New Governor to Headline Nebraska Ethanol Forum

Cindy Zimmerman

Newly-elected Governor of Nebraska Jim Pillen will join the Nebraska Ethanol Board and Renewable Fuels Nebraska for the annual Ethanol: Emerging Issues Forum March 6-7 in La Vista, Nebraska.

Gov. Pillen and Dr. Venus Welch-White, senior advisor to the Agricultural Advisor of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will headline the event and discuss how Nebraska ethanol plays a role in agriculture, the economy, and sustainability. The Innovation Showcase highlights three carbon-reducing technologies and reviews the USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) project in South Dakota.

This year’s Forum also includes resources to learn about investing in decarbonization projects and infrastructure. The U.S. Department of Energy and USDA will review past, current, and future funding, while Advanced Resources International helps make economic sense of carbon marketing and shows ethanol producers how credits can stack up in their favor.

Registration and a detailed agenda are available at ethanol.nebraska.gov/events/emerging-issues-forum/. Nebraska ethanol producers, students, media, and Nebraska legislators are welcome to attend at no cost. Registration ends Feb. 26.

Ethanol, Ethanol News

RFA Offers Emergency Response ‘Train the Trainer’ Webinars

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association is hosting a series of four “train the trainer” webinars this year for emergency response professionals interested in learning how to train their colleagues and others on proper responses to emergencies involving ethanol.

With the support of safety organization TRANSCAER and the Federal Railroad Administration, professional hazmat trainer Joel Hendelman will teach individuals how to train others in ethanol emergency response tactics and procedures.

“Train the Trainer” is a pay-it-forward program; a single webinar can train a group of individuals who can then turn around and pass that information forward, equipping entire communities with the knowledge necessary to respond to any potential ethanol-related emergency. The webinar is open to all individuals interested in learning how to teach ethanol emergency response, but will be tailored toward ethanol production facility employees, ethanol safety professionals, railroad safety professionals, emergency responders, firefighters, police officers and emergency management professionals.

All webinars are scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. CST / 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. EST and the first webinar is scheduled for TODAY Thursday, February 23.

Click on the dates to register, which is required.

Thursday, April 20
Thursday, June 15
Thursday, August 29

Certificates will be awarded at the completion of the training.

In 2022, more than 1,200 attendees were trained via 37 training opportunities supported by RFA. Since its inception in 2010, RFA’s safety program has been responsible for training over 15,000 individuals and conducting nearly 400 training sessions and events. For more information on RFA’s work in this area, visit the Ethanol Emergency Response website at http://www.ethanolresponse.com, where the training programs conducted in the seminars and webinars can be seen.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA, safety

Clean Fuels’ Fenwick on ASTM International Board

Cindy Zimmerman

Clean Fuels Alliance America technical director Scott Fenwick began a three-year term on the ASTM International board of directors earlier this month. The 25-member board, which consists of leaders from companies, associations, universities, government bodies and other organizations around the world, integrates consensus standards to positively impact public health and safety.

Fenwick previously served as chairman of the ASTM International committee on petroleum products, liquid fuels and lubricants. He also serves as a member of gasoline and middle distillates working groups at the Canadian General Standards Board, and he is the U.S. Technical Advisory Group head of delegation for two petroleum groups in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Fenwick spent nearly 25 years in the fuel inspection industry before joining Clean Fuels Alliance America in 2013 where he is responsible for coordinating the original engine manufacturer (OEM) and fuel quality programs.

Biodiesel, Clean Fuels Alliance, Energy

RFA Comments on SAF Tax Credit

Cindy Zimmerman

In comments to the Department of Treasury, the Renewable Fuels Association said the use of science-based, consistent and transparent lifecycle analysis methods will be crucially important in implementing the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act.

“SAF production presents a major new market opportunity for ethanol producers, as the lifecycle carbon footprint of ethanol continues to shrink and the economics of ethanol-to-jet fuel processes continue to improve,” wrote RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “The ethanol industry sees tremendous promise and potential in the emerging market for sustainable aviation fuels. The ethanol industry has the scale and capacity to deliver the volume of feedstock to meet SAF volume targets for the decades to come.”

