Fuels America Launches New Ad Campaign

Cindy Zimmerman

Fuels America is launching a new seven-figure TV and digital ad campaign today urging President Obama to make a choice between the oils industry and renewable fuels for the future.

fuels-americaThe campaign depicts President Obama’s choice of who to listen to when it comes to the Renewable Fuel Standard: his own experts who have repeatedly shown that ethanol and renewable fuel is dramatically reducing carbon emissions, or the oil industry, which has spent decades covering up the science and facts on both renewable fuel and climate science.

“President Obama’s choice on the Renewable Fuel Standard is clear. He can choose to listen to Big Oil’s distortions and lies, or he can listen to his own scientists who have shown that the RFS significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions,” said Brent Erickson, Executive Vice President at BIO.

“The truth is that slashing the amount of clean, domestic renewable fuel in our motor fuel supply would dramatically increase pollution and carbon emissions, while strengthening the RFS and building on the progress of the past 10 years would help in our efforts to combat climate change,” said National Corn Growers Association president Chip Bowling, a Maryland farmer.

The 30-second TV spot and digital ads are both airing in the Beltway. The campaign follows aggressive attempts by oil industry-funded special interest groups API and Smarter Fuel Future to discredit the climate benefits of renewable fuel—and as usual, their claims are false and wholly unsupported.

Listen to Erickson and Bowling announce the new campaign here: New Fuels America campaign


Audio, BIO, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, NCGA, RFS

NBB: Survey Supports Increased Biodiesel Volumes

John Davis

nBBThe National Biodiesel Board (NBB) says a national survey shows that America should have more biodiesel in its fuel mix. In a news release by the group, NBB pointed out the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) enjoys 80 percent support by voters, something the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should keep in mind as it sits one month away from releasing a final RFS rule.

“This is just more evidence that the EPA should strengthen biodiesel volumes in the final RFS proposal,” said Anne Steckel, Vice President of Federal Affairs. “There is substantial public support and mounting data behind strong renewable fuel volumes that allow for additional growth in the program. We are hopeful the administration and EPA recognize the opportunity they have to deliver meaningful policy that will reduce carbon emissions and reduce our dependence on oil.”

Moore Information conducted an online survey of registered voters nationwide on behalf of the National Biodiesel Board. The survey showed continued support for a national renewable fuel standard to support increased biodiesel use in the U.S. After hearing a description of biodiesel and its uses 80 percent of voters in the United States support a renewable fuel standard for biodiesel and just 10 percent oppose. The remaining voters are unsure. This is up from just 70 percent support two years ago.

The survey also showed that despite drops in oil and gas prices, public support for renewable fuels has not been adversely affected. On the contrary, it appears the public is increasing its support for renewables, like cleaner burning biodiesel.

“Voters clearly support biodiesel and the RFS. The policies are working,” Steckel said. “Now is the time to build on that success.”

Biodiesel, NBB

Biodiesel Technology Makes Brewery Greener

John Davis

bdiheineken1A biodiesel technology company has teamed up with one of the world’s biggest makers of beer to open the world’s first major green brewery. This news release from BDI – BioEnergy International says the company teamed up with Brau Union Österreich, part of the international Heineken family, to open the BDI spent-grain fermentation plant that will generate energy from residual brewery materials.

As part of Heineken’s sustainability initiative “Brewing a better World”, the last milestone towards carbon neutrality was laid … with the opening of brewery Göss’ spent-grain fermentation plant.

The BDI spent-grain fermentation plant in Göss/Leoben was opened only six months after the official start of construction. In the presence of Styrian VIPs, Brau Union Österreich and BDI – BioEnergy International AG celebrated the last milestone towards achieving carbon neutrality of the Göss brewery plant.

Brau Union Österreich, part of the international Heineken family, has set itself the goal of using renewable energies throughout the entire brewing process.

In future the energy generated from the brewery’s residual materials will be used in the brewery for steam generation and excess gas will be converted into green electricity. In addition, the digestate, a by-product of the spent-grain fermentation plant, will be used as high quality fertilizer.

