RFA’s Bob Dinneen to Keynote IRFA Summit

Joanna Schroeder

Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Bob Dinneen will be the keynote speaker at the 8th Annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit and Trade Show hosted by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA). The event takes place January 28, 2014 at The Meadows Conference Center at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa.

RFA Bob DinneenIRFA notes that under Dinneen’s leadership for more than two decades, the RFA has been a driving force behind creating a dynamic and robust national ethanol industry. Dinneen was instrumental in enacting the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in 2005 and, two years later, in expanding the RFS to 36 billion gallons by 2022.

“As the ethanol industry faces one of its most challenging times in history, we’re fortunate to have RFA and Bob Dinneen leading the charge to preserve and advance the federal Renewable Fuel Standard,” said Rick Schwarck, IRFA President and President of Absolute Energy in St. Ansgar. “Powerful forces stand in staunch opposition to the RFS and development of next generation ethanol. Summit attendees are lucky to hear the latest RFS and ethanol insight from a top insider like Dinneen.”

The Renewable Fuels Summit and Trade Show is free and open to the public. To register and learn about sponsorship and trade show opportunities, please click here.

Biodiesel, biofuels, conferences, Ethanol, Iowa RFA, RFA

Live From EPA Hearing on RFS

John Davis

eparfa1We are live from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearing on the Renewable Fuel Standard in Arlington, Va., just across the Potomac River from the Nation’s capital!

In less than an hour, we’ll start hearing from advocates and friends of the biofuels industry, in particular, our friends from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), who have come from across the country to explain the economic and environmental fallout from the EPA’s draft proposal to lower the amount of ethanol and biodiesel to be mixed into the country’s fuel supply. They’ll also be countering Big Oil’s arguments against the RFS, so it should be a lively hearing with dozens of folks from both sides of the issue taking part.

We seem to have a good Internet connection now, so I’ll try to update you as the day’s events unfold. Check back often here at energy.agwired.com!

Biodiesel, biofuels, EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, RFA

IKEA Plugs In 3 Blink EV Charging Stations

Joanna Schroeder

IKEA has plugged-in three Blink® electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at its Dallas-area store as part of its partnership with Car Charging Group, Inc., the new owner of the Blink Network and Blink charging stations, and the largest provider of EV charging services with more than 13,430 charging points in 35 states and three countries. To charge an EV at IKEA Frisco, drivers pull into a EV_charging_stations_at_IKEA_Frisco_TX_Dallas_USA_designated parking spot, tap their Blink InCard (RFID card) to the reader below the screen, plug the charger into the EV, and then shop and eat at their leisure in the IKEA store while the vehicle is charging.

The new EV charging stations represents the 10th such project for IKEA in the U.S., with installation underway at seven other locations. In total, completion of the units currently planned will bring the total number of Blink charging stations available at IKEA locations to 55. Drivers may call Blink Customer Support (888-998-2546) to be provided with a guest code for the charging session and/or become a Blink member, which provides discounted rates at Blink stations. Information about Blink membership is also available at .

“We are thrilled at how these electric vehicle charging stations further the sustainability of IKEA Frisco, and now are available to the public,” said Robby Wierman, store manager. “We appreciate the support of CarCharging and Oncor – our partners in helping facilitate and promote the use of EVs in North Texas.”

Alternative energy, Alternative Vehicles, Electric Vehicles

Researchers Pair Loofahs & Bacteria to Make Power

John Davis

Environmental Science & TechnologyWhile the shower room favorite the loofah is known for exfoliating your skin to a radiant glow, researchers might have found a way to pair them with bacteria to turn waste into power. This article from the American Chemical Society’s journal Environmental Science & Technology says loofahs and bacteria can create a power-generating microbial fuel cell (MFC).

Shungui Zhou and colleagues note that MFCs, which harness the ability of some bacteria to convert waste into electric power, could help address both the world’s growing waste problem and its need for clean power. Current MFC devices can be expensive and complicated to make. In addition, the holes, or pores, in the cells’ electrodes are often too small for bacteria to spread out in. Recently, researchers have turned to plant materials as a low-cost alternative, but pore size has still been an issue. Loofahs, which come from the fully ripened fruit of loofah plants, are commonly used as bathing sponges. They have very large pores, yet are still inexpensive. That’s why Zhou’s team decided to investigate their potential use in MFCs.

