In the News
March 3, 2015
By Hank Naughton
Although it doesn’t feel like it now, spring and summer are fast approaching in Massachusetts. If gasoline prices stay low, millions of Bay Staters will have the ability to inexpensively travel across New England to visit our wonderful beaches, mountains and parks. However, the one downside of cheap fuel at the pump is that it lulls people into forgetting our over-reliance on oil creates a serious national security concern for America and our allies.
In the United States, we use oil to power about 90 percent of our motor vehicles. Since oil is a commodity traded on the world market, the high demand across our nation means we have a hand in driving up oil prices that enrich countries and despots around the world that don’t always have our best interests at heart.
One obvious example is Saudi Arabia, a country in which elements exist that fund radical Islamic schools and which preach hatred of America and Israel throughout the world. We must not forget that nearly all of the 9/11 hijackers — and Osama bin Laden himself — were of Saudi descent and products of these elements.
Like any addiction, our over-reliance on oil can be broken. One way to do it is through investment in the production of renewable fuels. Luckily, the United States is already home to the best renewable fuel development policy in the world, known as the Renewable Fuel Standard. The law requires the United States blend increasing amounts of renewable fuel into America’s transportation fuel supply every year. It also gives the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to adjust the standard annually to ensure it aligns with the amount of renewable fuel available.
Incredibly, virtually every gallon of gasoline sold in this country now contains 10 percent renewable fuel. An increasing percentage of U.S. diesel fuel is now comprised of biodiesel. These petroleum alternatives are produced by hundreds of American biorefineries that did not exist just 10 years ago.
Unfortunately, the news is not all good. Despite the fact that today, nearly every renewable fuel source has the capability to produce more product going forward, the EPA has not established blending requirements since 2013. This delay has wreaked havoc in the biofuels industry and caused investment dollars in advanced biofuels to be put on hold or sent overseas. This has caused plants and laboratories producing renewable fuels to close, including some in Massachusetts.
It has also been reported that the Obama administration and the EPA are still considering including a waiver in the RFS that would allow the oil companies — who distribute biofuels at gas stations around the nation — to refuse to do so. If included in the RFS, this would be a death blow to the growth of the industry in this country and an acknowledgment that our political leaders are wavering on biofuels, just as some of the most promising advanced fuels from sources like switch grass and algae are coming online.
Read the original story here: Renewable Fuels Critical to Energy Security
March 3, 2015
By Mikkel Pates
Sioux Falls, S.D. - Jeff Broin says if farmers want corn prices back at a profitable level, they need to get involved in politics and get engaged to keep the ethanol industry strong.
At age 49, Broin is the executive chairman and founder of Poet LLC, a company that operates 27 ethanol plants across seven states, producing an estimated 1.7 billion gallons of ethanol a year.
“If it weren’t for ethanol, corn would be $1 per bushel to $1.50 per bushel,” Broin says. “Farmers need to let their senators and representatives know that we need more ethanol production in this country to save the American farm, or we’ll see a long, long period of depressed grain prices and dropping land prices that could go on for decades.”
Ensuring the Environmental Protection Agency keeps ethanol use targets strong, despite lower-than-predicted gasoline consumption, will be crucial. The EPA guidance from the 2007 Renewable Fuel Standard had mandated 14.4 billion gallons for 2014 and 15 billion gallons for 2015. EPA says it will have final numbers this spring for 2014 and 2015, and a proposed rule for 2016. The petroleum industry wants the RFS program scrapped. Significant parts of the livestock industry also oppose it.
Broin and the ethanol industry say farmers need to strongly advocate for the standards to be left alone, although they’re increasingly alone in that fight.
Big yields
Broin says farmers were deep in the ethanol debate in the 1980s and into the 1990s. They became “complacent” when corn hit $7 per bushel, and more so in the drought of 2012, he says.
Ethanol helped add $5 trillion to U.S. farmland values and farmers will wake up when those dollars start to go away, he says. Broin thinks last year’s record corn yield could be followed by another record yield in 2015.
“I’ve seen technology where they’re averaging 300 bushels per acre on corn,” Broin says. “The national average is in the 160s, but the average could go to 300 bushels in the next 10 years. Where’s all that corn going to go? The only place for it to go is ethanol.”
He thinks farmers won’t have any problem feeding the world, even with an estimated 9 billion people by the year 2050.
