EPA Approves Emergency Fuel Waivers for Gulf and East Coast States

As a result of the continuing impacts of Gulf Coast-area refineries and disruption to the fuel distribution system caused by Hurricane Harvey, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt exercised EPA’s emergency fuel waiver authority to help ensure an adequate supply of fuel throughout the South, Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic. EPA has waived requirements for reformulated gasoline and low volatility gasoline through September 15 …

RFA Asking EPA to Expand Hurricane Harvey Fuel Waiver

The ethanol industry claims it can fill the shortage in the nation’s fuel supply in the wake of Hurricane Harvey’s devastation in Texas, and impact on the nation’s oil refining capacity The Renewable Fuels Association is asking the Environmental Protection Agency to expand a fuel waiver the agency granted in response to Hurricane Harvey, which has now shut down about …

RFA asks EPA to Expand Hurricane Harvey Fuel Waiver

In a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) asked the agency to “take immediate action to expand the scope and geographic coverage” of the fuel waiver issued by the agency Aug. 26 in response to Hurricane Harvey. “While EPA’s August 26 waiver of certain reformulated gasoline (RFG) and Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) requirements was a welcome step, …

Brazil Slaps Tariff on U.S. Ethanol

The Brazilian Agriculture Minister announced on Wednesday that the country’s Chamber of Foreign Trade approved a recommendation to impose a 20 percent tariff on U.S. ethanol imports after a 600 million liter tariff rate quota. Brazilian media are reporting the tariff will be in effect for two years. This will make it much more difficult for U.S. ethanol to access …

ISU Study Shows No Impact of RFS on Greenhouse Gasses

A study by Iowa State University (ISU) says the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) brings a net positive to the U.S. economy but fails to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally. The study, produced in June, was released by the Renewable Fuels Association recently, highlighting the net positive to the U.S. economy. Iowa State University’s Center for Agriculture and Rural Development developed …

Ethanol Production May Outpace Demand in Future

A new report from Cobank says the ethanol industry could soon face declining slim-to-negative profit margins. The report is titled “Ethanol’s Growth Path: Output and Export Uncertainties Both Rising.” It outlines how an ethanol market fueled by corn prices at multi-year lows, together with reinvestment into expanding production capacity, will push supplies past demand growth. A Cobank senior economist says …

New Academic Journal Study: RFS Offers Substantial Benefits to U.S. Economy

A new economic modeling study that will soon be published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics finds that the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has substantially benefited the U.S. economy by lowering gasoline and crude oil prices, cutting crude oil imports, adding value to U.S.-produced agricultural commodities, and reducing U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. “The results confirm that the current …