EPA Proposal Threatens Advanced Ethanol #FEW15

Cindy Zimmerman

few15-colemanThe executive director of the Advanced Ethanol Council believes the proposed volume obligations under the RFS would have significant ramifications for the industry if not changed before being finalized.

“What’s at stake is whether ethanol gets out of its E10 cage,” said Brooke Coleman during the general session of the Fuel Ethanol Workshop on Tuesday, challenging President Obama to make good on his promises to move renewable energy forward in this country. “President Bush signed the most progressive advanced biofuel policy in the world and President Obama, at least to this point, has been too weak-kneed to implement it,” said Coleman to applause.

Coleman says there is reason to be optimistic in the face of the bad RVO proposal since the industry still has a chance to change the final rule. “We cannot be disappointed. We can be angry and we should be engaged with the Obama administration.”

Listen to Coleman’s remarks here: AEC's Brooke Coleman remarks at FEW

2015 Fuel Ethanol Workshop Photo Album

Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by
Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by Novozymes
advanced biofuels, AEC, Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, FEW

RFA CEO Outlines Wrong Moves by EPA at #FEW15

Cindy Zimmerman

few15-dinneenFor Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen, the newest proposal for volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is just the latest in a series of wrong moves by the Environmental Protection Agency.

“There’s something desperately wrong with the EPA,” said Dinneen after outlining more than a dozen ways the agency has worked to undermine the ethanol industry and the RFS, from the use of Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) to judge the carbon footprint of biofuels, to not allowing E15 to be sold in the summer months.

Dinneen says there is a lot of talk in Washington about EPA’s “war on coal” but after the agency released both a final rule on the Waters of the United States last week and the lower volume obligations under the RFS, “they now seem to have a war on farmers.”

Listen to Dinneen’s speech here: RFA CEO Bob Dinneen comments at FEW


2015 Fuel Ethanol Workshop Photo Album

Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by
Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by Novozymes
Audio, EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, FEW, RFA, RFS, Video

Novozymes Partnering for Profitability at #FEW15

Cindy Zimmerman

few15-novozymes-kimAs the global market leader in enzyme production and a pioneer in the bioenergy business, Novozymes is uniquely positioned to partner with ethanol producers for increased profitability.

“What we really try to do is understand what are the goals of our customers,” says Kim Bertz, Senior Regional Marketing Manager for Biofuel with Novozymes. “We want to help them achieve both their short term and long term goals.”

Novozymes offers an assortment of products that first help break corn down into ethanol. “Whether they’re going for yield, or throughput, maximizing output – whatever that may look like, those are the things we really try to deliver,” said Bertz.

The Novozymes technical service group has other solutions from analyzing data, training, process optimization – all designed to help plants hit that next highest benchmark.

In this interview, Bertz also talks about the commitment Novozymes has to the biofuels industry and why they are big supporters of the FEW. Interview with Kim Bertz, Novozymes

2015 Fuel Ethanol Workshop Photo Album

Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by
Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by Novozymes
Audio, enzymes, Ethanol, Ethanol News, FEW, Novozymes

Louisiana Clean Fuels Honors Republic Services

Joanna Schroeder

Louisiana Clean Fuels has awarded its Fleet of the Year Award to Republic Services of Baton Rouge for their use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Republic’s collection company, BFI Waste Services has reduced its use of petroleum and emissions by using CNG. Louisiana Clean Fuels presented the Award at its 15th annual Clean Fuel Leader Awards Gala in Baton Rouge on Thursday evening, May 21.

“We have a responsibility to lead by example, and reduce vehicle emissions whenever possible,” said Alexander Burgess, area president of Republic Services. “We believe that we can make a meaningful difference in the communities we serve by doing our part to preserve the natural beauty of the Gulf Coast for future generations. Our employees are proud to call Louisiana home, which makes this recognition special on a personal level for every member of our team.”

Republic Services CNG truckRepublic added 42 CNG powered collection trucks and installed a new natural gas fueling station to support its expanding fleet in Baton Rouge in 2014. Republic plans to deploy 18 additional CNG powered trucks this summer. This expansion, combined with the CNG fleet already serving customers in the Shreveport area, is expected to make Republic Services’ collection company the largest natural gas fleet operator in the State of Louisiana.