When the scientists put nitrogen-enriched carbon nanoparticles on loofahs and loaded them with bacteria, the resulting MFC performed better than traditional MFCs. “This study introduces a promising method for the fabrication of high-performance anodes from low-cost, sustainable natural materials,” the researchers state.

So re-energize with your loofah… and just know that it might one day solve the world’s energy problems.

Waste-to-Energy

Connecticut to Host Biodiesel Forum

John Davis

CCATBiodiesel policymakers, industry experts, and manufacturers are invited to a Regional Biodiesel Industry Forum on December 16, 2013 at the Rome Ballroom on the University of Connecticut (UConn) campus in Storrs, Conn. The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) and UConn are collaborating to put together the gathering.

“Our goal is to bring together representatives from all components of the biodiesel industry,” said Joel Rinebold, Director of Energy Initiatives at CCAT. “Valuable connections will be made between various industry stakeholders to grow the industry and improve energy reliability, environmental quality, and opportunities for economic development with job creation.”

The forum will feature panel discussions on state and federal policies, markets, production, and industry issues. The luncheon will feature a case study presented by “U.S. Foods” highlighting a unique biofuel program that combines an existing food distribution network with feedstock collection.

“This event will serve as a place for all members of the biodiesel supply chain to network and grow their business,” said [Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering (CESE)] Director Michael Willig. “Our research will similarly provide new markets and opportunities for the industry.”

Future growth is a paramount concern to many production companies. Biodiesel One President Karl Radune commented, “As a producer, I am always looking for new markets, and this forum will be a great way to meet new customers.”

The forum runs all day on Dec. 16th and includes guided tours of UConn’s Biodiesel Testing Laboratory.

Registration and more information is available here.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel Voices to be Heard at EPA Hearing

John Davis

nbb-logoWe will be at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearing on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), ready to kick off in just a couple of hours in Arlington, Va., just across the river from the nation’s capital. Advocates and friends of biofuels are expected to turn out en masse, including our friends from the National Biodiesel Board, who plan to bring about two dozen representatives of the U.S. biodiesel industry to make the case that biodiesel is already an EPA-designated Advanced Biofuel produced at a commercial-scale and how the EPA’s proposal to reduce biodiesel production to 1.28 billion gallons will hurt the economy and the environment.

“This industry has been running at an annualized rate of about 2 billion gallons since July. That’s displacing 2 billion gallons of petroleum diesel,” said Anne Steckel, NBB’s vice president of federal affairs. “You can’t cut it almost in half and expect jobs and businesses to survive.”

“What’s so frustrating about the proposal is that biodiesel is an EPA-designated Advanced Biofuel that has exceeded RFS targets. It’s an RFS success story that is creating the clean-energy jobs that the Obama Administration has pushed so hard for in recent years,” Steckel added. “There is not a commercial-scale fuel on the planet that beats the environmental benefits that biodiesel delivers. By the EPA’s own calculations, biodiesel reduces greenhouse gas emission by 57 percent to 86 percent. So we will be looking for answers from the EPA and the Administration about why they are doing this. It is not consistent with the Administration’s stated policy.”

I’ll be there all day to follow the events and provide you updates, right here on Domestic Fuel.

Biodiesel, EPA, Government, NBB, RFS

Advanced Biofuels Industry is Here to Stay

Joanna Schroeder

During a press call today, Advanced Biofuels Association (ABFA) President Micheal McAdams said the EPA’s proposal would be a devastating blow to the many companies working today to fulfill the promise of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by raising capital, building manufacturing facilities and actually producing advanced biofuels that cut greenhouse gases in half compared to gasoline.

In their proposed rule, EPA announced it is considering a range of between 2 billion and 2.5 billion ethanol-equivalent gallons for advanced biofuel in 2014 and has proposed 2.2 billion gallons as the volume target. For comparison sake, 2.2 billion gallons represents a 20-percent reduction from this year’s advanced biofuel requirement of 2.75 billion gallons and a greater than 40-percent cut from the 3.75 billion gallons contemplated by the RFS statute.

