RFA and Propel Promote E85 in California

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association held an event this week in Sacramento with Propel Fuels spotlighting the importance of the lower-carbon E85 Flex Fuel blend, which hit a record 103.5 million gallons sold in the state last year.

“Gas prices are on the rise again in California, and drivers are seeking out options at the pump that are both more affordable and better for the environment; E85 definitely checks both of those boxes,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “American-made E85 is a low-carbon, low-cost liquid fuel that is growing in popularity and availability. The fuel substantially reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to gasoline and helps insulate our nation’s fuel supply from the whims of the OPEC cartel and Russia. The record sales volume for E85 in 2022 clearly shows that, when the blend is made available and effectively promoted, FFV drivers will absolutely respond.”

Propel launched E85 in the Sacramento region in 2007 and CEO Rob Elam says it’s now the fastest-growing fuel in California. “We expect to see exponential growth as Propel expands its E85 wholesale offering across the west coast and beyond,” said Elam.

The latest Energy Information Administration update shows prices for regular gasoline averaged $4.68 per gallon in California last week, up more than $0.50 per gallon since the beginning of the year. E85 typically sells for 25 to 40 percent less in California and was priced at $2.99 per gallon Tuesday, compared to $4.69 for regular unleaded.

E85, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Couser Provides Grassroots Input to EPA

Cindy Zimmerman

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan recently appointed members for the Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee (FRRCC), including Iowa livestock producer and ethanol investor Bill Couser. Established in 2007, the FRRCC provides independent policy advice, information, and recommendations to the EPA administrator on a range of environmental issues and policies that are of importance to agriculture and rural communities.

Couser, who frequently hosts tours of his operation to promote ethanol and agriculture, considers it an important duty to be involved in decisions that might impact the industry.

“It’s our voice that we get to sit down with the ag liaison to the administration,” said Couser. “It’s a think tank and they give us topics to work on…that’s our grassroots input to the administration. That’s why I feel so confident today that we finally have a seat at the table and are not on the menu.”

The committee’s focus for the next two years will be advancing climate mitigation and adaptation strategies for U.S. agriculture with specific topics including improved quantification of low-carbon biofuels’ reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the benefits of nutrient management practices for climate and water quality.

Couser was thrilled to once again take part in the recent American Coalition for Ethanol DC Fly-in where he had the chance to meet with members of Congress and feels very optimistic for ethanol right now. Listen to an interview with him below:
ACE-DC 23 Bill Couser, Iowa (3:47)

Photos

2023 ACE DC Fly-in Photo Album

Find more audio from the ACE Fly-in here:
ACE Fly-in Virtual Newsroom

ACE, Audio, EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News

New Energy Blue Hires Davis as VP

Cindy Zimmerman

New Energy Blue announces the hiring of bioenergy veteran Kelly Davis as Vice President. Davis joins New Energy Blue after a decade as Vice President of Technical and Regulatory Affairs for the Renewable Fuels Association and she also brings three decades of biofuels experience in quality management, production, and marketing.

“We’re building our first biomass refinery here in the U.S., optimizing a process proven by a commercial operation in Denmark,” says Thomas Corle, CEO and co-founder. “Having Kelly’s counsel from this point forward will be invaluable. I’ve worked with her and witnessed the full spectrum of her abilities since the late ’90s. She knows the biofuels industry inside and out, and there’s almost nothing she can’t do.”

“I’ve never taken on an easy job,” says Davis of her move to New Energy Blue. “The irresistible challenge here is turning corn stalks into cellulosic ethanol—and doing it profitably at commercial scale. That’s the holy grail of the bioenergy business. That’s what excites me.”

Davis joins the team planning the New Energy Freedom Biomass Refinery for a site outside Mason City, Iowa. The project can keep over one million tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere every year–equivalent to taking 200,000 cars off the road, achieved in part by replacing fuels and chemicals now produced from oil and gas refining.

advanced biofuels, biofuels, Cellulosic, Ethanol, Ethanol News

First Timers at ACE Fly-in

Cindy Zimmerman

L-R: Benjamin Bremmer, IL FFA officer; Kathy and Bill Howell, and Rep. Eric Sorenson (D-IL)

This year was the first time Bill and Kathy Howell attended the American Coalition for Ethanol DC Fly-in and they welcomed the opportunity to meet with Congressional lawmakers and staff to talk about ethanol.