He says the pedestrian who hears 40 percent of the U.S. corn crop is purchased by the ethanol industry is ignorant of the fact that 6 percent — the starch portion — goes to ethanol production. The rest, including distillers grains and oils, goes back into the food and animal feed supply.
The ‘war’
“There’s a war going on between oil and agriculture for the future fuel supply of the world,” Broin says. “If that’s a shared situation, which is what it should be, agriculture and oil will both have sustainable, decent prices.
If oil wins — and ethanol never gets beyond 10 percent — oil is going to be very high-priced and corn is going to be well below the cost of production and subsidized by the U.S. government.”
Broin and his various ethanol allies are attempting to move the U.S. from a 10 percent ethanol standard (E10) in gasoline to 15 percent (E15).
David Kolsrud, president of DAK Renewable Energy Inc., of Brandon, S.D., agrees with Broin’s points on the importance of farmer involvement in the fight to keep the RFS. Kolsrud, a member of the American Coalition for Ethanol, was a former manager of the Agri-Energy plant in Luverne, Minn., one of the plants built by Broin in the late 1990s.
Kolsrud, who also farms near Beaver Creek in southwest Minnesota, acknowledges he and Broin don’t always agree, but he admires Broin for his commitment to ethanol.
Dave Ripplinger, a North Dakota State University Extension bioenergy specialist, says Broin likely has had the biggest influence on building the industry — the business model, the plants, the markets and the policy.
Ripplinger says he can’t say whether corn prices would drop to $1.50 per bushel without an RFS, because that would depend on how the existing ethanol plants would continue. But he says the outlook would be bearish. He says the pro-ethanol coalition that included farmers, environmentalists and even parts of the oil and gas industry itself are gone.
One key change has been domestic oil production in North Dakota’s Bakken oil fields.
Started at age 14
Broin has seen ethanol overcome big challenges before.
His first exposure to ethanol was when he was 14, growing up on a farm south of Minneapolis near the town of Wanamingo, Minn. Corn was cheap and farmers were heading into a credit crisis.
It was a desperate time of agricultural policy theater. The American Agriculture Movement launched 3,000 tractors to Washington, D.C., in January 1978 and in February 1979.
Broin remembers how Paul Middaugh, a microbiology professor at South Dakota State University, built the first operating dry mill ethanol plant in the country. In April 1979, Middaugh took a farm-scale alcohol plant to Washington, D.C., where he made ethanol on the National Mall. Farmers in the North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota built many plants from 1979 to 1981, many of them small, 10,000-gallon-per-year, inefficient plants that soon stopped working.
Broin’s father, Lowell (who still farms today) started experimenting with ethanol in 1983. He was being paid by the government to store corn in Quonset buildings.
“Storing corn for the government — being paid to grow weeds by the government,” Broin recalls. “Corn was $1.30 a bushel and it cost $2.75 a bushel to grow it, and there was no end in sight.”
In 1986, the Broins built an on-farm ethanol plant to use surplus corn and produce 250,000 gallons per year.
Expanding, building
In 1987, the Broins bought a Scotland, S.D., plant out of bankruptcy and restarted it in 1988, running at 1 million gallons per year. It was the only operating plant in the state. Jeff Broin, who held an ag business degree from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, was the company’s general manager at age 22.
“As soon as I got it running and starting to make some money, I knew that it had to be bigger to survive,” Broin recalls.
In 1990, Congress passed the Clean Air Act. The same year, the Broins broke ground to increase the Scotland plant to 2.7 million gallons per year, forming Broin Enterprises as a construction company. A couple years later, the Broins created Broin & Associates, a design and engineering firm. They took their own Scotland plant to 7 million gallons, then 11 million.
“We rebuilt that plant three different times,” Broin says.
They built Heartland Grain Fuels in Aberdeen, S.D., and Heartland Corn Products in Winthrop, Minn.
The Broins also created management and marketing companies to market ethanol and distillers grains from the plants they helped build. They built research and technology entities, today housed on a grand Poet campus in Sioux Falls. The subsidiaries brought DDGs into the swine, poultry, fish and pet food markets.
Beyond corn
In 2000, the family developed Broin Project, a plan to convert starch to ethanol without cooking. The technology was released in 2004. The same year, they built a plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa, called Project Liberty, to become a cellulosic ethanol plant that uses corn leaves, husks and cobs as feedstock.
