Ethanol Week - March 31, 2020

Trump signs $2 trillion CARES Act into law President Trump signed the $2 trillion CARES Act into law on March 27. The bill is the third COVID-19 stimulus packaged signed into law. A fourth stimulus package is in the works that could provide more targeted relief for renewable fuel producers. READ MORE SHARE
COVID-19 reduces demand for fuel, ethanol plants cut production Economists at the University of Illinois on March 26 published an analysis illustrating how COVID-19 is reducing demand for transportation fuels, including ethanol. Meanwhile, several plants have announced they will idle or reduce production. READ MORE SHARE
	EPA issues guidance on future SRE actions, RFS compliance date The EPA on March 27 announced it will provide flexibility to the marketplace to transition from winter-grade gasoline to summer-grade fuel during the COVID-19 crisis. The announcement also included policy changes related to SREs and RFS compliance. READ MORE SHARE
Maine enacts tax credit for renewable chemicals Maine Gov. Janet Mills on March 18 signed a bill establishing a tax credit for renewable chemical production that provides an 8 cent per pound tax credit for eligible products beginning on Jan. 1, 2021. READ MORE SHARE
Pacific Ethanol to idle more than 60% of capacity by end of March Pacific Ethanol on March 27 said it is idling capacity in response to the unprecedented decline in gasoline and ethanol demand due to the impacts of COVID-19 and announced it is providing high-quality alcohol for the production of hand sanitizer. READ MORE SHARE
	Kcoe Isom hosts crisis planning webinar Kcoe Isom hosted a webinar on March 24 that discussed crisis planning and employee communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. The event also discussed emergency family and medical leave and offered tips for working remotely. READ MORE SHARE
Rex idles NuGen plant, explores carbon sequestration project Rex American Resources released fiscal fourth quarter financial results on March 26. The company announced a potential carbon sequestration project under development at its One Earth Energy plant in Illinois and discussed the impact of COVID-19. READ MORE SHARE
Marquis Energy continues operations during COVID-19 pandemic Hennepin, Illinois-based Marquis Energy sent a letter to its farmers and community members on March 27 announcing the company’s ethanol plant is “economically and logistically positioned to remain open" despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE SHARE
Oil refineries challenge Tenth Circuit Court ruling on SREs Wynnewood Refining and HollyFrontier filed petitions with the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals on March 24 requesting a rehearing en banc of the court’s Jan. 24 ruling that struck down three SREs approved by the U.S. EPA. READ MORE SHARE
USDA: Progress made on implementation of US-China trade deal The USDA and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on March 24 announced continued progress with the implementation of agriculture-related provisions of the U.S.-China Phase One Economic and Trade Agreement, including those related to DDGS. READ MORE SHARE