USDA’s 2020 Prospective Plantings report estimates planted acres for corn this year at 97.0 million acres, up 8 percent or 7.29 million acres from last year. But when farmers were surveyed a month ago, coronavirus had yet to have the impact it is now having on ethanol demand and prices thanks to a drastic cut in demand for gasoline with …
Administration Will Not Appeal Tenth Circuit SRE Ruling
Biofuels stakeholders are celebrating some good news today with word that the Trump administration had made the decision not to request a rehearing of the recent unanimous ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit that the EPA had “vastly exceeded its authority in granting exemptions from 2016 and 2017 RFS requirements to three refineries.” The challenge …
Ethanol Report 3-23-20
Coronavirus is making its presence felt in the ethanol industry. Many ethanol plants are on the verge of closing as margins have become non-existent with lower gas prices and declining demand for transportation fuel nationwide. In this episode of The Ethanol Report, we hear from Renewable Fuels Association Chief Economist Scott Richman about the price and demand picture, three ethanol …
Coronavirus is Latest Threat to Ethanol Industry
The impact that coronavirus is having on the energy markets is just the latest threat to the solvency of the U.S. ethanol industry, coming on top of weather, trade disputes and small refinery waivers that hurt producers last year. In a media conference call Thursday, Renewable Fuels Association leaders discussed the impact of these hits on ethanol producers and the …
Ethanol Report 3-16-20
This episode of The Ethanol Report features an update on the 10th Circuit Court case and the Trump Administration considering an appeal, as well as how the Coronavirus is putting that on the back burner, and industrial ethanol is in demand to make hand sanitizer. The podcast features comments from from Badger State Ethanol CEO Erik Huschitt, National Corn Growers …
Ethanol Report 2-14-20
This episode of The Ethanol Report features some of the highlights of the 25th National Ethanol Conference this week in Houston, Texas. You will hear from Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) president and CEO Geoff Cooper on the industry victories of the past two months, including the 10th Circuit Court decision, which EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler admits has the potential to …
25th National Ethanol Conference
With a theme of “Focus Forward,” the 25th annual National Ethanol Conference was an historic event February 10-12 in Houston, Texas, the “energy capital of the world.” This virtual ag newsroom includes links to photos and audio content available free of charge for digital or print publication or broadcast. Photos 2020 National Ethanol Conference photo album Audio Conference preview (:55) …
Ethanol Report 1-31-20
In this episode of The Ethanol Report, we hear about a new court ruling that could be a game changer for Small Refinery Exemptions, get a preview of the 25th annual National Ethanol Conference, learn about LCFS for the Midwest, and kick off the 4th year of ethanol sponsorship of the Crappie Masters Tournament Trail. The report includes interviews with …
Ethanol Report on New Trade Deals
Two major trade deals in one week last week are giving the agriculture and ethanol industries reason to be optimistic as we move into the “Roaring ’20s.” In this episode of The Ethanol Report, we hear from Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Geoff Cooper, President Donald Trump, USDA Deputy Secretary Steve Censky, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and USDA …
USDA Under Secretary and RFA CEO at Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit
USDA Deputy Secretary Steve Censky had the pleasure of announcing the Senate passage of USMCA to the crowd at the 2020 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit Thursday in Altoona, Iowa, and also talked about the signing of the phase one trade deal with China. In addition, Censky discussed actions the Trump Administration has taken on behalf of the biofuel industry, including …
Ethanol Report on Badger State Billion Gallons
When Badger State Ethanol (BSE) began production in 2002 with a nameplate capacity of 40 million gallons per year, it would have taken them 25 years to hit a billion gallons – but they did it in 18, and with a current capacity of 85 million gallons a year they will celebrate the next billion in less than 12 years. …
Ethanol Report on 2019
No one in the ethanol industry will be sorry to see 2019 in the rear view mirror. To say it has been a rough year would be an understatement. Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Geoff Cooper says it was one of the worst years – if not the worst – the industry has seen in its relatively short history. …
RFA Reacts to EPA Final Rule
The Renewable Fuels Association today expressed disappointment in the Environmental Protection Agency’s final rule for 2020 Renewable Fuel Standard blending requirements, arguing that the rule opens the door for small refinery exemptions (SREs) to continue eroding RFS volumes and destroying demand for America’s biofuel producers and farmers. “After EPA’s overwrought abuse of the SRE program in recent years, agency officials …
Flex Fuel Jeep Wrangler Debuts in Vegas
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Kenny Hauk of Hauk Designs unveiled a new project at the 2019 SEMA Show in Las Vegas this week that highlights the benefits of higher ethanol blends in high performance vehicles – a Flex Fuel Jeep Wrangler with more than 1,000 horsepower using a high-octane, low-carbon fuel containing up to 85 percent ethanol (E85). …
Ethanol Report on Hearing Highlights
Back to back hearings on topics related to small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard brought ethanol supporters out to explain how EPA’s abuse of the waivers is hurting farmers and producers and how the new proposed rule is insufficient to fix the problem. In this edition of The Ethanol Report, we hear from some of those who testified …