In 2005, Broin helped found the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council, to educate an “often misinformed general public” about ethanol, he says.
In 2007, Broin bought out his family members. He changed the company name to Poet LLC and expanded its headquarters. The name was created to evoke creativity shared by actual poets and farmers.
“I love that it’s short, I love that it’s memorable and that people ask why Poet? Does that make sense?” he says.
In 2008, Poet launched a quarterly magazine called “Vital.” In 2012, Poet hired Jeff Lautt as CEO, while Broin became chairman of the board.
In September 2014, the cellulosic plant in Emmetsburg opened for business.
“We’re leaving almost all of the stalk in the field for erosion control and fertilizer,” Broin says of the corn-based feedstock for the plant. “The plant’s up and operating well.”
Poet and the enzyme and yeast companies each have spent tens or hundreds of millions of dollars developing the technology, he says.
“We can get about 80 gallons of ethanol per acre, about a ton per acre of stover, which is about 80 gallons of ethanol per acre. When you look at corn around the country, you could produce about 10 billion gallons of ethanol, using 25 percent of the above-ground stover.”
A total of 100 billion tons of biomass go to waste every year in the U.S. that could produce 80 billion gallons of ethanol, Broin says.
“That’s enough to replace all of our imported gasoline and oil,” he emphasizes.
The right business model
Broin says Poet is involved in companies that have 6,000 farmer investors. The company owns about 25 percent of the stock in plants it’s involved with — ranging from 2 percent to 75 percent each, a business model that he considers vital to company success. Scotland is the only plant owned 100 percent by Poet.
“We did it right,” Broin says.
Poet built plants in the Corn Belt where corn prices were historically low, compared with national markets. The company became an expert at analyzing sites for infrastructure such as natural gas.
Broin holds up a chart that shows the price of corn and the production of ethanol from 1994 to 2014. The two values are strongly correlated.
“I remember this industry was created and talked about as a way to increase corn prices,” Broin says. “It was the way we sold the stock in the original plants, that you could hedge your grain against energy.”
But he describes the EPA blend wall as, “basically our own government holding back the industry by locking us in at 10 percent ethanol in gasoline.”
Read the original story here : Ethanol Industry And Farmers Should Work Together, Poet Exec Says
Feb 27, 2015
By Susanne Retka Schill
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack asked for the ethanol industry's support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership in his keynote address at the 2015 Growth Energy Executive Leadership Conference held in Phoenix Feb. 26-27.
The opponents to the TPP are well organized, he explained, while those who understand the benefits have not been vocal. "I spoke to a Congressman that said he had 1,200 comments opposed to TPP and just two in favor," he said. There is a great opportunity to expand exports to Asia, which is expected to see the middle class grow to number 3.2 billion in the next 15 years. "There won't be that opportunity if we don't get the TPP agreement done," he said, "and it will create a huge void. Who's going to fill that void?" he asked. "China. Who would you rather write the rules of trade, China or the U.S.?"
Chief Agricultural Negotiator Darci Vetter, who spoke at the conference before Vilsack, said many parts of the TPP have been negotiated, which leaves the most difficult issues left to decide. The TPP goes beyond expand export opportunities through the elimination of trade barriers and tariffs, to include intellectual property protection and transparency on rulemaking. She said that under the TPP, ethanol tariffs into Japan and Vietnam will be eliminated.
Vetter added that a successful conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership will pave the way for negotiations with the European Union and others in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which are at an earlier stage. "We're pursuing the elimination of all tariffs, including those on ethanol," she said.
In addition the discussion on supporting trade negotiations, Vilsack addressed other measures being taken by the USDA. At last year's conference, he noted, he announced the USDA would be dedicating Market Access Program funds to ethanol export development. "We saw a 35 percent increase in exports last year, and for the first time, we had a biofuel trade effort in China."
The agency is working with the White House to find other avenues and funding to support blending infrastructure, he said, even though Congress has blocked USDA from using REAP funds. In addition, the USDA Economic Research Service is going to do a comprehensive review of recent research and publish a report on the progress being made in the renewable fuels industry. "It's long overdue," he said. The productivity gains in agriculture are not understood, he added, pointing out that in last few decades, "we've had a 200 percent increase in production in farm fields and a 2 percent reduction in acres. U.S. agriculture represents 9 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions," he continued, "while internationally that's 14 percent. If we include forestry, we're net zero."
