Ethanol Week - October 24, 2017

Pruitt commits to strong RFS, maintaining the point of obligation U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has said the agency is expected to set final 2018 Renewable Fuel Standard blending obligations at or above proposed levels. He also indicated EPA will issue a final rule maintaining the current point of obligation. READ MORE SHARE
Project Liberty overcomes preprocessing bottlenecks Poet-DSM Advanced Biofuels has overcome bottlenecks associated with the feedstock pretreatment process and is now focused on downstream processing at Project Liberty, its 20 MMgy cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsberg, Iowa. READ MORE SHARE
	ICM announces successful startup of FS Bioenergia in Brazil ICM Inc. has announced the successful startup and commissioning of Brazil’s first standalone dry-mill corn ethanol plant. The FS Bioenergia plant is a joint venture between U.S.-based Summit Agricultural Group and Fiagril Ltda of Brazil. READ MORE SHARE
CropEnergies reports increase revenues, earnings European ethanol producer CropEnergies AG has announced a significant increase in revenues and earnings during the first half of its 2017-’18 financial year. The increase is attributed to higher production volumes of ethanol, food and animal feed. READ MORE SHARE
Biofuel industry files comments on EPA proposal to reduce RVOs The 15-day comment period on the U.S. EPA’s notice of data availability (NODA) that proposes reductions in 2018 and 2019 Renewable Fuel Standard renewable volume obligations (RVOs) closed Oct. 19. More than 5,000 comments were filed on the proposal. READ MORE SHARE
	Aemetis signs lease for cellulosic ethanol plant site Aemetis Inc. has announced that its Aemetis Advanced Products Keyes subsidiary signed a 55 year lease at a former U.S. Army munitions facility located in Riverbank, California, for the construction of a cellulosic ethanol biorefinery. READ MORE SHARE
MEP proposal ups renewables targets, phases out crop-based fuels MEPs are calling for the European Union to source 35 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030, set nationally binding targets for renewable energy, phase-out of palm oil and food-based biofuels and set biomass sustainability standards. READ MORE SHARE
UNICA: Ethanol sales continue to recover UNICA, the Brazilian sugarcane industry association, recently announced ethanol production reached 2.02 billion liters (533.63 million gallons) during the second half of September, up 11.55 percent when compared to the same period of last year. READ MORE SHARE
House Biofuels Caucus asks EPA to increase RFS RVOs On Oct. 19, the House Biofuels Caucus sent a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt asking the agency to formulate a more robust final rule regarding renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard. READ MORE SHARE
Reynolds, Grassley continue to push Trump, Pruitt on RFS Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and senators representing several Midwestern states are continuing to push President Donald Trump and U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to abandon proposed cuts to Renewable Fuel Standard volume requirements. READ MORE SHARE
Comment period on EPA’s NODA to reduce RFS RVOs closes Oct. 19 Those who wish to weigh in on the U.S. EPA’s recent notice of data availability (NODA) that proposes reductions in 2018 and 2019 Renewable Fuel Standard renewable volume obligations (RVOs) must submit comments by 11:59 p.m. ET Oct. 19. READ MORE SHARE
Summit enlivens discussions of global ethanol use Industry and government officials from more than 15 countries in the Western Hemisphere are meeting this week at the Ethanol Summit of the Americas to discuss current and future opportunities for ethanol in the region. READ MORE SHARE
RFA, RFF to offer National Ethanol Conference scholarships For the ninth year, the Renewable Fuels Association is partnering with the Renewable Fuels Foundation to offer scholarships to students who are interested in attending the National Ethanol Conference, scheduled for Feb. 12-14 in San Antonio, Texas. READ MORE SHARE
Novomer to open new innovation center in New York Novomer Inc. has announced plans to open a new innovation center in Rochester, New York. The facility—named the Novomer Innovation Center—is designed to meet the expanding demands of the company’s growing biobased chemicals business. READ MORE SHARE
Alliance Bioenergy Plus, Progressive Fuels announce agreement Alliance BioEnergy Plus Inc. recently announced an exclusive brokerage agreement with Progressive Fuels Ltd., an independent interdealer broker in the wholesale physical biofuel, agriculture, CCA, RIN and CARB markets. READ MORE SHARE
UA to head new center focusing on biofuels and bioproducts The University of Arizona has received a $15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to lead a new center focusing on the mass production of biofuels and bioproducts in the Southwestern U.S. READ MORE SHARE
ICM enters Brazilian ethanol marketplace opening new office ICM Inc. has announced the opening of a regional office in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The company is in the process of hiring a team of employees to service the needs of the region. READ MORE SHARE
RFA receives federal grant for ethanol safety training program The Renewable Fuels Association has received a $50,000 federal grant to help continue the RFA’s ethanol safety training program efforts. The grant provides hazmat training for volunteer or remote emergency responders. READ MORE SHARE