However, Cooper pointed out that fair and consistent lifecycle analysis (LCA) modeling must be used for all potential SAF feedstocks and production pathways. “Rules which effectively pick one technology or feedstock over another or use incomplete or outdated science could serve as a barrier to entry and keep production volumes from reaching targets,” he wrote. Cooper noted that RFA member companies have unanimously committed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner.

Click to read RFA’s comments.

aviation biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA, SAF

Iowa RFA Sounds Alarm on New CO2 Pipeline Legislation

Cindy Zimmerman

New legislation was introduced in the Iowa House this week to limit eminent domain for CO2 pipelines could impact the future of ethanol production in the state, according to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.

IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw says the legislation would create a “de facto ban” on new projects that allow Iowa ethanol producers to install carbon capture technology. “The difference between the rhetoric and reality on this bill is truly staggering,” said Shaw. “We hear about property rights, but this bill wouldn’t impact the next Dakota Access oil pipeline or Rock Island Clean Line Transmission project. We hear about safety, but this bill doesn’t apply to pipelines that carry explosive or flammable liquids while CO2 is neither. Instead, this bill singles out for destruction the single most important technology we have to keep liquid fuels like ethanol competitive with electric vehicles in the rapidly growing low carbon transportation markets. It is no surprise that anti-agriculture groups like the Sierra Club support preventing carbon capture and sequestration from going forward.”

“The bill is a veritable cornucopia of unreasonable regulations narrowly targeted at CCS technology,” continued Shaw. “For example, section three of the bill would allow just two people to effectively veto an interstate CCS project even if that project had 100 percent voluntary easements. It would only take two county supervisors to enact an ordinance, like a setback requirement that is physically impossible to meet, and then the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) would be prevented from issuing a final permit.”

IRFA does not object to the provisions in the bill that clarify and expand landowner rights that apply to all projects that come before the IUB.

“IRFA continues to urge all Iowans to unite to find a fair and equitable path forward for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects – fair and equitable to landowners, CCS projects and communities,” stated Shaw. “Further, any changes to the IUB permitting process should apply to all applicants, not just CO2 pipelines.”

Carbon, carbon capture, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Iowa RFA

2022 Minnesota E15 Sales Exceed 100 Million Gallons

Cindy Zimmerman

The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association reports that annual sales of E15 fuel in Minnesota topped 100 million gallons last year for the first time ever.

According to data from the Minnesota Department of Commerce, 105.47 million gallons of E15 were sold in 2022, 21 percent more than the previous record of 87.11 million gallons sold in 2021.

“The record E15 sales last year reported by the Minnesota Department of Commerce demonstrate that when consumers go to the pump they want a cheaper, more environmentally friendly option. E15 provides that option and we need our state and federal policymakers to double down on biofuel infrastructure investments and summertime regulatory relief so that its benefits are available to consumers year-round and at every gas station in the state,” said Brian Werner, executive director at the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association.

Meanwhile, E85 sales in Minnesota in 2022 totaled 15.38 million gallons, based on data from the Minnesota Department of Revenue, a 28 percent increase from the volume of E85 sold in the state in 2021.

E15, E85, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Pearson Fuels Opens 300th E85 Retail Site

Cindy Zimmerman

California-based Pearson Fuels, the country’s largest E85 distributor, has opened its 300th retail E85 site.

The use of E85 has dramatically increased across California recently and Pearson Fuels expects the state will set its 16th record in 17 years when the official 2022 volume data is released by the California Air Resources Board. E85 in California is typically priced at least 70% of the price of regular unleaded gasoline.

“In the current state of the economy, E85 is a no-brainer,” said Pearson Fuels Managing Partner Doug Vind. “Part of our 2022 growth came from last year’s severe gasoline price spikes which saw E85 priced nearly $3 per gallon cheaper than regular unleaded gasoline. In 2022 alone, we estimate FFV owners using E85 saved upwards of $200 million at the pump. E85 is both a buffer and a bridge to California’s aggressive clean fuel policies. Electrification of California’s vehicle fleet will take many years to successfully implement. In the meantime, there are over a million FFVs on California roads capable of using E85 today.”

More than 200 additional E85 sites are contracted to open over the next few years with Pearson Fuels. The Nebraska Corn Board, Missouri Corn and the Kansas Corn Commission have contributed grant funding, which allows the company to accelerate the growth of E85 across California.

