal meetings on Tuesday in Washington D.C., but continued on this week with nearly a dozen tours in ethanol producing states.

Those tours included:

Japan visiting Iowa;
Korea visiting Nebraska;
Latin America (LTA) visiting South Dakota;
LTA visiting Michigan;
LTA visiting Minnesota;
Mexico visiting Colorado;
Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and China visiting Missouri;
MEA visiting Ohio;
Southeast Asia (SEA) and Oceania visiting Kansas;
SEA visiting Wisconsin;
Taiwan visiting North Dakota; and
Vietnam visiting Kentucky.

The GES also included series of memorandum of understanding (MOU) signings between the Council and key ethanol stakeholders from around the world.

“Users are seeing bioethanol’s undeniable benefits and the commensurate increased consumption means there is a growing recognition of what industry leaders have always known – bioethanol is available right here, right now and it is here to stay,” said USGC President and CEO Ryan LeGrand.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, International, USGC

RFA CEO Remembering the Arab Oil Embargo

Cindy Zimmerman

Blog post by Geoff Cooper, Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO

Fifty years ago this week, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) announced an embargo on oil exports to the United States in retaliation for America’s support of Israel in the Yom Kippur War. The embargo took a devastating toll on the U.S. economy, as world oil prices quadrupled in a matter of weeks. Americans faced record high gas prices, long lines and rationing at gas stations, and—in many cases—stations that had no fuel at all. More broadly, the 1973 energy crisis was a major driver of the high inflation rates and stagnation that plagued the U.S. economy throughout the remainder of the 1970s.

Five decades later, with war again raging in Israel and global energy markets again on edge, the semicentennial anniversary of the Arab oil embargo provides an opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come in improving U.S. energy security—but also how far we still have to go to achieve true energy independence.

A few years after the Arab oil embargo was lifted, newly elected President Jimmy Carter signed legislation focused on strengthening U.S. energy security and better insulating the economy from global oil shocks. Among many other provisions, the bill included the first-ever tax incentives supporting the production and use of renewable fuels. And, thus, the seeds of today’s U.S. ethanol industry were planted.

Continue reading on the RFA Blog.

Ethanol, Oil, Opinion, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Latin American Group Tours SD Ethanol Supply Chain

Cindy Zimmerman

Latin American delegation tours Dakota Ethanol

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) and the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council, in conjunction with the U.S. Grains Council, hosted stakeholders from Costa Rica, Guatemala and Panama this week to see how U.S. ethanol is made, distributed and sold as they consider blending programs in 2024-2025.

The trade mission group visited a farm, two ethanol plants, fuel stations, a rail receiving and blending facility, and a pipeline terminal. “By coming to South Dakota and seeing the process from the corn field to the fuel pump, diverse groups of stakeholders can visualize what is possible and hopefully shorten the time it will take to implement ethanol blending programs in their countries,” said Ron Lamberty, ACE Chief Marketing Officer.

According to Federico Salcedo, U.S. Grains Council Regional Ethanol Consultant for Latin America who is helping lead the group, these technical visits to the ethanol-producing states in the U.S., such as South Dakota, are an opportunity for representatives of public and private sectors from foreign countries to learn about the ethanol value chain in the U.S.

“Being able to learn first-hand about ethanol production, processing, and marketing stages helps these delegations and countries identify the economic, social and environmental opportunities of ethanol blends,” Salcedo said. “The U.S. Grains Council is committed to showcasing the United States’ experience with other countries, such as Guatemala, Costa Rica and Panama, that are considering starting in the near future ethanol-gasoline blending programs.”

The South Dakota tour was one of 11 organized by USGC following this weeks Global Ethanol Summit in Washington D.C. Other states hosting tours included Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado, Ohio, Kansas, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Kentucky.

ACE, Ethanol, Ethanol News, USGC

Adopt GREET Bill Re-introduced in Senate

Cindy Zimmerman

Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) reintroduced the Adopt Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) Act this week, legislation that would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update its greenhouse gas modeling for all renewable fuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

Specifically, the bill would require EPA to apply the Argonne National Lab’s GREET Model to any fuel for which EPA has approved a pathway and deemed qualified for the RFS. EPA would then be required to update its modeling every five years or report to Congress to affirm its modeling is current or otherwise explain why no updates were made.

“It’s past time for the EPA to update its greenhouse gas modeling for all biofuels, which would more accurately reflect the emissions reductions achieved by ethanol, biodiesel, and sustainable aviation fuel,” said Thune. “This would not only underscore how homegrown biofuels can be a cleaner part of our energy security and environmental policy, driving value for South Dakota farmers, but also make biofuel exports more attractive to countries seeking to lower their transportation emissions.”

“It is critical that the EPA’s greenhouse gas modeling for biofuels be updated to fully reflect the newest science and technology,” said Klobuchar. “This legislation will allow us to fully recognize how ethanol, biodiesel, and sustainable aviation fuel can contribute to our emissions reduction goals while expanding and promoting the use of clean energy and rural jobs across the country.”

The legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), and Mike Rounds (R-SD). The bill is also supported by the Renewable Fuels Association, American Coalition for Ethanol, National Corn Growers Association, and the National Oilseed Processors Association.

ACE, biofuels, Carbon, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Registration Opens for 2024 National Ethanol Conference

Cindy Zimmerman

Registration is now open for the Renewable Fuels Association 29th annual National Ethanol Conference, taking place in San Diego February 19-21. The 2024 event is themed “Powered by Partnerships” to reflect the deeply collaborative and cooperative nature of the ethanol industry.

“As our industry expands into new areas of innovation, we have found ourselves working with a broader community of partners, ranging from airlines to railroads, and from automakers to oil companies,” said RFA Board Chairman Erik Huschitt, CEO of Badger State Ethanol. “And we’ve seen our bonds grow even stronger with our traditional allies like farmers and fuel retailers. We all have realized that the net-zero-carbon future we each seek can only be realized through cooperation and collaboration, and this is the perfect theme for our program in San Diego. The 2024 National Ethanol Conference is going to be a terrific opportunity for learning and networking in an atmosphere truly powered by the partnership of all those present.”

Early bird registration provides substantial discounts until Nov. 30, and RFA members enjoy additional savings. For more information and to register, visit www.NationalEthanolConference.com.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Ethanol Groups Comment on Proposed CAFE Standards

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol producers, farmers, and even the petroleum industry were united in comments opposing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s proposed new CAFE standards for Model Year 2027–2032 cars and trucks.

The Renewable Fuels Association, National Farmers Union and National Corn Growers Association filed joint comments Monday saying the proposed new fuel economy standards “greatly missed the intent” of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy program to enhance energy security that will lead to an “over-reliance on foreign critical minerals due to its myopic dependence on electric vehicles.”

The comments call on NHTSA to work with the Environmental Protection Agency to re-institute strong incentives for flex fuel vehicles that use lower-carbon, American-made ethanol. “Whether FFVs currently run on gasoline or E85, building up the portion of the fleet capable of running on E85 gives the country an additional option to address potential future oil or critical mineral crises in a way that can protect our national security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Comments from American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings said they support “technology-neutral policies which provide market participants with a host of options for compliance, because the tasks of decarbonizing the transportation sector and maximizing fuel economy are too important and complex for a one-size-fits-all solution.”

ACE’s comments discuss 1) legal problems associated with the proposal including vehicles that operate only on electricity, 2) the economic feasibility of NHTSA’s proposed rule, 3) energy security and environmental concerns about the proposal, and 4) how high-octane fuels such as higher ethanol blends should be part of the solution to achieve fuel economy standards and reduce carbon pollution from transportation emissions.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) commented that the proposed standards “amount to a de facto ban on cars and trucks using liquid fuels, which can and should be a part of the solution to reduce carbon emissions.”

API supports technology-neutral policies at the federal level that drive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions in the transportation sector, taking a holistic “all-of-the-above” approach to fuels, vehicles, and infrastructure systems.

ACE, automotive, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Grains Council Ethanol Summit This Week

Cindy Zimmerman

The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) is holding its Global Ethanol Summit (GES) this week in the Washington D.C. area for the first time since 2019.

USGC President and CEO Ryan LeGrand said there were more than 350 participants from over 40 countries. “I’m thrilled to see so many industry leaders and policymakers gathering here in the Washington area with the common goal of implementing environmental and human-health friendly bioethanol in regions around the world,” said LeGrand. “Carbon emission reduction is possible today through increased biofuel consumption, and U.S. producers have the capacity to supply that transition.”

GES is an education and trade forum that seeks to elevate bioethanol’s international visibility and ongoing successful initiatives as a viable decarbonization solution within the transportation sector. Tuesday’s program, sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), will include seven concurrent sessions covering a variety of detailed topics on biofuel uses and the latest research regarding its carbon reduction capabilities.

American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Chief Marketing Officer Ron Lamberty drove his custom Hybrid Electric Flex Fuel vehicle, affectionately known as HEFF, 1,300 miles to speak at the summit Tuesday about retailer ethanol blending economics and margin opportunities. Lamberty was asked to bring his hybrid to the summit as several countries consider implementing hybrids that run on ethanol blends.

The GES includes participants from more than 40 countries with the objective to increase global momentum for decarbonization through expanded ethanol use. The event covers a variety of ethanol topics from supply and demand to lifecycle analysis. On the ethanol infrastructure and compatibility track, Lamberty will speak on ethanol blending economics as a former fuel retailer and c-store owner himself.

The summit will conclude Tuesday with remarks from RFA president and CEO Geoff Cooper.

ACE, Ethanol, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA, USGC