“Louisiana Clean Fuels is dedicated to educating both public and private fleets on the benefits of alternative fuels as well as assisting them in their efforts to transition to cleaner burning, domestically produced alternative fuels,” said Ann Shaneyfelt, executive director of Louisiana Clean Fuels, a designated Clean Cities Coalition. “That’s exactly what Republic Services is doing in our area and nationwide. We congratulate Republic for their progress in converting their Louisiana Fleet to CNG. This year, we are proud to honor them with the Louisiana Clean Fuels ‘Fleet of the Year’ award for their successful roll out of their CNG refuse haulers at their Baton Rouge Division.”

According to Republic Services, they operate a fleet of more than 2,200 CNG vehicles and 36 natural gas fueling stations nationwide, and their CNG fleet helps to save roughly 18 million gallons of diesel fuel annually.

Alternative energy, Alternative Vehicles, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)

BioEnergy Bytes

Joanna Schroeder

  • BioEnergyBytesDF1Solenis has resolved a patent dispute with Superior Oil Company over methods for using chemical additives to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of corn oil extraction in fuel ethanol production. Under the agreement, Solenis owns all patent and patent-related intellectual property pertaining to its Dimension corn oil extraction aids and the methods for their use, and has the sole right to make, use, and offer for sale or sell its products and methods throughout the United States, including the use of variations of its patented chemical additives.
  • According to the latest U.S. Energy Storage Monitor, a quarterly report from GTM Research and the Energy Storage Association (ESA), the U.S. deployed 5.8 MW of energy storage in the first quarter of the year. That’s up 16 percent over the first quarter of 2014. Seventy-two percent of the nation’s recently deployed capacity was in front of the meter across six storage systems. The remaining 28 percent was behind the meter at residential, commercial, education, nonprofit and military sites. Behind-the-meter storage had a record first quarter and is trending upward in terms of total share of deployments. GTM Research forecasts that U.S. behind-the-meter storage sales will surpass front-of-meter storage sales by 2018.
  • Eagle LNG Partners announced it has achieved a major milestone by submitting drafts of Resource Reports 1 through 12 to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). With this submission, the project is closer to receiving the necessary permits and approvals to commence construction and operation of its planned 0.55 mtpa liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Jacksonville, Florida.
  • Plug Power Inc. has announced an expansion contract with Walmart Canada to provide 124 GenDrive fuel cells for its new High Velocity Distribution Center building in Balzac, Alberta, Canada. This expansion adds on to the fleet in operation since 2010 and brings the GenDrive total upwards of 230 units at the site.
Bioenergy Bytes

Industry Awards at #FEW15

Cindy Zimmerman

few15-octaneAwards were presented at the 2015 Fuel Ethanol Workshop on Tuesday morning, honoring those who have helped the ethanol industry move forward.

The High Octane Award was presented to Ray Defenbaugh, CEO of Big River Resources in West Burlington, Iowa. Defenbaugh serves on the board of directors for both the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth Energy. His words of encouragement for the industry after Friday’s RVO announcement from EPA are “Don’t quit, don’t stop, and do not surrender.”

few15-excellenceJohn Caupert, director of the National Corn Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) at Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville, received this year’s Award of Excellence. Caupert has more than two decades of experience in the agriculture and biofuels industries and was hired to the NCERC post in 2006.

Interestingly, both Defenbaugh and Caupert are “Salukis” – graduates of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale – and even had the same academic adviser! Congrats to both for well deserved recognition.

Presenting the awards were BBI International VP of Content Tim Protz and chairman Mike Bryan.

2015 Fuel Ethanol Workshop Photo Album

Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by
Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by Novozymes
Ethanol, Ethanol News, FEW

CHS Acquires Patriot Renewable Fuels

Joanna Schroeder

chs-logoCHS Inc. has acquired the Patriot Renewable Fuels ethanol plant from Patriot Holdings, LLC, Annawan, Ill. The Annawan, Illinoise facility produces 125 million gallons of ethanol annually, and is the second ethanol plant that CHS has purchased. In June 2014, CHS acquired the former Illinois River Energy plant at Rochelle, Ill. The facility will be rebranded as CHS and it’s 68 employees will become CHS employees.

“CHS will pursue ethanol manufacturing ownership in strategic current and new geographies that allow us to add value for our owners across our ag business and energy enterprise from inputs to value-added fuel and feed ingredients to the marketplace,” said Gary Anderson, CHS senior vice president, North America grain marketing and renewable fuels.

