ACE Heads to The Hill This Week

Cindy Zimmerman

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) is holding its 13th ACE DC Fly-in this week at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill.

As usual, ACE CEO Brian Jennings says there is plenty for them to talk about on the Hill. “On the very top of the list is E15 year round,” said Jennings in a recent interview. “So we’ll be pressing for the bipartisan legislation that’s pending.”

With the GREET update delayed by the administration, that will also be a major topic of discussion, as will legislation such as the Flex Fuel Fairness Act.

Listen to a preview with Jennings.
ACEDC 24 preview with Brian Jennings, ACE 4:52

ACE, ACE Ethanol Conference, Audio, Carbon, Ethanol

SD Paves Way for Pipeline Project

Cindy Zimmerman

Summit Carbon Solutions

The South Dakota Legislature this week gave a win to the proposed carbon pipeline projects in the state, passing a package of legislation that provides landowner protections and property tax relief to those affected, as well as preserves local zoning. The South Dakota Farm Bureau (SDFB), South Dakota Corn Growers Association, South Dakota Soybean Association, and South Dakota Ethanol Producers Association all gave their blessing to the nation’s first Landowner Bill of Rights.

“We applaud the South Dakota legislators who supported farmers, landowners, and ethanol with this compromise,” said Walt Wendland, SD Ethanol Producers Association Board President. “This legislation is pro-landowner, pro-business, pro-farmer, and pro-ethanol.”

Governor Kristi Noem has said she will sign the bill which will allow Summit Carbon Solutions to move forward with its multi-state carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) pipeline project.

Summit Carbon CEO Lee Blank called it a win-win scenario for all involved. “We appreciate the attention and engagement from so many South Dakotans, especially our partners and agricultural leaders,” said Blank. “We are excited to have a path forward that establishes best practices we are committed to following in South Dakota and across our entire project.”

Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw was pleased that both sides came together in South Dakota to find a path forward for carbon capture and sequestration projects. “It is our view that with a workable path forward in South Dakota and the regulatory process well on its way in Iowa and North Dakota, we can now see light at the end of the tunnel. Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) cuts Iowa ethanol’s carbon score by more than half,” said Shaw.

Carbon, Ethanol, Ethanol News

RFA Announces Staff Addition and Changes

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association announces Kendra Coulson will be the new marketing and membership manager to promote the association’s mission and the benefits of ethanol, membership outreach and retention efforts, and cultivating partnerships with key stakeholders.

Prior to joining RFA, Coulson served as communications and public relations manager for Navigator CO2, where she played a key role in shaping the company’s branding and communication strategies. Prior to that, she worked for Navigator Energy Services, where she managed a variety of organizational projects. Coulson holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas.

RFA is also pleased to announce promotions for two key staff members. Mary Giglio is being promoted to Vice President, Events and Initiatives. Giglio, who has worked in various capacities for RFA since 1996, oversees the annual National Ethanol Conference, RFA board meetings, other industry events, and a broad array of special initiatives and strategic programs. In her new role, she will also serve as the staff lead for the Renewable Fuels Foundation.

Robert White will now serve as Senior Vice President, Industry Relations and Market Development. In this capacity, White leads RFA’s various consumer education and marketing efforts, while also working with fuel marketers and retailers, state and federal agencies, commercial fleets, and individual consumers to increase awareness about the benefits of ethanol and encourage greater use of renewable fuels.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Carbon Reduction Panel at #NEC24

Cindy Zimmerman

Carbon reduction is the single biggest focus for the ethanol industry right now and it was top of mind at the recent National Ethanol Conference with a panel on Collaborating for Carbon Reduction.

The ultimate goal is to lower the carbon intensity of ethanol as much as possible, so every segment of the supply chain could possibly contribute. Renewable Fuels Association Vice President, Strategy and Innovation, Tad Hepner moderated the discussion with Lee Blank, Summit Carbon Solutions; Mitchell Hora, Continuum Ag; Kristine Clark, CF Industries; and Mark Heckman, EcoEngineers.

NEC24 Collaborating for Carbon Reduction panel 1:16:00

EcoEngineers works with ethanol plants, like North Dakota’s Red Trail Energy which just entered the voluntary carbon market, to do what works best for them. “Our team can perform full life cycle assessment of what takes place in the facility, in their distribution system, are they using renewable power..and then we can break it down to the farm level and how that kernel of corn flows from where it was produced all the way through to the fuel pump,” said Heckman.