Read the original story here: Vilsack calls for ethanol industry support of trade negotiations
Feb 26, 2015
By Syngenta
Corn feedstock is the single biggest input cost for an ethanol plant, and ethanol yield per bushel is one of the most important drivers of plant profitability. Because higher quality corn means higher ethanol yields, Syngenta is working with ethanol plants to help growers improve grain quality and earn a premium for doing so.
According to Chris Tingle, head of Enogen and Water Solutions for Syngenta, ethanol plants are increasingly seeking not just clean, dry corn with little or no damage or foreign material, but also grain with quality characteristics that can help maximize ethanol production.
“A growing demand for high-quality feedstock is creating opportunities for growers to increase their income per acre,” Tingle said. “By supplying the quality grain that ethanol plants want all year long, growers can maximize profitability, while helping to support the ethanol industry.”
Syngenta designed the Ethanol Grain Quality Solution specifically for growers who plant Enogen, Golden Harvest and NK Corn hybrids. Its goals are to raise yields and drive grain quality through effective insect control, early-season weed management, glyphosate weed-resistance management, and crop enhancement (the Syngenta global business focused on minimizing the effects of nonliving factors, such as heat, wind and rain, on plants). The Ethanol Grain Quality Solution provides the ethanol plant and its growers more high-quality grain, while improving return on investment.
“Growers with an Enogen contract can receive an additional 10 cents per bushel premium above the current Enogen contract premium by following agronomic protocols outlined in the Ethanol Grain Quality Solution,” Tingle said. “Plus, growers who have purchased Golden Harvest or NK Corn can receive 10 cents more per bushel for any additional bushels of corn produced under the Ethanol Grain Quality Solution protocol, provided those bushels are delivered to the ethanol plant.”
According to Adam Todd, grain purchasing manager for Quad County Corn Processors in Galva, Iowa, the Ethanol Grain Quality Solution allows QCCP to buy more corn directly from farmers and provides access to higher quality grain.
“Corn purchased direct from the farm generally has a higher starch and oil content,” Todd said. “It has less foreign matter. Those factors help us increase our crush margins. Higher quality grain is going to have more starch available, and that’s what we’re after, as well as less mold and less bacteria. That starch is going to be more readily available and will help us increase our ethanol yield.”
Todd added that rewarding farmers for investing in higher quality grain can help position them for higher yields, too.
“Farmers tell us the premium available through the Ethanol Grain Quality Solution minimally enables them to pay for a top-notch herbicide and fungicide program, which helps them to not only enhance grain quality, but also, generally speaking, achieve higher yields as well,” Todd said. “For example, one of our growers saw a 19-bushel-per-acre advantage in a side-by-side comparison that was part of the program. Taking steps to manage grain quality can help corn growers improve their return on investment in more ways than one.”
Read the original story here: Ethanol plants, growers partner with Syngenta
Feb 26, 2015
By Cindy Zimmerman
The National Ethanol Conference featured a panel addressing the road ahead for higher blends.
Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) vice president for industry relations Robert White moderated the panel, which included Kristi Moriarty, National Renewable Energy Laboratory; John Eichberger, National Association of Convenience Stores; and Brian West with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
“In the past, there was a lot of interest in the number of stations that offered E85 versus the volume. The number we’re looking for today is much different. It’s how many gallons are sold,” said White, pointing out that while some stations in lower populations might be going away, there are more stations going up in higher populations area, where more flex-fuel vehicles are available, pushing up the overall amount of higher blends sold.
Moriarty said their long-term studies on E10 show how the green fuel has not damaged equipment and should serve as an example of how E15 would also be fine. She also encouraged those in attendance to have some empathy for retailers, some who still have to meet the oil companies’ gasoline sales requirements, which ethanol can cut into. Eichberger, who comes from that retail perspective, said his group found the number of E85 pumps in the U.S. has increased 14 percent annually every year since 2007. And he said with fewer flex-fuel friendly stations available per each flex-fuel vehicle (FFV) as compared to those for regular fueled vehicles, more E85 pumps are certainly in the picture.
“There’s a lot of room for growth,” pointing out that while there is a 32-billion-gallon potential market for E85 (if all FFVs fueled at 100 percent), a more realistic goal is getting all the E85 stations by 2025 to sell at what the top 10 percent is selling now, making for a 4.5-billion-gallon E85 market.
