Ethanol Week - April 17, 2018

Trump pledges support for year-round E15 sales On April 12, President Donald Trump pledged his support for allowing year-round sales of E15. Representatives of the ethanol industry are speaking out in support of his announcement. READ MORE SHARE
Draft 2018 Farm Bill reauthorizes Energy Title programs On April 12, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K Michael Conaway, R-Texas, released a draft of the 2018 Farm Bill. The legislation reauthorizes many bioenergy-related programs, but provides them with only discretionary funding. READ MORE SHARE
	Perdue discusses RFS waivers during Senate hearing Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue briefly addressed the U.S. EPA’s misuse of Renewable Fuel Standard hardship waivers during an April 11 hearing held by the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Agriculture. READ MORE SHARE
Hearing explores the possibility of a fuel performance standard The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Environment held a hearing titled “High Octane Fuels and High Efficiency Vehicles: Challenges and Opportunities” on April 13. Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor testified at the event. READ MORE SHARE
New UK biofuel targets take effect April 15 In the U.K., the new Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation came into force on April 15, requiring fuel companies to nearly triple the amount of renewable fuel they supply by 2032. The new regulations also introduce incentives for waste-based fuels. READ MORE SHARE
EPA gives North Dakota power to regulate underground CO2 storage North Dakota became the first state to receive federal approval to regulate underground storage of carbon dioxide April 10. The approval puts North Dakota in control of carbon storage within its boarders and is expected to benefit ethanol producers. READ MORE SHARE
Senators issue statement against EPA attacks on RFS In response to a January letter sent by Sens. Grassley, Thune, Blunt, Fischer and Ernst, EPA has again confirmed that oil refiners aren’t negatively impacted by compliance with the Renewable Fuel Standard. READ MORE SHARE
2018 Ethanol Producer Award winners announced The winners of the first-ever Ethanol Producer Awards have been chosen. Nominations were made under five categories: The Good Neighbor Award, Board of the Year, Project of the Year, Collaboration of the Year and Workplace of the Year. READ MORE SHARE
EIA maintains 2019 ethanol production forecast The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released the April edition of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, maintaining its previous 2019 ethanol production forecast, but slightly lowering the production forecast for 2018. READ MORE SHARE
RFA: E15 debuts in St. Louis metro region The Renewable Fuels Association is excited to announce that E15 has debuted in the St. Louis area and will be available throughout the year. Home Service Oil Co. now offers both E15 and E85 at 1707 Hwy Z in Pevely, Missouri, just off Interstate 55. READ MORE SHARE
USGC answers ethanol questions from Mexico service station owners As Mexico’s energy sector continues to evolve, the U.S. Grains Council is running a series of technical workshops there to answer questions from local service station owners about how to utilize and profit from using ethanol. READ MORE SHARE
RFA, Pinnacle host webinars on combustible dust hazards The Renewable Fuels Foundation, the education and research arm of the Renewable Fuels Association, has teamed up with the experts at Pinnacle Engineering Inc. to host two webinars on educating facility personnel about the hazards of combustible dust. READ MORE SHARE
Growth Energy welcomes Golden Grain Energy as newest plant member Growth Energy recently welcomed Golden Grain Energy LLC as its newest member. Golden Grain Energy began production in December 2004 and is a locally owned ethanol producer with roughly 900 unitholders. READ MORE SHARE
NUS engineers pioneer new technique for biofuel production Engineers from the National University of Singapore recently discovered that a naturally occurring bacterium, Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum TG57, is capable of directly converting cellulose to biobutanol. READ MORE SHARE
USGC: US ethanol exports hit monthly record The U.S. recorded the highest-ever monthly exports total for ethanol in February 2018 at 218.7 million gallons, according to data from the USDA. Exports so far this marketing year are up 6 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. READ MORE SHARE
ACE addressing ethanol marketing challenges at NEB Forum ACE board member and past board president Ron Alverson of Dakota Ethanol spoke April 12 at the Nebraska Ethanol Board’s 2018 Emerging Issues Forum about assessing new markets based on ethanol’s low carbon emissions benefits. READ MORE SHARE
RFA hosting Kentucky ethanol safety seminars April 18-20 The Renewable Fuels Association and Transcaer are hosting three ethanol safety seminars in Kentucky April 18-20. The seminars are designed for individuals who respond to ethanol-related emergencies, emergency planning committees and safety managers. READ MORE SHARE
Students tour Heartland Corn Products Twenty students from Central High School in Norwood Young America, Minnesota, toured Winthrop’s Heartland Corn Products April 11 to learn more about clean renewable Minnesota energy. READ MORE SHARE
Minnesota drivers choose E15 The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association and KS95 FM teamed up April 6 to reward drivers in Fridley, Minnesota, who switched to E15 during a two-hour appearance at the Holiday on University Avenue. READ MORE SHARE