Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., on March 3 filed an amendment to the American Energy Innovation Act that aims to cap RIN prices. On the same day, he led a letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler urging the agency to continue to issue SREs.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue briefed the U.S. House Agriculture Committee on the state of the rural economy on March 4, and during the discussion spoke briefly about how USDA is supporting the country's ethanol industry.
U.S. weekly ending stocks of fuel ethanol set a new record at 24.964 million barrels the week ending Feb. 28, breaking the previous record set only two weeks earlier, according to data released by the U.S. EIA on March 4.
The UDSA recently made two important announcements related to ethanol that will have a positive impact on the future of the industry. The moves will both help drive demand for biofuels and assist retailers in delivering higher ethanol blends.
Pacific Ethanol Inc. announced on March 3 that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its 74 percent ownership interest in Pacific Aurora LLC to the Aurora Cooperative Elevator Co., which currently owns 26 percent of the facility.
Legislation recently introduced in Minnesota aims to increase the minimum biofuel content in gasoline sold within the state to 15 percent. If signed into law, the bill would make Minnesota the first state to require the use of E15.
Open-source software analyzes economics of biofuels, bioproducts
By University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment
March 02, 2020
BioSTEAM, a new open-source simulation software developed by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is a fast, flexible tool to analyze the economics of producing different biofuels and bioproducts.
A group of 13 senators that represent states with oil production and oil refining interests sent a letter to President Trump on Feb. 27 asking him to appeal a recent court ruling that will make it more difficult for refineries to qualify for a SREs.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue issued a memo on Feb. 28 directing the USDA to acquire alternative fueled vehicles (AFVs), including those that can use E85 or biodiesel, when replacing conventionally fueled vehicles.
The U.S. EPA has released Renewable Fuel Standard renewable identification number (RIN) generation data for January, reporting that more than 1.45 billion RINs were generated during the month, including 454,720 cellulosic RINs.
Novozymes' latest yeast release, Innova Fit, allows plant managers to run their facilities how they see fit—either increasing solids, powering through higher fermentation temperature excursions, or both.
The U.S. EPA has released Renewable Fuel Standard renewable identification number (RIN) generation data for January, reporting that more than 1.45 billion RINs were generated during the month, including 454,720 cellulosic RINs.
Gevo Inc. has been awarded part of The Queensland Waste to Biofutures (W2B) Fund to support the development of waste to biofutures projects in Queensland, Australia. W2B provides funds for biorefinery projects that process waste streams or biomass.
U.S. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said on Feb. 27 the agency will soon issue new guidance on the RFS's SRE program related to the Tenth Circuit Court's Jan. 27 ruling that struck down three SREs previously issued by the EPA.
The USDA published a notice in the Federal Register on Feb. 28 announcing a notice of funding availability (NOFA) of up to $100 million in competitive grants under the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program.
The Renewable Fuels Association, in partnership with TRANSCAER, will host one-day ethanol safety seminars in Reno on March 10, 11 and 13. The free seminars are funded through a Federal Railroad Administration/TRANSCAER grant.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem recently proclaimed Feb. 25 to be “Premium E30 Day.� Members of the South Dakota Farmers Union and Glacial Lakes Energy Cooperative joined together in Pierre, South Dakota, to celebrate the day.
The RFA, in partnership with the Industrial Steel Drum Institute and TRANSCAER, will host safety training in Davenport, Iowa early next month. The free seminars are funded through a Federal Railroad Administration/TRANSCAER grant.
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts sent a letter to the CEOs of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V., Ford Motor Co., and General Motors Co. on Feb. 11 urging the automakers to increase production of passenger vehicles designed to run on higher ethanol blends.
Members of the U.S. Grains Council arrived in Tampa, Florida, for the organization's winter meeting in mid-February, where they concentrated on drivers of global demand and how they affect markets overseas in which the Council does business.
Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, is urging President Trump to “make a declarative statement that a minimum of 15 billion gallons will be blended annually and that all gallons actually waived will be annually recaptured under the RFS.�
The U.S. EPA released updated small refinery exemption (SRE) data on Feb. 21, reporting that two additional SRE petitions have been filed under the Renewable Fuel Standard for compliance year 2019.
FROM THE MARCH ISSUE: Some ethanol plants are turning to alternative cleaning methods and naturally derived products that are more environmentally friendly than traditional chemicals.
FROM THE MARCH ISSUE: Editor Lisa Gibson previews the magazine, including feature articles about alternative cleaning methods, a study that highlights the befits of various fractionation techniques, developments in yeast strains, and more.
U.S. ethanol stocks set a new record at 24.781 million barrels for the week ending Feb. 14, according to data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Feb. 20. Ethanol production for the week was at 1.04 million barrels per day.
The USDA unveiled its Agriculture Innovation Agenda on Feb. 20. The initiative, in part, aims to support renewable fuels, including ethanol, biodiesel and biomass. This includes a goal to achieve market-driven blend rates of E30 by 2050.
FROM THE MARCH ISSUE: A technical and economic analysis of eight fractionation techniques shows cost, profitability and coproduct quality comparisons.
Reo Menning is the new president and CEO for RINAlliance, effective Feb. 1. Menning previously served as executive vice president for FUELIowa, where she headed multiple successful initiatives for both the association and its subsidiary, RINAlliance.
A new study conducted by ABF Economics for the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association has determined Minnesota's ethanol industry contributed approximately $2.31 billion to the state's gross domestic product (GDP) last year.
FROM THE MARCH ISSUE: Partnered expertise helps yeast developers keep up with evolution in the ethanol industry.
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