USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced plans to invest up to $500 million from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to increase the availability of domestic biofuels and give Americans additional cleaner fuel options at the pump. Joined by Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, Vilsack announced the first awardees of 59 infrastructure projects that will receive a total of …
House Energy Sub Committee Hearing on Affordable Fuels
A House Energy and Commerce Sub Committee heard testimony this week on “Driving Affordability: Preserving People’s Freedom to Buy Affordable Vehicles and Fuel” regarding several bills related to lowering emissions from transportation vehicles. National Corn Growers Association CEO Neil Caskey testified in support of several bills that would leverage the benefits of biofuels to ensure a level playing field in …
Ethanol Report on RFA Reaction to EPA Final Rule
The final 2023-2025 Renewable Fuel Standard volumes released by the Environmental Protection Agency this week mark an unfortunate step backward from the volumes that were originally proposed, according to the Renewable Fuels Association. In this edition of The Ethanol Report podcast, RFA Senior Vice President for Government & Public Affairs Troy Bredenkamp discusses the final rule from EPA, as well …
USDA Under Secretary Leads Trade Mission to Japan
USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor led a trade mission to Japan this week with representatives from 11 state departments of agriculture, numerous farm organizations, and 40 agribusinesses looking to connect with future business partners in Japan. “As one of the largest world economies, Japan is one of the top and most reliable trading partners …
Ethanol Blends Well With Summer
As summer gets underway, the Renewable Fuels Association is once again sponsoring the Ethanol Days of Summer fuel giveaway contest, and encouraging both motorists and boaters to get educated on ethanol and save money at the pump. RFA Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White says the popularity of the fuel giveaway contest has grown as the availability of higher …
Ethanol Report on New RFA Team Members
The Renewable Fuels Association recently created two new positions in the organization with the future of ethanol in mind and hired a couple of talented young experienced individuals to round out a team ready for the challenges and opportunities ahead. Tad Hepner is the organization’s new Vice President of Strategy and Innovation and Justin Schultz is RFA’s new Director of …
Ethanol Report on E15 Summer Waiver
After waiting until the very last minute, the Environmental Protection Agency issued an emergency fuel waiver to allow E15 gasoline — gasoline blended with 15% ethanol — to be sold during the summer driving season this year. A decision had to be made before April 30 so terminal operators would still be able to sell the blend after May 1. …
EPA Administrator Grilled on Summer E15
Despite repeated questioning from members of the House Agriculture Committee on the topic, EPA Administrator Michael Regan refused to say when, or if, the agency will grant emergency waivers to allow retail sales of E15 this summer. “If I give you an answer today I can guarantee you that somebody’s going to file into court and it’s going to be …
Ethanol Report on E15 in Limbo
With only weeks until the summer driving season starts, the future of E15 retail sales for the summer remains in limbo, and the clock is ticking. A plan was already in place by this time last year and at this point the only solution requires immediate action by the Biden administration. In this edition of the Ethanol Report podcast, Renewable …
ACE DC Fly-in Ready to Soar
The last time American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) members were able to meet face-to-face with lawmakers in Washington D.C. was 2019. After three years of being cancelled, ACE is pleased to be headed back to the nation’s capitol for its 12th annual Washington, DC Fly-in and Government Affairs Summit, March 29-30. Priorities for ACE advocates this year also include supporting …
Ethanol Report with More #NEC23 Highlights
The centerpiece of the 2023 National Ethanol Conference was a first-of-its-kind concept vehicle that runs on both electricity and up to 85 percent ethanol. In this edition of The Ethanol Report, Renewable Fuels Association VP of Industry Relations Robert White talks about the new Flex Fuel EV, which has already become a trade show star. We also hear from Jeff …
ZimmCast 707 – Ready for Spring
Hello and welcome to the ZimmCast. It is Commodity Classic week and I’ll be there in Orlando, FL. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of good content for a future ZimmCast. You can count on that. But I’m going to focus on a couple of different conferences in this episode. First I’m going to share an interview Cindy did with Erik …
Ethanol Report on #RFANEC 2023 Highlights
The Renewable Fuels Association 2023 National Ethanol Conference coincided with the release of EPA’s proposed rule to allow year round sales of E15 ethanol, making it a very timely event with attendance back to pre-pandemic levels. This edition of the Ethanol Report podcast includes highlights from the NEC, including remarks from RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper; Ben Hengst, EPA …
2023 National Ethanol Conference
The theme for the Renewable Fuels Association’s 2023 National Ethanol Conference is “Ready. Set. Go!,” with a distinguished slate of speakers and panels addressing a wide array of timely topics. The event is being held in Orlando February 28 to March 2. Click here for the official virtual newsroom for the National Ethanol Conference that includes links to photos and …
RFA Testifies at Low Carbon, Clean Fuels Hearing
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 …