E85, Ethanol, Ethanol News

RFA Testifies at Low Carbon, Clean Fuels Hearing

Cindy Zimmerman

The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee held a hearing Wednesday on “The Future of Low Carbon Transportation Fuels and Considerations for a National Clean Fuels Program.”

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper testified at the hearing, stressing that implementing a national clean fuel program that incorporates a market-based, technology-neutral approach will be critical to decarbonizing the U.S. transportation sector.

“While policies such as the Renewable Fuel Standard, the Inflation Reduction Act, and light-duty vehicle fuel economy and tailpipe standards will play a vital role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, other complementary solutions will also be required to truly decarbonize the sector by mid-century,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “If properly structured, a national Clean Fuel Program (sometimes called a Low Carbon Fuel Standard or Clean Fuel Standard) offers the best potential to rapidly accelerate the decarbonization of the transportation sector, while simultaneously enhancing energy security, creating jobs, and reducing tailpipe emissions of pollutants linked to poor air quality and human health challenges.”

Cooper noted that RFA member companies have committed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner and a workable pathway has been developed toward that goal. However, he says such a goal requires policies that align with it, including:

-fairness and consistency in how the carbon footprint of different fuels and vehicles is measured;
-removal of unnecessary regulatory barriers that are blocking the use of fuel blends that contain higher levels of ethanol, such as 15 percent ethanol blends (E15);
-continued investment in storage and distribution infrastructure for higher ethanol blends like E15 and flex fuels like E85;
-implementation of strong Renewable Fuel Standard volume requirements in 2023 and beyond;
-equitable incentives for the production of flex-fuel vehicles that can operate on fuels containing up to 85 percent ethanol; and
-a well-structured nationwide clean fuels policy.

Read Cooper’s written testimony and listen to his remarks below.
RFA CEO Geoff Cooper, Senate EPW hearing (4:28)

Audio, biofuels, Carbon, carbon capture, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Low Carbon Fuel Standard, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Report Shows Carbon Sequestration Vital to Iowa Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) released a new study this week that found without viable access to carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), Iowa could see 75 percent of its ethanol production migrate to states that facilitate sequestration.

The study, conducted by Decision Innovation Solutions (DIS), determined that current market and policy dynamics would results in Iowa ethanol production becoming noncompetitive with catastrophic results for Iowa ethanol producers, Iowa farmers and the Iowa economy.

The study found that without carbon sequestration, ethanol production will move out of state and by the end of the decade Iowa ethanol production could drop as much as 3.5 billion gallons per year, which would lead many plants to shut down. That would cause Iowa farmers to lose local markets for over 1 billion bushels of corn annually, depressing local corn prices and Iowa would realize an eventual decline in revenues from ethanol plants of more than $10 billion per year.

Read the study

Listen to a press conference with IRFA president Al Giese, Quad County Corn Processors; IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw, and study author David Miller, Consulting Chief Economist, Decision Innovation Solutions (DIS).
Iowa RFA Study release (23:48)

Audio, Carbon, carbon capture, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Iowa RFA

Yield10 Bioscience Offers 2023 Camelina Production Contracts

Cindy Zimmerman

a href=”http://agwired.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/y-10.png”>Yield10 Bioscience has announced its 2023 enrollment program for contract production of Camelina in targeted areas of the United States and Canada. Contracts are being offered for both spring and winter varieties of Camelina to farmers in Western Canada (Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba), and Northern U.S. states of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho and Minnesota.

In 2023, Yield10 plans to contract with growers for planting high-performing, spring and winter Camelina varieties as part of an initiative to establish pre-commercial production and offtake relationships in the biofuels market. These grower contracts currently do not require up-front costs for seed and provide a guaranteed minimum revenue per acre. Among the benefits of the program is that it allows for the product to be moved off the farm quickly following harvest. Yield10 plans to expand the planting acreage going forward by providing growers improved varieties, including introducing herbicide tolerant Camelina to enable better weed control and higher yields over time. Yield10 is currently field-testing herbicide tolerant Camelina varieties for seed scale up, regulatory approval, and commercial development for the biofuel market.

More information is available on Yield10’s Camelina Opportunities for Growers, please contact Darren Greenfield or Davis McCarthy at growers@yield10bio.com.

biofuels, Farming, feedstocks