West pointed out how good of an octane booster ethanol is and added that it is easier to get in a mid-level blend pump, such as E25, than it is to put in the infrastructure for a hydrogen-based pump.
White sent attendees off with a little job to do: talk to retailers about the benefits of selling ethanol, especially the higher blends.
“Talk to one retailer and ask them [to sell a higher blend],” said White. “Everyone in this industry needs to help the growth of this industry.”
Read the original story here: #NEC15 Travels Road Ahead for Higher Blends
Feb 25, 2015
WASHINGTON — The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) announced today that it has acquired E85prices.com, which is a crowdsourced website that offers updated prices for E85 and other ethanol flex-fuels — including E15 — from thousands of stations across the country. In addition to E85prices.com, RFA acquired 11 new websites and a new mobile app to strengthen its online presence and its ability to provide up-to-the-minute information on the availability and pricing of E85 and other ethanol flex-fuels.
E85prices.com and E85vehicles.com are the most visited of the 12 new sites now owned by RFA, with E85prices.com receiving approximately 4 million hits last year. E85prices.com has been a go-to source for consumers seeking E85 pricing information to help make informed fuel purchase decisions. The website also maintains a station locator, a database of all existing E85 stations and blender pump locations, and an online forum. Meanwhile, E85vehicles.com helps consumers locate or identify a flex-fuel vehicle (FFV).
Robert White, vice president of industry relations at the RFA, touted the sites, noting, “As the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) continues to be discussed in Congress, and the 2014–2016 RFS requirements remain under consideration at Environmental Protection Agency, we believe it is more important than ever to provide concrete information to decision-makers about E85, E15, and other flex-fuels. At the same time, consumers are looking for more information on renewable fuels, and these websites have provided that service to millions of unique visitors each year. The RFA intends to further strengthen the usefulness and reliability of these websites and ensure the appropriate resources are dedicated to advance all of them into the future.”
In July of 2014, RFA cited E85prices.com when it called on the Department of Energy (DOE) to update their Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) database, which was missing nearly 1,000 stations. RFA will continue its efforts to ensure all station databases reflect the real world, and will work with DOE to fix the current discrepancies in their database.
The information on E85prices.com is crowdsourced, but RFA will confirm all station locations and ensure they are offering higher-level fuel blends.
Read the original story here : RFA Acquires E85prices.com
WASHINGTON — The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) announced today that it has acquired E85prices.com, which is a crowdsourced website that offers updated prices for E85 and other ethanol flex-fuels — including E15 — from thousands of stations across the country. In addition to E85prices.com, RFA acquired 11 new websites and a new mobile app to strengthen its online presence and its ability to provide up-to-the-minute information on the availability and pricing of E85 and other ethanol flex-fuels.
E85prices.com and E85vehicles.com are the most visited of the 12 new sites now owned by RFA, with E85prices.com receiving approximately 4 million hits last year. E85prices.com has been a go-to source for consumers seeking E85 pricing information to help make informed fuel purchase decisions. The website also maintains a station locator, a database of all existing E85 stations and blender pump locations, and an online forum. Meanwhile, E85vehicles.com helps consumers locate or identify a flex-fuel vehicle (FFV).
Robert White, vice president of industry relations at the RFA, touted the sites, noting, “As the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) continues to be discussed in Congress, and the 2014–2016 RFS requirements remain under consideration at Environmental Protection Agency, we believe it is more important than ever to provide concrete information to decision-makers about E85, E15, and other flex-fuels. At the same time, consumers are looking for more information on renewable fuels, and these websites have provided that service to millions of unique visitors each year. The RFA intends to further strengthen the usefulness and reliability of these websites and ensure the appropriate resources are dedicated to advance all of them into the future.”
In July of 2014, RFA cited E85prices.com when it called on the Department of Energy (DOE) to update their Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) database, which was missing nearly 1,000 stations. RFA will continue its efforts to ensure all station databases reflect the real world, and will work with DOE to fix the current discrepancies in their database.
The information on E85prices.com is crowdsourced, but RFA will confirm all station locations and ensure they are offering higher-level fuel blends.
- See more at: http://www.ethanolrfa.org/news/entry/rfa-acquires-e85prices.com/#sthash.atfNh9fv.dpufFeb 24, 2015
By Growth Energy
Fuel with 15 percent ethanol, known as E15, has made its way into south Florida recently. E15 has been approved for sale by the U.S. EPA since January 2011 and has been offered to consumers since July of 2012. Now it’s making its way to gas pumps across the country. The ethanol expansion is grabbing the attention of consumers and making headlines in the convenience and fuel retail industry.