Howell just became manager and CEO of Adkins Energy, an ethanol and biodiesel production facility in northwest Illinois, about six months ago after a four year hiatus from the ethanol industry. “In some respects it feels like its a rebirth for biofuels,” he said. “With the carbon intensity issues and how we can get that carbon down in our gen one plants and what does the future look like as we start to talk about aviation fuels and other fuels in the future.”

One of the visits the Howells were able to make on the Hill was to freshman Congressman Eric Sorenson (D-IL) who was appointed to the agriculture committee.

Listen to an interview with the Howells.
ACE-DC 23 Bill and Kathy Howell, Adkins Energy (3:31)

2023 ACE DC Fly-in Photo Album

Find more audio from the ACE Fly-in here:
ACE Fly-in Virtual Newsroom

ACE, Biodiesel, biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Iowa Corn Supports New Engine Technology

Cindy Zimmerman

Iowa’s corn farmers are backing new technology to power heavy-duty engines with clean, renewable fuels.

Thanks to support from Iowa Corn, Chicago-based ClearFlame Engine Technologies recently raised $30 million in Series B funding to move from pilot to product in key markets. The new funding will help demonstrate how ClearFlame’s unique engine modification technology powers diesel engine platforms with renewable liquid fuels like ethanol in place of diesel fuel, helping to advance carbon and climate goals more immediately and cost efficiently.

“ClearFlame continues gaining momentum with technology that heavy-duty equipment users can deploy to more quickly and affordably meet critical ESG goals,” said BJ Johnson, ClearFlame Chief Executive Officer and company co-founder. “Federal Department of Energy funding moved us from concept to patent. Series A funding propelled us from patent to pilot. This latest investment round can accelerate us from pilot to proven product in multiple markets, starting with long-haul trucks.”

By maintaining over 85% of the original diesel engine design, the company’s patented technology can efficiently adapt to markets like long-haul trucking, agriculture, power generation and mining, offering the same power, durability and performance as today’s diesel engines while readily integrating into existing manufacturing, fueling, maintenance and repair ecosystems.

“Ethanol and other clean renewable fuels represent a critical part of our overall zero-carbon strategy,” said Johnson. “Our strategy puts these sustainable fuels to work powering diesel engines, the workhorses of our economy who also contribute significantly to transportation emissions. We look forward to continuing our long-standing partnerships as we move from pilot to product.”

Johnson and ClearFlame Chief Technology Officer and co-founder Julie Blumreiter dedicated their doctoral research at Stanford University to finding solutions to mitigate climate change and achieve carbon reduction goals by freeing heavy-duty diesel engines from their reliance on fossil fuels. Diesel fuel consumption accounts for approximately 26% of overall CO2 emissions from the U.S. transportation sector. While electric powertrains face significant barriers for heavy-duty applications, the technology ClearFlame developed can meet heavy-duty performance requirements while offering better lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions reduction than EV by nearly 61% using low-soot renewable fuels.

advanced biofuels, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News

RFA Kicks Off Ad Campaign for E15

Cindy Zimmerman

With the summer driving season less than two months away and fuel prices again on the rise, the Renewable Fuels Association this week kicked off an advertising campaign and call-to-action targeting ethanol supporters across the Midwest, as well as policymakers and insiders in Washington D.C. RFA is running radio spots and print ads in D.C. and Midwest markets, as well as digital ads across multiple geographies.

“Our message to the Biden administration is simple: Unless the White House acts quickly, American drivers will lose access to the lowest-cost, lowest-carbon fuel at the pump on June 1,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “ As we saw last summer, allowing year-round sales of E15 is an easy step the administration can take to immediately reduce gas prices for consumers. With OPEC announcing another round of production cuts and oil prices on the rise again, American families need relief at the pump and they want E15 as an option throughout the summer and every day of the year.”

Cooper points out that a Morning Consult poll conducted late last month found strong voter support for year-round E15 sales with 70 percent of poll respondents support increasing the availability of E15 to help lower fuel prices and support energy independence. Last year, allowing summertime sales of E15 saved American drivers $57 million at the pump between June 1 and September 15, an RFA analysis shows.

E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

ACE Members Happy to be Back on the Hill

Cindy Zimmerman

Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) meets with Charlie and Alex Good, Rick Schwarck, and Lisa Coffelt

This year was the 12th year that the American Coalition for Ethanol led a fly-in on Capitol Hill, but the last one was four years ago so members were very pleased to be back in person.

“Congress just opened up about a month a half ago,” said Rick Schwarck, President and CEO of Absolute Energy in St. Ansger, Iowa. “Face to face conversations are just more impactful, I believe.”

