(NAFB) — President Donald Trump says “the farmers will be so happy” when they see what the White House is doing for ethanol. On Twitter, Trump says “it will be a giant package, get ready.” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue at the Farm Progress Show this week said President Trump would announce details within the next couple of weeks. Perdue declined …
EPA Delivers on President Trump’s Promise to Allow Year-Round Sale of E15 Gasoline
And Improve Transparency In Renewable Fuel Markets U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed the final action that would remove the key regulatory barrier to using gasoline blended with up to 15% ethanol (E15) during the summer driving season and reform the renewable identification number (RIN) compliance system under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program to increase transparency and deter …
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 …
Refiner Waivers Could Cost Ethanol Industry $20 Billion
New research estimates the U.S. ethanol industry could lose 4.6 billion gallons of domestic demand and $20 billion in sales from the administration’s approach to the Renewable Fuel Standard. Economists at the University of Missouri estimated the losses over the next six years, if the Environmental Protection Agency continues exempting dozens of small refiners from their blending obligations under the …
Farm, Ethanol Groups Urge President to Restore Integrity to RFS, Allow Year-Round E15 Sales
In a letter to President Trump, the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Corn Growers Association, National Farmers Union, National Sorghum Producers, American Coalition for Ethanol, Growth Energy, and Renewable Fuels Association urged the administration to act immediately to restore the integrity of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and allow year-round sales of E15 and other mid-level ethanol blends. The groups …
University Analysis: EPA’s Refiner Waivers Could Cost Ethanol Industry $20 Billion in Losses
A recent analysis by economists at the University of Missouri’s Food and Agriculture Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) shows that the U.S. ethanol industry could lose 4.6 billion gallons of domestic demand and nearly $20 billion in sales revenue over the next six years if the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues its current practice of exempting dozens of small refiners from …
Continued Abuse of Small Refiner Waivers Renders Proposed 2019 RFS Volumes ‘Meaningless,’ RFA Tells EPA
In comments submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its proposed 2019 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) renewable volume obligations (RVOs), the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) said it is “greatly concerned that continued abuse of small refinery exemptions will render the proposed volumes meaningless.” RFA urged the agency to account for small refinery exemptions prospectively when it calculates the RVO percentage, as …
EPA RFS Volumes Proposal Expected Friday
The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to roll out a proposal for volume requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard for 2019 Friday, June 22, 2018. Some suspect the proposal will include a reallocation of gallons displaced by hardship waivers, according to Politico. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said late last month that he spoke with EPA administrator Scott Pruitt about the …
No RFS Changes From the White House, For Now
President Trump indicated he would not be signing a White House proposal that was “bad for farmers,” referring to the proposal offering changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard. The pledge followed an apparent conversation with Iowa Senator Joni Ernst. Further, the comments came the same day Ernst criticized Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt over his handling of the …
Trump Voters in Midwest States Losing Faith in Administration’s Commitment to Renewable Fuels
New polling shows that voters across three Midwestern states are disappointed with Trump Administration decisions regarding biofuels. Released by the National Biodiesel Board this week, a survey of voters in Iowa, Missouri and Minnesota overwhelmingly say they support federal policies to encourage growth in biodiesel and renewable fuels use. Their support cut across party lines, with more than two-thirds of …