Five years ago, NASCAR made the change to an ethanol fuel blend and has run on Sunoco Green E15 since the 2011 Daytona 500. NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France stated, "time and time again, our sport has demonstrated that it is a great validator of technology, particularly in the green and transportation sectors.” France added, “There's no better example of that than our seamless transition to Sunoco Green E15.”
NASCAR made the fuel change in conjunction with its NASCAR Green Platform, the largest and most comprehensive recycling, tree planting and renewable energy program in sports. Not only has the move to Sunoco Green E15 proven to be an environmentally beneficial decision, it’s actually boosted the performance of the race cars in all three of NASCAR’s national series — lowering emissions and increasing horsepower.
Growth Energy’s CEO Tom Buis explained how NASCAR’s massive loyal following, third party validation and green initiative were very attractive for a partnership. "Ethanol-blended fuel is greener, cleaner and homegrown. It reduces our dependence on foreign oil, creates jobs right here at home and helps improve our environment. We want consumers to know that E15 is a safe, high performance and reliable option for them that is less expensive and supports hometown jobs when they fill up at the pump,” Buis said.
Read the original story here:E15 is new to most fuel stations, but not to NASCAR
Feb 23, 2015
By John Davis
The latest numbers from the federal government shows biodiesel was the leader in growth among biofuels in the United States. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) 2013 Renewable Energy Data Book showed good gains for many of the renewable energy industries, while energy consumption from petroleum actually slumped, despite an overall increase in the amount of energy consumed.
United States overall energy consumption grew to 97.3 quadrillion Btu in 2013, a 2.4% increase from 2012. Energy consumption from coal and renewables grew slightly, while consumption from petroleum and natural gas fell slightly.
Biodiesel was the fastest growing biofuel type, with production increasing by 64% in the United States and 17% globally, from a relatively small base.
Renewable electricity [including hydropower and biopower] grew to nearly 15% of total installed capacity and 13% of total electricity generation in the United States in 2013. Installed renewable electricity capacity exceeded 171 gigawatts (GW) in 2013, generating 534 TWh.
[S]olar electricity was the fastest growing electricity generation technology, with cumulative installed capacity increasing by nearly 66% from the previous year.
[W]ind electricity generation increased 20% in 2013, while wind electricity capacity grew 1.8%.
The report also found that in 2013, renewable electricity accounted for more than 61 percent of all new electricity capacity installations in the United States. By comparison, renewable electricity captured 4 percent of new capacity additions in 2004 and 57 percent in 2008.
Globally, solar photovoltaics (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) are among the fastest growing renewable electricity technologies— between 2000 and 2013, solar electricity generation worldwide increased by a factor of nearly 68.
Read the original story here: NREL: Biodiesel Leads Biofuels Growth in US
More...
Feb 20, 2015
By The Energy Future Coalition, Urban Air Initiative
The California Air Resources Board was urged to enhance its efforts to require low carbon fuels by supporting the increased use of clean burning ethanol as a means of displacing aromatics in gasoline to reduce carbon and protect public health.
Comments submitted to the agency by The Energy Future Coalition and the Urban Air Initiative urged CARB to look at best available science which reflects significant improvements in the total life cycle of ethanol. The groups pointed out that according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, conventional automobiles operating on petroleum products will continue to be the dominant fuel for decades. The California goal of reducing the carbon intensity of transportation fuels in the state will need to focus on the liquid fuels that EIA predicts will be 95 percent of the market.
“Simply replacing gasoline, which is increasingly carbon intensive, with ethanol provides substantial carbon reductions. Using that ethanol to replace toxic compounds used for octane provides a dual benefit of protecting public health,” said David VanderGriend, president of UAI. “Our research has shown that there is a clear linkage to gasoline and a range of negative health effects. So reducing carbon isn’t just a matter of greenhouse gas and potential climate change but also saving lives by reducing toxic emissions.”
The comments cited numerous supporting documents and reports, including research by Argonne National Laboratory which has devoted 20 years of research and analysis to the life-cycle greenhouse gas impacts of transportation fuels. As a 2012 Argonne paper summarized, “advances in technology and the resulting improved productivity in corn and sugarcane farming and ethanol conversion … have increased the energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits of using bioethanol.”