For Charlie Good and his son Alex, it was important for them to present the fuel retailer perspective in Washington D.C. right now at this critical time for E15. “I’m at about 25 percent of sales every day at E15 now,” said Good, owner of Good & Quick convenience store in Nevada, Iowa which offers ethanol blends up to E85. “We have an ethanol plant right outside of town, 80 to 90 percent of my customers are farmers, I’m from rural America. It’s huge for me.”

Listen to interviews with Schwarck and Good at the ACE Fly-in.
ACE-DC 23 Rick Schwarck, Absolute Energy (1:50)

ACE-DC 23 Charlie Good, Iowa (5:48)

Photos

2023 ACE DC Fly-in Photo Album

Find more audio from the ACE Fly-in here:
ACE Fly-in Virtual Newsroom

ACE, Audio, E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News

USDA Under Secretary Stresses Support for Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Robert Bonnie spent an hour with members of the American Coalition for Ethanol last week, answering questions on various topics and stressing the administration’s support for biofuels.

“I hope you know this administration has a strong commitment to ethanol,” Bonnie began. “There’s a lot of alignment between things that can be good for climate, and that can be good for agriculture, and that can create rural jobs, and biofuels is a perfect example of that.”

Bonnie talked about some of what USDA is doing for conservation and the climate, including Climate Smart Commodities projects and incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act. “Agricultural productivity itself is a climate strategy,” he said.

Listen to Bonnie’s conversation with ACE members here:
ACE-DC 23 Robert Bonnie, USDA (53:55)

Photos

2023 ACE DC Fly-in Photo Album

Find more audio from the ACE Fly-in here:
ACE Fly-in Virtual Newsroom

ACE, Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, USDA

Japan to Allow Access for US Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

Japan published a new biofuels policy last week that will allow the United States to capture up to 100 percent of Japan’s on-road ethanol market, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

“The new biofuels policy Japan announced today is the result of close collaboration between our two countries and it will further allow U.S. producers to meet Japan’s demand for more diverse energy sources,” said Ambassador Katherine Tai. “Ambassador Emanuel and the staff across the U.S. government deserve huge credit for working through the technical details that led to this outcome, which is just the latest sign of a strengthened partnership between our two countries.”

According to the new biofuels policy under the Sophisticated Methods of Energy Supply Structure Act, exports of U.S. ethanol could increase by over 80 million gallons annually, representing an additional $150-200 million in exports each year. We will continue working with Japan to increase its on-road ethanol demand and further align its biofuels policies with that of the United States.

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper, U.S. Grains Council President and CEO Ryan LeGrand, and Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor issued a joint statement in response:

“The U.S. ethanol community applauds the Japanese government for joining other countries in recognizing the role ethanol can play in the global effort to address climate change at the same time it takes steps to decarbonize its transportation sector. Countries around the world are recognizing that biofuels like ethanol are a simple, inexpensive and effective solution they can deploy today to help them lower their carbon emissions and meet their climate goals. We will continue to work closely with Japan and other nations to find more ways for us to collaboratively decrease carbon emissions. The U.S. ethanol industry will engage with Japan on additional ethanol consumption efforts both within the on-road and sustainable aviation sectors as the country implements its new regulation.”

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Exports, International, Renewable Fuels Association, Trade

USDA Reports Higher Corn and Soybean Acres Expected

Cindy Zimmerman

The 2023 Prospective Plantings report finds farmers expect to plant more corn and soybeans this year than last year.

According to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), producers surveyed across the United States intend to plant 92.0 million acres of corn in 2023, up 4% from last year, and 87.5 million acres of soybeans this year, up slightly from last year.

Planted acreage intentions for corn are up or unchanged in 40 of the 48 estimating states. The largest increase is expected in North Dakota, where producers intend to plant 800,000 more acres than in 2022. If realized, the planted area of corn in Arizona and Idaho will be the largest on record. Soybean acreage increases from last year of 100,000 or more are expected in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Record high acreage is expected in Illinois, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

NASS also released the quarterly Grain Stocks report to provide estimates of on-farm and off-farm stocks as of March 1. Key findings in that report include:

Corn stocks totaled 7.40 billion bushels, down 5% from the same time last year. On-farm corn stocks were up 1% from a year ago, while off-farm stocks were down 10%.
Soybeans stored totaled 1.69 billion bushels, down 13% from March 1, 2022. On-farm soybean stocks were down slightly from a year ago, while off-farm stocks were down 21%

corn, Soybeans, USDA