“With the construction of this industrial spent-grain fermentation plant, we were able, due to the optimal integration of our biogas process, to supply a convincing solution to this environmental project, and thus to help Brau Union Österreich on its way to a completely carbon-neutral plant”, says Dr. Edgar Ahn, Member of the Executive Board of BDI – BioEnergy International AG.

Biodiesel, International

Funds Help @ProtecFuel Expand Ethanol Pumps

Cindy Zimmerman

vilsack-steveWednesday was a big day for Protec Fuel as Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced funding to increase retail pumps for higher ethanol blends in 21 states through the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership.

“Now it’s finally official,” said Protec Fuel VP of Operations and Business Development Steve Walk. “The funds will be dispersed to the respective states, projects can start and they’re going to be done by the end of next year. The fuel industry is really going to change in the next 12 months.”

In Florida, where Protec is based, that means an additional 150 retail pumps offering E15 and/or E85 for motorists. Nationwide, it amounts to some 5,000 additional stations in 21 states.

Listen to my interview with Steve here: Interview with Steve Walk, Protec Fuel

USDA-Protec Fuel Biofuel Pump Funding Announcement photos

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Protec Fuel

What Ben Carson Said About Ethanol in Debate

Cindy Zimmerman

carson-debateDuring Wednesday night’s CNBC Republican presidential candidates debate, Dr. Ben Carson was asked about a comment he made to the Des Moines Register earlier this year that he would “probably be in favor” of using oil subsidies to increase pumps for ethanol blends.

The question posed by the CNBC moderator was “Isn’t that just swapping one subsidy for another?”

Carson responded by saying he was “wrong about taking the oil subsidies” and that “the best policy is to get rid of all government subsidies and get the government out of our lives.”

“All this too big to fail stuff and picking winners or losers, this is a bunch of crap,” said Carson.

Listen to Carson’s answer here: Ben Carson answers oil subsidies question

Carson said nothing about ethanol in his answer but America’s Renewable Future State Director, Eric Branstad issued a statement to clarify that ethanol does not receive government subsidies, “while the oil industry does and has for the past 102 years.”

“Iowans want a candidate who will take the time to learn about the issue, not just repeat the oil industry’s talking points,” said Branstad. “We hope that next time he comes to Iowa, Dr. Carson will actually meet with farmers so he can get a better understanding of the full issue and that he will choose to side with Iowa farmers instead of Big Oil.”

biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, politics

Iowa Biodiesel Producers Push for Tax Incentive

John Davis

IowaRFAlogoIowa biodiesel producers are pushing for a renewal of the federal $1-per-gallon biodiesel tax incentive. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) sent a letter to all members of the Iowa Congressional delegation urging them to pass a multi-year biodiesel tax incentive.

“While facing more than a century of uninterrupted subsidies for petroleum, the biodiesel tax incentive has been allowed to expire four times in six years,” stated IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw. “Now more than ever, the biodiesel community needs certainty and a level playing field in order to continue to build upon the vast energy security, economic and air quality benefits producing and using biodiesel currently provides to this country.”

The letters stated, “We urge you to do all you can to push for swift passage of a tax extenders package that includes an amendment to shift the biodiesel tax incentive to a producer’s credit, as was unanimously passed out of the Senate Finance Committee in the Tax Relief Extension Act of 2015 (S.1946) on July 21, 2015.

“The biodiesel tax incentive is a proven job creator that is critically important to the U.S. biodiesel industry, and specifically to Iowa biodiesel producers. However, the $1.00 per gallon incentive lapsed on January 1, 2015, marking the fourth time in six years that the incentive has expired—even as favorable tax incentives for petroleum have continued uninterrupted for more than a century. This has created significant disruption and uncertainty in the industry. It is imperative that Congress end this piecemeal tax policy for biodiesel by passing a long-term tax incentive that paves the way for growth.”

The entire biodiesel industry is not quite in harmony on the renewal of the tax incentive. Last week, the Advanced Biofuels Producers Association stated its opposition to an amendment by Sens. Charles Grassley and Maria Cantwell, which would extend the $1-per-gallon federal credit, but would convert the credit from one for blenders (those who make biodiesel mixtures) to one for those who produce biodiesel and renewable diesel.