Like the theme of the NEC, Heckman stressed the need for partnerships for the ethanol industry to get where it wants to go. “If you want to go fast, you go alone, but if you want to go far and solve really big problems, you go together.”

Listen to this interview from the National Ethanol Conference.
NEC24 Mark Heckman, EcoEngineers 15:52

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

Coalition Urges EPA to Reject Petition

Cindy Zimmerman

A coalition representing farmers, ethanol producers, fuel retailers and fuel distribution companies is urging the Environmental Protection Agency to reject a recent petition by CVR Energy to alter the Renewable Fuel Standard’s credit trading program, which they say would ultimately lead to higher prices for consumers.

The organizations include the Renewable Fuels Association; National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS); NATSO, Representing America’s Travel Centers and Truckstops; SIGMA: America’s Leading Fuel Marketers; and the National Farmers Union. CVR Energy petitioned EPA in December 2023 to prohibit many businesses from possessing and trading Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs).

“The existing RIN market structure, which has been in place since EPA finalized ‘RFS2’ regulations nearly 14 years ago, has worked effectively and efficiently to facilitate compliance with annual renewable volume obligations,” the organizations wrote. “Altering the structure of the RIN system would have disastrous impacts on renewable fuel producers, fuel marketers and retailers, obligated parties, and consumers in the form of higher prices at the pump. It would also significantly undermine the statutory purpose of the RFS.”

Among other reasons, the organizations argue that CVR’s petition should be denied because its “desired structure of the RIN market is contrary to the RFS’s policy objectives, untenable in practice, and legally unmoored from any objective reading of the enabling statute.”

EPA, Ethanol, NFU, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA, RFS, RINS

ND Ethanol Plant Enters Voluntary Carbon Market

Cindy Zimmerman

North Dakota’s Red Trail Energy (RTE) on Tuesday announced issuance of its carbon dioxide (CO2) removal credits on the Puro.earth Registry, making it the first ethanol production facility to generate CO2 Removal Certificates (CORCs) in the voluntary carbon market (VCM) and the largest durable carbon removal project registered to date. RTE will be offering its CORCs through its marketing arm RPMG.

RTE worked with clean energy advisory firm EcoEngineers to successfully register its project under the Puro Standard, the world’s leading crediting platform for engineered carbon removal. The carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits are generated through bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) from ethanol production in compliance with Puro’s Geologically Stored Carbon Methodology. Prior to the issuance of CORCs, RTE underwent an independent verification and successfully met all requirements of feedstock sustainability, carbon sequestration permanence and financial additionality.

RTE sequesters CO2 from the fermentation process at its ethanol plant into a permitted underground Class VI well located approximately 6,500 feet directly beneath its facility. This carbon removal will be available as CORCs to help buyers complement their emission reduction activities in pursuit of net-zero targets.

Through Puro.earth and with EcoEngineers’ guidance, RTE was issued more than 150,000 CO2 Removal Certificates from the first 14 months of BECCS operation.

Red Trail Energy CEO Jodi Johnson joined Puro.earth CEO Antti Vihavainen making the announcement Tuesday, along with EcoEngineers CEO Shashi Menon and David LaGreca, Managing Director of VCM Services at EcoEngineers. Listen to the press conference below:

Red Trail voluntary carbon market 29:51

Audio, Carbon, Ethanol, Ethanol News

New Assessment Shows Soy Carbon Footprint is Lower

Cindy Zimmerman

A new Life Cycle Assessment conducted by Sustainable Solutions Corporation (SSC) for the United Soybean Board (USB) and the National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) finds a significant reduction in the lifecycle carbon footprint for U.S. soy.

According to the assessment, there is a 22% decrease in the carbon footprint associated with U.S. production of crude soy oil, which translates into reductions in CI across the clean fuels industry, since soybean production and oil processing constitute more than 40% of the carbon intensity (CI) score for soy biodiesel.

Clean Fuels Alliance America assisted USB and NOPA in ensuring the data collected for processors in the report aligns with data specifications for GREET, so it could be easily integrated into GREET model updates.

“We look forward to working with Argonne National Laboratory through the data quality assessment process to update the GREET model to reflect the latest improvements in the industry,” said Veronica Bradley, Environmental Scientist at Clean Fuels Alliance America.

The Life Cycle Assessment of U.S. Soybeans, Soybean Meal, and Soy Oil report can be found here.

