A letter by the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) asks the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fully account for small refinery exemptions in the annual Renewable Fuel Standard rules. Specifically, the letter addresses EPA acting administrator Andrew Wheeler, asking him to “end the demand destruction for biodiesel.” The letter asks EPA to set RFS biomass-based diesel volumes for 2020 at 2.8 …
Casey’s Announces Partnership with Prime the Pump
The Casey’s General Store chain announced a new partnership with Prime the Pump, a Growth Energy partner and nonprofit organization dedicated to helping give more consumers E15 at their local pumps. Casey’s says it will expand the offering of E15 to potentially more than 500 of its locations over the next few years. E15 is currently approved for nine out …
E15 Challenges Ahead
President Donald Trump paved the path for year-round E15 sales this week, but the road ahead is promised to be challenging. The President directed the EPA to move forward with allowing year-round sales, but the National Wildlife Federation says the move is not allowed under the Clean Air Act. Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation says …
Secretary Perdue Statement on President Trump’s Ethanol Announcement
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue hailed President Trump’s directive to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to begin a rulemaking process to expand the sale of corn ethanol, to include E15 year-round. Perdue issued the following statement: “This is another case of ‘Promises Made, Promises Kept’ for President Trump. Expanding the sale of E15 year-round is sound policy for a variety of …
NCGA Welcomes Year-Round E15
National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Lynn Chrisp praised an announcement from President Trump, setting the necessary regulatory steps in motion to allow for year-round sales of E15. “Corn farmers across the country have been advocating for year-round sales of higher ethanol blends like E15 to help grow demand, provide consumers with more options at the pump and improve economic …
RFA Applauds President Trump’s E15 Announcement
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) applauds the announcement by President Donald Trump that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is beginning a formal rulemaking process to allow year-round sales of E15 nationwide. Currently, E15 (gasoline containing 15% ethanol) cannot be sold during the summer months in most of the country. The de facto summertime ban on E15 is the result of …
Bipartisan Support for Biodiesel Tax Incentive Extension
The National Biodiesel Board is grateful for the 46 members of Congress who voiced strong support for a multi-year extension of the biodiesel tax incentive. The members of Congress represent states all the way from California to Connecticut, and they asked for a resolution in the coming weeks from House leadership. The biodiesel tax incentive was retroactively renewed for 2017 …
White House Considers Limits on Biofuel Trading for E15 Deal
Three sources familiar with the discussion told Reuters that the Trump Administration is considering limits on trading biofuels credits. The goal would be to discourage speculation and reduce costs for oil refiners to comply with U.S. biofuels policy. The sources also told Reuters that an announcement could be made in the weeks ahead. The move would be part of a …
EPA RFS Waiver Website Doesn’t Include Justification
A new website by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doesn’t satisfy all sides of the hardship waiver issue under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The National Corn Growers Association called the website a “good place to start,” but says there is “a lot of questions left unanswered.” The effectiveness of a website depends not only on its content but also …
EPA Releases RFS Waiver Information Online
The agency says it granted 49 waivers in 2016 and 2017. Those waivers added up to 2.25 billion gallons in biofuels, which negatively affected roughly 800 million bushels of corn demand. Because of those waivers, the National Biodiesel Board says that amounted to a loss of 300 million gallons of biofuels. In a statement issued last week, Acting EPA Administrator …