Iowa is a major producer of biodiesel, with 12 biodiesel facilities able to produce nearly 315 million gallons annually.

Biodiesel, Iowa RFA, Legislation

Biodiesel Board’s Steckel Honored by Clean Cities

John Davis

asteckelA leader from the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) has been recognized by a group working in public-private partnership to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector. The Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition on Wednesday honored National Biodiesel Board Vice President Anne Steckel with its Initiative of the Year Award for her work promoting biodiesel on the local and national level.

Steckel was presented with the award at GWRCCC’s 3rd Annual Awards Luncheon at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va. The award recognizes an alternative fuels team leader who played a key role in closing a significant and complex alternative fuels challenge during the past year.

“Anne’s leadership has brought about greater sustainability to the biodiesel market as a result of her efforts in release of the new Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS),” said Ron Flowers, Executive Director for GWRCCC. “And her work with GWRCCC has gone a long way in increasing the use of biodiesel in the Washington area to over one million gallons per year.”

Steckel’s leadership and advocacy in Washington, D.C., on behalf of the biodiesel industry resulted in many important initiatives, including a comprehensive campaign demonstrating the benefits of increased biodiesel volumes under the RFS. The EPA’s latest RFS proposal would gradually raise biodiesel volumes by about 100 million gallons per year to a standard of 1.9 billion gallons in 2017. Steckel and the NBB team have vowed to continue working to strengthen biodiesel volumes in the final proposal set to be released in November…

“I want to thank Ron Flowers and the board of GWRCC for this award and for the incredible work they do to promote clean energy in the nation’s capital,” Steckel said. “We absolutely would not have made the progress we’ve made in this area without their leadership. The bottom line is we now have more fleets using biodiesel in the region and we have more mechanics trained in understanding biodiesel’s benefits. The air is cleaner as a result, and hopefully we can continue moving forward with stable federal policy that paves the way for even greater use.”

Biodiesel, NBB

USDA Announces Biofuels Infrastructure Funds

Cindy Zimmerman

vilsack-protecAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was at a Citgo station in Kissimmee, Florida today to announce a USDA partnership to increase fueling pumps for biofuels in 21 states through the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership (BIP).

The investment will nearly double the number of fueling pumps nationwide that supply renewable fuels to American motorists. “The Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership is one more example of how federal funds can be leveraged by state and private partners to deliver better and farther reaching outcomes for taxpayers,” said Vilsack.

The 21 states participating in the BIP include Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The final awards being announced today are estimated to expand infrastructure by nearly 5,000 pumps at over 1,400 fueling stations.

Vilsack was joined by representatives from Growth Energy and Florida-based Protec Fuel to make the announcement. “We’re very excited about this USDA program because we’re going to be opening up sites in other parts of Florida, as well as across the country,” said Protec Fuel VP of Operations and Business Development Steve Walk. “What this program is going to help us do is help speed up the growth” of stations offering higher ethanol blends.

Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis congratulated Protec Fuel and thanked Secretary Vilsack for his support of renewable fuels. “The Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership is helping us to further leverage industry funds to gain measurable market access in a far timelier manner than we could accomplish otherwise,” said Buis.”

Listen to remarks from Walk, Buis and Vilsack here: Secretary Vilsack announces biofuels infrastructure funding

Vilsack remarks to the media: Secretary Vilsack comments on Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership

USDA-Protec Fuel Biofuel Pump Funding Announcement photos

Audio, biofuels, E15, E85, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, Growth Energy, Protec Fuel, USDA

API Launches Another Anti-RFS Campaign

Joanna Schroeder

American Petroleum Institute’s Downstream Group Director Bob Greco told reporters this morning in a press call that they are launching another multi-faceted ad campaign targeted at the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in anticipation for Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final rules set to be announced by November 30th.

API has launched another anti-biofuels and anti-RFS campaign. The ethanol industry is fighting back.