AFBA Mcadams“Let me be clear,” said McAdams during the call, “that the advanced biofuels industry is here today and investing for tomorrow. Innovative companies have responded to the challenge of producing cleaner, low-carbon fuels by spending a collective $14 billion on the development of advanced and cellulosic biofuels. But EPA’s proposal will devastate that progress and chill any future investments.

Listen to Michael McAdams remarks during the press call here: Advanced Biofuels Industry is Here to Stay

McAdams noted three key points he wanted to make as the 60-day comment period begins and said he would be delivering this message in his testimony during the EPA hearing tomorrow.

Number One: EPA’s proposed RFS reductions fall disproportionately on advanced biofuels. The EPA is proposing to cut volume requirements for advanced biofuels by more than 40 percent when compared to the requirements written into the RFS statute. In contrast, EPA is proposing to reduce volume requirements for conventional biofuels by less than 10 percent. We’re left scratching our heads and wondering why EPA would deliver such a disproportionately large blow to the category of renewable fuels that reduces greenhouse gas emissions the most. It’s unfair and counterproductive to the Obama administration’s stated goal of reducing climate change.

Number Two: EPA’s Monte Carlo model will always roll snake eyes for the advanced and cellulosic biofuels industry. That’s because EPA’s proposed methodology for setting upcoming RFS targets looks backwards at the average of historical data, rather than forward to future production levels. For our evolving industry, such a policy will ensure a continuous oversupply of advanced biofuels compared to what the EPA model forecasts. This imbalance will in turn crater the value of the renewable identification numbers (or RINs) that are assigned to each ethanol-equivalent gallon of biofuel. RIN prices are instrumental to financing the development of future advanced and cellulosic biofuel facilities, and the agency cannot support the emergence of a low-carbon, innovative industry by looking through the rear-view mirror.

Number Three: EPA should set RFS standards that encourage production and consumption of all available advanced biofuels. There are no other fuels available today that deliver greater reductions in greenhouse gases than advanced biofuels. For an administration that is committed to addressing climate change, this proposal leaves low-hanging fruit still in the tree by setting consumption targets below available levels of advanced biofuels, plus carry-over RINs. As I said, ABFA takes issue with EPA’s Monte Carlo model. But even using the agency’s lowball estimate, EPA predicts up to 3.23 billion gallons of advanced biofuel will be available next year. This estimate is in line with ABFA’s conservative forecast that our industry will generate at least 3.2 billion RINs in 2013 that qualify as advanced biofuels, exceeding this year’s target by at least 500 million gallons and generating that many carry-over RINs.

advanced biofuels, Audio, EPA, RFS

Big Turnout Expected for EPA RFS Hearing

Cindy Zimmerman

A huge turnout is expected Thursday at a public hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Renewable Fuel Standard volume obligations for 2014. Literally busloads of stakeholders, both opposed to and in favor of cutting the requirements, are attending the hearing at the Hyatt in Crystal City, Virginia.

terrybIowa Governor Terry Branstad will be attending with several Iowa livestock producers, farmers and renewable fuels leaders. Branstad fears the EPA proposal could lead to another farm crisis. “I was governor during the farm crisis of the ‘80s when land values dropped 63 percent,” he said during a conference call on Wednesday. “I know what can happen when you have an agriculture depression, and we don’t want to go back and revisit that.”

Also attending the hearing will be corn farmers from a dozen other states in addition to Iowa. “It’s great to see so many people willing to leave their farms at this time of year for an important opportunity to give the EPA a piece of their mind,” said National Corn Growers Association First Vice President Chip Bowling of Maryland.

Advanced biofuels producers will be making the case that they would bear a disproportionate share of the proposed cuts. “They have proposed to cut volume requirements for advanced biofuels by more than 40 percent compared to requirements written into the statute,” said Advanced Biofuels Association President Michael McAdams. “In contrast, EPA has proposed to reduce volume requirements for conventional biofuels by less than 10 percent. We’re left scratching our head wondering why the EPA would deliver such a disproportionate large blow to the category of renewable fuels that reduces greenhouse gases the most.”