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, Clean Fuels Alliance, Soybeans, USB

Grains Council Joins NEC Trade Panel Discussion

Cindy Zimmerman

The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) took part in the recent National Ethanol Conference (NEC) in San Diego. A delegation of Council staff and industry representatives from Mexico and the Latin American and Europe, Middle East and Africa regions attended the conference and USGC Japan Director Tommy Hamamoto joined a panel on Working with World Partners: The International Outlook.

The panel looked at the growth and impact of international alliances and partnerships promoting the expansion of ethanol use for vehicles and other important uses in emerging economies.

“For the international market development of ethanol, it is very important to enhance communications with those customers to ensure matching our supply and their demand. The panel was an excellent opportunity to provide insights about what is happening in the global ethanol market. It was my honor to be able to give an idea about the Japan market on the panel,” Hamamoto said.

In addition to Hamamoto, the panel included Gerard Ostheimer, Clean Energy Ministerial Biofuture Campaign; Zoltan Szabo, Ethanol Europe; and Shrikant Rathi, Praj. Ed Hubbard, General Counsel and VP, Government Affairs for the Renewable Fuels Association moderated the panel which wrapped up the 2024 National Ethanol Conference.

Listen to their conversation.

NEC24 International trade panel 55:38

2024 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Exports, National Ethanol Conference, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA, Trade, USGC

Summit Carbon Solutions Signs Valero as Shipper

Cindy Zimmerman

Summit Carbon Solutions has signed Valero, the world’s second-largest corn ethanol producer and a leader in low-carbon transportation fuels production, to be a shipper on Summit’s pipeline.

Eight of Valero’s ethanol facilities in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and South Dakota are expected to be incorporated into Summit’s project, bringing the total to 57 ethanol production facilities across the upper Midwest, from which it intends to capture and sequester over 16 million metric tons of CO2 per year.

Summit Carbon Solutions CEO Lee Blank at 2024 National Ethanol Conference

“I view our project, as representing a meaningful shift in agriculture to lower the carbon intensity of biofuel products,” said Summit Carbon Solutions CEO Lee Blank. “It’s about practical changes that can make a real difference: improving farm profitability, increasing land values, and offering solid support to our farm families and rural communities.”

Blank was on a panel at the recent National Ethanol Conference where he had a very frank discussion with Renewable Fuels Association VP for Strategy and Innovation Tad Hepner about where the pipeline project stands right now. He said that the company has “hardened (its) attitude towards accomplishing this project” in spite of all the set backs and challenges and he admits they made some mistakes at the beginning. “To be fair, I think we deserved a little criticism early…which is the reason I think the original founders of the company decided to take a more agricultural role,” said Blank. “We have made 5800 route changes to this pipe because we do recognize now how that landowner values his acre.”

Listen to some of Blank’s comments on the panel here:
NEC24 Lee Blank, Summit Carbon Solutions, panel comments 9:50

2024 National Ethanol Conference Photo Album

Audio, aviation biofuels, Carbon, Ethanol, Ethanol News, National Ethanol Conference, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Clean Fuels Showcases What’s New at #Classic24

Cindy Zimmerman

It was over 30 years ago that soybean farmers found a new market for their product in fuel made from soybean oil that was eventually called biodiesel, but the market for that clean fuel has expanded to include new feedstocks and opportunities.

Clean Fuels Alliance America, formally known as the National Biodiesel Board, hosted a Learning Center Session at the 2024 Commodity Classic last week in Houston to discuss the rapid growth of biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel demand and coordinated growth of feedstocks, including new oilseed crops.

Panelists included Doug Whitehead, Clean Fuels COO; Greg Anderson, Nebraska Soybean Board and Clean Fuels Board Member; Courtney Lawrenson, AGP and Clean Fuels Board Member; Mike DeCamp, CEO, CoverCress Inc; Scott Hedderich, Director, Nuseed; and Alan Weber, Partner, M4.

Listen to their discussion here:
Classic24 Clean Fuels learning session 33:56

In an interview, CoverCress CEO Mike DeKamp said these kinds of alternative feedstocks are essential to meet the the capacity coming on line for renewable fuel production such as renewable diesel and SAF. “We need crops that can grow in between these fallow periods (that are) not in competition with corn or beans,” he said, admitting that it is going to take time to develop these crops. “At the end of the day, if we can’t give value to the grower, it’s not going to work.”

Classic24 Mike DeKamp, CoverCress 8:58

2024 Commodity Classic Photo Album

Audio, aviation biofuels, Biodiesel, Clean Fuels Alliance, feedstocks, renewable diesel, SAF, Sustainability