API has launched another anti-biofuels and anti-RFS campaign. The ethanol industry is fighting back.

“Our ads focus on the negative consequences that higher ethanol mandates EPA is considering could have on consumers, including unexpected repair bills and potentially broad harm to our nation’s economy,” Greco said.

The ethanol industry has been fighting Big Oil about the RFS for years now and there is no end in sight. According to Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), Big Oil is pressuring the EPA to keep blending levels below mandates.

“Much like an uncontained oil spill which obliterates everything in its path, as we approach the deadline for the EPA to release its final RFS rule Big Oil and its congressional supporters are pulling out all the stops by completely obliterating the truth,” said Dinneen. “The blend wall narrative has been perpetuated by the petroleum industry as a way of creating fear among consumers about ethanol, while simultaneously greatly restricting their choices at the pump.

“If the blend wall is such an impenetrable barrier to increasing the amount of biofuels that can be blended with gasoline, as has been claimed by the petroleum industry, how can it explain that, according to data recently released by the Energy Information Agency, in 2013 ethanol comprised more than 10 percent of gasoline consumption in 22 states and the District of Columbia? As one would expect, the EIA data includes the Midwestern agricultural states of Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. But a number of coastal states also broke through the so-called blend wall in 2013, including Louisiana, Massachusetts, California and New Jersey. All of these states sailed past the 10 percent ethanol level, and there have certainly been no claims of ‘harmful economic effects’ coming from them. Nationally, ethanol constituted 9.75 percent of gasoline consumption in 2013, according to the EIA data — above the supposed limit of 9.7 percent supported by Big Oil.

Dinneen added that API needs to stop trying to scare consumers about biofuels in an attempt to protect their monopolistic market share. “Consumers rightly deserve to have choices at the pump and to hold onto more of their hard-earned dollars. The RFS is working. No amount of advertising by Big Oil will change that fact.”

biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, RFA, RFS

Electric Vehicle Charging Association Formed

Joanna Schroeder

Screen Shot 2015-10-28 at 11.15.21 AMWith the growth of electric vehicles across the country, several EV industry organizations have come together and launched the California-based Electric Vehicle Charging Association (EVCA). The non-profit was formed to achieve clean transportation by advancing the continued innovation in the EV charging industry. The organization has also released a new report, “The State of the Charge,” a report documenting the charging industry’s rapid growth in California and the significant economic opportunity it presents for the state. Founding members of EVCA are ABM, ChargePoint, Clean Fuel Connection, Envision Solar, EV Connect, NRG EVgo, Plugless Power, SeaWave Battery, and Volta, all of which are headquartered or maintain a significant presence in California.

“Ubiquitous charging is critical to the mass adoption of electric vehicles,” said Terry O’Day, vice president west region NRG EVgo, the nation’s largest provider of public DC fast chargers. “The charging industry is committed to making electric vehicles accessible to everyone and to improving and simplifying the charging experience.”

According to The State of the Charge, there are now more than 9,000 public and workplace charging outlets in California, and the number hits 20,000 when home chargers are factored in. California has 40 percent of the U.S. EV market with 150,000 EVs on the roads, and the number of public/workplace charging stations has grown 652 percent since 2011. The EV industry is expected to generate nearly $4.5 billion in California sales and services by 2023, in part driven by Gov. Jerry Brown’s call for 1 million zero-emission vehicles on the roads by 2020. He has also signed into law SB350 to expand EV charging.

California leads the development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, technology, and services,” noted Colleen Quinn, Vice President of Government Relations and Public Policy for ChargePoint, North America’s largest EV charging network. “The continued growth and diversity of this industry is critical to meeting California’s ambitious clean air and climate protection goals, and the EV industry supports more than 2,000 California jobs.”

During the launch announcement, speakers noted that In creating the trade association, the EV charging industry is taking an important step to help shape California’s growing EV infrastructure, advocate for policies to advance clean transportation, and serve as a resource for information and expertise. Efforts will focus on creating an environment that maintains the highest levels of innovation and creates maximum value for EV drivers.

Electric Vehicles, Electricity