Nearly two dozen representatives of the U.S. biodiesel industry are slated to testify at the hearing, including Wayne Presby with White Mountain Biodiesel in New Hampshire, who says the proposal threatens the survival of his company. “We currently employ 20 people and have grown at an annual rate of 300 percent per year for the last two years,” he says. “We were intending to further increase our production this coming year and hire additional workers for a third shift, however, the current proposal by the EPA will halt our growth completely and may result in the closing of our business.”

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:00 am Eastern time and “end when all parties present who wish to speak have had the opportunity to do so.” Domestic Fuel reporter John Davis will be there to provide coverage here.

advanced biofuels, Biodiesel, biofuels, corn, EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, NCGA

RFS Proposal Could Devastate Rural Economy

Cindy Zimmerman

Protect the RFSRepresentatives from state government, the agriculture community, and the ethanol industry all say the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) biofuels requirements would have a negative impact on agriculture and rural economies.

During a telephone press discussion today about the proposal, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad said he was proud of his state’s leadership in biofuels production and he believes lowering the volume obligations would be detrimental for jobs and land values in rural America. “I’m concerned that this would be devastating to what has been a robust economic recovery” in the agricultural heartland of America, said Branstad. “I think the president’s made a terrible mistake caving in to Big Oil on this issue.”

american-farm-bureau-logoThe proposal has already led to lower futures prices for corn, which American Farm Bureau economist Matt Erickson says could mean 2014 will see prices below the cost of production for the first time since 2005. “Looking at USDA’s cost of production forecast, the breakeven for corn for 2014 is forecasted to be over $4 a bushel,” Erickson said, adding that if the price is lower, farmers would lose money.

Reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil was the primary objective of the RFS, but “revitalizing rural communities, boosting farm income and reducing farm program costs were also important policy objectives,” but noted Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen. “The RFS has certainly helped to do that and this proposal will reverse that policy as well.”

Listen to comments from Branstad, Erickson and Dinneen with questions from the media here: Comments on RFS Proposal Negative Impacts

Audio, corn, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Farm Bureau, RFA

Rep. Cheri Bustos Loves Ethanol

Joanna Schroeder

Representative Cheri BustosDid you know that Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL) loves ethanol? Those in attendance at Patriot Renewable Fuels roundtable and RFS rally learned this when hearing from Rep. Bustos about her support of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

A little over two weeks ago, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its proposed renewable fuel volumes for the 2014 RFS. However much to the surprise of the biofuel industry, the EPA proposed lower volumes that in 2013 and even lower volumes when taking into account what the statute outlines for growth of biofuel use. That every day, Rep. Bustos along with Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) wrote a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy expressing concern over the proposed rule.

During the roundtable, Rep. Bustos made several comments in support of biofuels including the need for more legislators to learn about biofuels from people on the ground in the industry such as she was doing during her visit with Patriot. She also noted that she liked the buttons that the dozens of attendees were wearing saying: I love ethanol. “I love ethanol too,” she said.

“I will do everything I can to keep fighting for that. I’m very happy to be here and Gene [Griffith with Patriot] has a success story that he shared with you already and the fact that there is going to be a groundbreaking for an additional $10 million biodiesel and nine new jobs, those are things we have to foster through our legislation and make sure that we’re doing everything we can to fight for ethanol. That we’re doing everything we can to fight for biofuels,” said Rep. Bustos. “It is so critical to the state of Illinois and to our country and I’ll speak very specifically to the 17th Congressional District. We have three ethanol plants, Galva, Lena and Annawan so we’re talking a major economic impact.”

Rep. Bustos is a member of the Ag Committee and she is committed to being a positive voice about biofuels in her role.

“We can’t take a step back,” stressed Rep. Bustos. “At worse we want to stay status quo but we want to make improvements. And it’s very clear on why we want to make sure we’re fighting for this.”

“We have time to fight this.”

Listen to Rep. Cheri Bustos full remarks here: Rep. Cheri Bustos Loves EthanolRead More

Audio, Biodiesel, biofuels, EPA, Ethanol, Patriot Renewable Fuels, RFS