Gene Griffith, Patriot Holdings, LLC, chairman, president and CEO said CHS was a marketer of the plant’s DDGS (distillers dried grains with solubles) and ethanol products. “CHS is the right fit to take this business to the next level,” Griffith said. “The Patriot board of directors is confident that CHS is committed to continuing to grow the business, which bodes well for all suppliers delivering grain to the plant.”

biofuels, Ethanol

E15 Goes on Summer Vacation – Again

John Davis

Ankeny-MagRd1On the heels of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) cutting of the amount of ethanol required to be mixed into the nation’s fuel supply, the agency’s inaction on another front means 15% ethanol blended fuel is going on summer vacation again as the government forces retailers in many areas to needlessly restrict E15 sales to flex-fuel vehicles (FFV) only from June 1 through September 15.

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw calls June 1 Petroleum Monopoly Day. “Iowans want to buy E15 and retailers want to sell it, but the EPA has yet again put the power in the hands of Big Oil to restrict the option of E15,” said Shaw. “This blatant market manipulation is proof positive that we need a strong RFS to crack the petroleum monopoly.”

“EPA continues to refuse to treat E10 and E15 the same during the summer. As a result, EPA prevents consumers from purchasing a cleaner-burning, lower-cost fuel and thereby actually helps buttress the artificial ‘blend wall’ that Congress has directed them to tear down,” Shaw added. “It’s almost comical that for three and a half months a year, EPA hands the fuel market over to Big Oil resulting in higher prices, more smog forming emissions, and more carbon emissions. How does that make sense?”

EPA has refused to equalize the vapor pressure regulations for E10 and E15 during the summer driving season, running from June 1 through September 15. This allows the petroleum industry to provide Iowa wholesale suppliers and retailers with only the E10 blendstock, cutting E15 out of the market. Ironically, according to Iowa RFA, adding the extra five percent ethanol to summertime E10 actually lowers the vapor pressure and reduces evaporative and tailpipe emissions.

E15, EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, Iowa RFA

2015 FEW is Officially Underway

Cindy Zimmerman

few15-ribbonThe 31st annual Fuel Ethanol Workshop officially kicked off Monday with the ribbon cutting for the trade show after a beautiful day for the annual FEW golf outing.

Helping BBI International Vice President for Content Tim Portz with the ceremonial opening was Ron Beemiller of WB Services, sponsor for the trade show opening reception, and Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis was recruited to make some opening remarks. Naturally, those remarks centered around EPA’s proposed volume obligations under the RFS announced last Friday. “They got the first one wrong a year and a half ago, they got this one wrong,” said Buis. “We stopped the last one, we’re going to change this one.”

Watch below:


The photo album is started and we will have lots to share from FEW this week, thanks to our sponsor Novozymes.

2015 Fuel Ethanol Workshop Photo Album

Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by
Coverage of the Fuel Ethanol Conference is sponsored by Novozymes
Ethanol, Ethanol News, FEW, Novozymes, Video

ACE Launches E15 Retailer Website

Joanna Schroeder

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) has launched a new website for retailers focused on E15: www.FlexFuelForward.com. The site is designed to answer retailer-focused questions about E15, E85 and mid-level ethanol blends.

“When convenience store owners consider a new product, the information they trust most comes from people like them – other retailers who have already done what they’re thinking about doing,” said ACE’s Senior Vice President, Ron Lamberty. “Fuel marketers thinking about new fuels want to hear from another retailer that adding those choices increased gallons, and led to better customer counts and higher profits – and that’s what we’re hearing from retailers who added E15 and flex fuels.”

Flex Forward“Unfortunately, most station owners don’t know anyone who sells E15 or flex fuels, and what they think they know about higher ethanol blends is warped by fictional ethanol horror stories, written by people who have never sold a drop of either product,” Lamberty continued. “That’s why the centerpiece of the FlexFuelForward.com site is a short documentary that introduces three fuel marketers who saw through the anti-ethanol ghost stories and added E15 and flex fuels to their product mix. Their real-world results show the doom and gloom predictions have not come true, and the rewards have been higher volume, more customers, better margins, and higher profits.”

FlexFuelForward.com provides additional fuel marketer-focused information to help station owners decide to add E15 and/or flex fuels, including links to fuel, equipment and government websites that have even more detailed information. “This site is aimed at capturing the attention and answering the main questions of marketers who have not responded to the ethanol industry’s other campaigns,” explained Lamberty. “We want to address the top concerns that are keeping station owners from considering E15 or flex fuels, and from there, point them to the people or information they need to get another E15 or flex fuel location built.”

Lamberty concluded, “We can’t bring experienced E15 and flex fuel marketers with us to every trade show or retailer workshop ACE attends. So we’ve done the next best thing – we’ve brought their stories to a place where they will be available 24/7, for marketers who live and work in the 24/7 convenience store world.”

ACE, biofuels, E15, E85, Ethanol