FROM THE APRIL ISSUE: UNICA welcomes new president and CEO.
The key to making informed decisions is education, and that's just what the U.S. Grains Council's goal has been regarding increasing demand for U.S. fuel ethanol in Mexico.
The U.S. EPA has announced it will hold a public hearing on its proposed E15/RIN reform rule on March 29 in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The event will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end when all parties present who wish to speak have had an opportunity to do so.
FROM THE APRIL ISSUE: The need for an updated fuel testing process.
The state of Washington is one step closer to mandating the use of cleaner transportation fuels. The state's House recently passed legislation to establish a Clean Fuels Program that aims to increase the use of biofuels and other renewable fuels.
Pacific Ethanol Inc. has announced plans to strategically realign its business over the next six months, including the potential sale of production assets. The company has engaged Piper Jaffray to aid it in that sales effort.
The U.S. EPA on March 14 approved five more 2017 small refinery exemptions, pushing the number of approved waivers from 2016 and 2017 over 50, and 2.61 billion gallons, according to the American Coalition for Ethanol.
Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, said in a media call March 14 that small refinery exemptions eroded demand for ethanol in 2018, and called for those ethanol gallons to be reallocated.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board recently released it's Most Wanted List for 2019 and 2020, with a focus on the ethanol industry.
The U.S. EPA released its proposed rule to allow the year-round sale of E15 on March 12. The proposed rule also includes provisions for RIN reform.
Retail chains that choose to add E15 to their product mixes continue to see positive results. One example is Pennsylvania-based Rutter's, which decided to add the fuel last year despite recent uncertainty around the timing of year-round sales.
ACE Senior Vice President Ron Lamberty participated on a panel at Nebraska Ethanol Board's 2019 Emerging Issues Forum with retailers about the opportunities and practical considerations to increase E15 and higher ethanol blends.
The U.S. Department for Transport recently announced new labeling requirements that aim to help motorists identify the correct fuel for their needs while informing them of the biofuel content of both gasoline and diesel.
The federal Biomass Research and Development (BR&D) Board unveiled a multi-agency strategy March 5 to accelerate innovative technologies that harness the nation's biomass resources for affordable biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower.
On March 1, the American Coalition for Ethanol joined a diverse coalition in submitting comments in support of the Soil Health Demonstration Trial in response to listening sessions by the USDA on implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill.
On March 4, the U.S. EPA delivered its proposed E15/RIN reform rule to the White House Office of Management and Budget. OMB review marks a final step before the proposal is released for public comment.
European ethanol producer CropEnergies has announced plans to resume ethanol production at its facility in Wilton, U.K., starting in March. The company said the facility will initially run at reduced capacity to supply orders from British customers.
The U.S. EPA has released renewable identification number (RIN) data for December 2018 and January 2019 that shows nearly 19.5 billion RINs were generated last year. During the first month of 2019, RIN generation reached 1.48 billion.
The U.S. Senate has voted 52 to 46 along party lines to confirm Andrew Wheeler as administrator of the U.S. EPA. Wheeler has held the post of acting EPA administrator since July 9, 2018, following Scott Pruitt's resignation earlier that month.
Feb. 27, Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, introduced the Fuel Choice and Deregulation Act of 2019 (S.581), legislation that would remove burdensome regulations on domestic energy production.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., have introduced a bill to extend 29 tax credits, including those that benefit producers of renewable diesel, second generation biofuels and bioenergy.
The EPA has issued a statement confirming plans to complete its E15 rule by June 1 in response to remarks made by Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue on Feb. 27 in which he said the rule would not be complete on time. Perdue has since revised his remarks.
U.S. EPA's decision to delay fuel economy rules until “later in the year� provides the Urban Air Initiative an opportunity to continue educating the agency on the benefits of clean octane from higher ethanol blends.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said Feb. 27 that he does not expect the U.S. EPA to complete its E15 rulemaking by June 1, but added the USDA is encouraging the agency to announce discretionary enforcement of current regulations.
On Feb. 22, the U.S. EPA published a notice in the Federal Register announcing a proposed consent decree that would require the agency to complete an anti-backsliding study on the Renewable Fuel Standard by March 30, 2020.
Three fuel retailers who spoke at the Renewable Fuel Association's recent National Ethanol Conference in Florida told attendees that education is the key to growing the market for ethanol-blended fuels.
Growth Energy, the U.S. Grains Council and Renewable Fuels Association jointly submitted comments to Environment and Climate Change Canada supporting their goal of reducing the carbon intensity of Canada's fuel stream through the Clean Fuel Standard.
On Feb. 21, the U.S. EPA released updated data on small refinery hardship waivers filed under the Renewable Fuel Standard, reporting that 15 new waivers for the 2018 compliance year were filed between Dec. 18, 2018 and Feb. 10, 2019.
FROM THE MARCH ISSUE: Agricultural organizations in Kansas and Ohio have programs aimed at ethanol education, training teachers and even providing funding to ensure the knowledge is passed on to students.
FROM THE MARCH ISSUE: North and South America, as well as Asia,are strong markets for ethanol.
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