The Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule and the Renewable Fuel Standard were two topics Environmental Protection Agency nominee Michael Regan addressed during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday. Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) called WOTUS the “one that everyone ought to be concerned about because that’s the number one issue.” Regan, who …
Tom Vilsack Senate Ag Confirmation Hearing
Members of the Senate Agriculture Committee Tuesday questioned former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack about his goals if confirmed to return to his old job as the new Secretary of Agriculture. (4:36) Vilsack discussed his plans for the biofuels industry in response to a question from Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). (1:37) Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) asked Vilsack how he will support …
Daugherty Water for Food Podcast – Episode 5
This episode of the Daugherty Water for Food podcast features a discussion on water law with the Nebraska Governance and Technology Center. Water regulations, and the subsidies and penalties that follow them, are not easy to change when a major weather event impacts water storage and use. As more and more weather events occur due to climate change, some advocates …
Ethanol Report 1-28-21
In this edition of the Ethanol Report, we hear from three Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) staff members about the organization’s efforts in advocacy, safety, and education. Troy Bredenkamp is RFA’s brand new Senior Vice President for Government & Public Affairs in the Washington D.C. office and he could not be coming on board at a more critical time for the …
China Starting to Buy U.S. Ethanol
Reports that China is buying U.S. ethanol again sent a positive message to the industry Tuesday that the Phase One trade agreement promises may yet be met. During an investor call, Archer Daniels Midland Co-Chief Financial Officer Ray Young said they believe China has already made commitments “in the first half of the year for U.S. ethanol equal to the …
Iowa Governor Supports Higher Biofuels Blends
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds once again addressed the annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit this week, something she has done every year as governor, as well as multiple years prior as lieutenant governor, but the first time in a virtual format. Gov. Reynolds said she was looking forward to working with the new Biden Administration to grow demand for biofuels around …
Former Sen. Daschle Comments on Split Senate
Former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle shared his thoughts on a 50-50 split Senate during an appearance on a panel at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Summit Tuesday. He offered advice from his own experience in the 107th Congress in 2001, the only other time in history there was a split Senate. “It’s going to take good chemistry, it’s going …
ZimmCast 664 – Beltwide & Biodiesel Conferences
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. In this week’s program we’ll hear interviews from the Beltwide Cotton Conferences and the National Biodiesel Conference and Expo starting with Dr. Gary Adams, National Cotton Council President and CEO, as Cindy talks with him about how the virtual Beltwide event went. Next up, I talk with Chad Stone, Renewable Energy Group VP and …
2021 Virtual National Biodiesel Conference & Expo
The 2021 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo is being held in a virtual format January 18-21 with a full agenda on-line to allow participation from anywhere. The theme of this year’s conference is “Rise” and the conference grand opening on Tuesday will focus on the Dawn of a New Era for Low-Carbon Fuels, with National Biodiesel Board (NBB) CEO Donnell …
RFA Analysis Shows How President Biden Can Cut Emissions Immediately
Now that President Biden has been sworn in, the Renewable Fuels Association has a way the new administration can immediately cut carbon emissions by 12 million metric tons. RFA recently released an analysis that shows President Biden could cut 10.7 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions simply by rejecting the 66 pending waiver requests from oil refiners who …
Ethanol Report 1-15-21
2021 is getting off to a whirlwind start for the ethanol industry. The year is barely started and the industry has already seen an unexpected Supreme Court unexpectedly taking up the Tenth Circuit Court decision from last January, heard rumors of last minute granting of small refinery waivers, and then got hit with four proposals from the outgoing EPA related …
USDA Offers Additional CFAP Aid for Some Producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide additional assistance through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), expanding eligibility for some agricultural producers and commodities as well as updating payments to accurately compensate some producers who already applied for the program. Among the announced updates: Contract producers of swine, broilers, laying hens, chicken eggs and turkeys who suffered a drop …
EPA Administrator Wheeler in Mississippi
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler was in Mississippi on Monday where he announced a $2 million dollar initiative that encourages smart and sustainable pest control in agriculture. The initiative, which is an extension of EPA’s Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP), expects to award grantees up to $200,000 to implement sustainable pest management practices that align with the …
ZimmCast 663 – AWIS Helping America Grow for 25 Years
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast, a podcast started in 2004 to focus on agricultural marketing and what is new in the world of agribusiness. Happy New Year to y’all. Here at ZimmComm we’ve been living in the virtual world of communications for almost 17 years. We started out distributing news releases with pre-recorded sound bites and interviews before jumping …
Ethanol Report – 2020 Year in Review
Like everyone else, ethanol producers will be happy to see the end of 2020 with hopeful hearts that 2021 will be a better year. In this edition of the Ethanol Report, we take a ride back through the year starting with the high hopes for a great year in January and February, into the devastating impact of COVID-19 restrictions on …