As positive as that is, said VanderGriend, the numbers should be even better. The Argonne studies give no credit for corn’s ability to fix carbon in soil permanently. But new research is showing that modern, high-yield continuous corn grown using conservation or no-till practices is in fact sequestering and rebuilding the carbon content of soil in the Midwest. Argonne is beginning a new look at soil carbon fixation, as well as NOx emissions related to fertilizer use, with regard to its GHG estimates for corn ethanol. The net result is a range in carbon reduction from corn ethanol of 30-44 percent and cellulosic ethanol of as much as 100 percent.
The comments argue that current EPA and CARB life-cycle analysis models both underestimate corn’s superior ability as a highly efficient C4 plant in sequestering carbon, and should be updated accordingly.
The groups also provided background on the trends in the auto industry that clearly indicate a new generation of small bore, high compression engines will be needed to meet ever increasing mileage standards. Automakers have stated they will need higher octane fuels for those vehicles. Mid-level ethanol blends such as E30 could meet octane needs while reducing toxic aromatics and a number of dangerous criteria pollutants.
“We will continue to make the case that high compression engines powered by high octane mid-level ethanol blends will not take decades to come to market and will be cost competitive and save consumers money,” said VanderGriend. “It will provide a healthier fuel and would have a lower carbon footprint than even electric vehicles and fuel cells when proper lifecycle analyses are applied.”
Read the original story here: UAI, EFC urge recognition of ethanol as a way to reduce carbon
Feb 19, 2015
GRAPEVINE, Texas — At this year's National Ethanol Conference, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) released a new ABF Economics study titled "Contribution of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of the United States in 2014," which quantified the economic, national security, and job creating benefits of domestic ethanol production in 2014.
The study revealed that last year the ethanol industry was responsible for 83,949 direct jobs and 295,265 indirect and induced jobs. In addition to good-paying, non-exportable jobs, the ethanol industry added $52.7 billion to the national GDP, $26.7 billion to household incomes, and $10.3 billion in taxes, which help stimulate the national, state, and local economies. The study also revealed that the 14.3 billion gallons of ethanol produced in 2014 displaced an immense 515 million barrels of foreign oil, which carries a monetary value of almost $49 billion.
Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the RFA, touted the study's findings, stating, "Numbers are powerful. These numbers reflect the vast reach of the U.S. ethanol industry across many sectors of our society. Each of the nearly 380,000 jobs represents a solid, stable income for a parent who can continue to provide for their family, buy groceries, and pay the rent on time. Each of the $10.3 billion spent in local, state, and federal taxes mean improved public services, safe, drivable roads, more teachers for local school systems or greater access to the latest technology and information for students. And, each of the 515 million barrels of oil we no longer have to import, mean less dependence on often volatile countries and a more stable energy future for all Americans."
Dinneen continued, "It is my hope that Americans and policymakers alike will look at these numbers and fully understand the integral role of biofuels in our society."
John Urbanchuk, author of the study and managing partner of ABF Economics, concluded his analysis by noting, "The ethanol industry continues to make a significant contribution to the economy in terms of job creation, generation of tax revenue, and displacement of imported crude oil and petroleum products. The importance of the ethanol industry to agriculture and rural economies is particularly notable. Continued growth and expansion of the ethanol industry through new technologies and feedstocks will enhance the industry's position as the original creator of green jobs, and will enable America to make further strides toward energy independence."
A brief summary of the study's findings:
- $52.7 billion to America's gross domestic product
- 83,949 direct jobs and 295,265 indirect and induced jobs
- $26.7 billion to household incomes
- $10.3 billion in federal, state and local taxes
- Displaced 515 million barrels of oil, the equivalent of $49 billion
Read the original story here: New Study Reveals Wide-Ranging Economic Impact of Ethanol Production
GRAPEVINE, Texas — At this year’s National Ethanol Conference, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) released a new ABF Economics study titled “Contribution of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of the United States in 2014,” which quantified the economic, national security, and job creating benefits of domestic ethanol production in 2014.
The study revealed that last year the ethanol industry was responsible for 83,949 direct jobs and 295,265 indirect and induced jobs. In addition to good-paying, non-exportable jobs, the ethanol industry added $52.7 billion to the national GDP, $26.7 billion to household incomes, and $10.3 billion in taxes, which help stimulate the national, state, and local economies. The study also revealed that the 14.3 billion gallons of ethanol produced in 2014 displaced an immense 515 million barrels of foreign oil, which carries a monetary value of almost $49 billion.
Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the RFA, touted the study’s findings, stating, “Numbers are powerful. These numbers reflect the vast reach of the U.S. ethanol industry across many sectors of our society. Each of the nearly 380,000 jobs represents a solid, stable income for a parent who can continue to provide for their family, buy groceries, and pay the rent on time. Each of the $10.3 billion spent in local, state, and federal taxes mean improved public services, safe, drivable roads, more teachers for local school systems or greater access to the latest technology and information for students. And, each of the 515 million barrels of oil we no longer have to import, mean less dependence on often volatile countries and a more stable energy future for all Americans.”
Dinneen continued, “It is my hope that Americans and policymakers alike will look at these numbers and fully understand the integral role of biofuels in our society.”
John Urbanchuk, author of the study and managing partner of ABF Economics, concluded his analysis by noting, “The ethanol industry continues to make a significant contribution to the economy in terms of job creation, generation of tax revenue, and displacement of imported crude oil and petroleum products. The importance of the ethanol industry to agriculture and rural economies is particularly notable. Continued growth and expansion of the ethanol industry through new technologies and feedstocks will enhance the industry’s position as the original creator of green jobs, and will enable America to make further strides toward energy independence.”
A brief summary of the study’s findings:
- $52.7 billion to America’s gross domestic product
- 83,949 direct jobs and 295,265 indirect and induced jobs
- $26.7 billion to household incomes
- $10.3 billion in federal, state and local taxes
- Displaced 515 million barrels of oil, the equivalent of $49 billion
The full study, prepared on behalf of the Renewable Fuels Association, can be found here.
GRAPEVINE, Texas — At this year’s National Ethanol Conference, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) released a new ABF Economics study titled “Contribution of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of the United States in 2014,” which quantified the economic, national security, and job creating benefits of domestic ethanol production in 2014.
The study revealed that last year the ethanol industry was responsible for 83,949 direct jobs and 295,265 indirect and induced jobs. In addition to good-paying, non-exportable jobs, the ethanol industry added $52.7 billion to the national GDP, $26.7 billion to household incomes, and $10.3 billion in taxes, which help stimulate the national, state, and local economies. The study also revealed that the 14.3 billion gallons of ethanol produced in 2014 displaced an immense 515 million barrels of foreign oil, which carries a monetary value of almost $49 billion.
Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the RFA, touted the study’s findings, stating, “Numbers are powerful. These numbers reflect the vast reach of the U.S. ethanol industry across many sectors of our society. Each of the nearly 380,000 jobs represents a solid, stable income for a parent who can continue to provide for their family, buy groceries, and pay the rent on time. Each of the $10.3 billion spent in local, state, and federal taxes mean improved public services, safe, drivable roads, more teachers for local school systems or greater access to the latest technology and information for students. And, each of the 515 million barrels of oil we no longer have to import, mean less dependence on often volatile countries and a more stable energy future for all Americans.”
Dinneen continued, “It is my hope that Americans and policymakers alike will look at these numbers and fully understand the integral role of biofuels in our society.”
John Urbanchuk, author of the study and managing partner of ABF Economics, concluded his analysis by noting, “The ethanol industry continues to make a significant contribution to the economy in terms of job creation, generation of tax revenue, and displacement of imported crude oil and petroleum products. The importance of the ethanol industry to agriculture and rural economies is particularly notable. Continued growth and expansion of the ethanol industry through new technologies and feedstocks will enhance the industry’s position as the original creator of green jobs, and will enable America to make further strides toward energy independence.”
A brief summary of the study’s findings:
- $52.7 billion to America’s gross domestic product
- 83,949 direct jobs and 295,265 indirect and induced jobs
- $26.7 billion to household incomes
- $10.3 billion in federal, state and local taxes
- Displaced 515 million barrels of oil, the equivalent of $49 billion
The full study, prepared on behalf of the Renewable Fuels Association, can be found here.
GRAPEVINE, Texas — At this year’s National Ethanol Conference, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) released a new ABF Economics study titled “Contribution of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of the United States in 2014,” which quantified the economic, national security, and job creating benefits of domestic ethanol production in 2014.
The study revealed that last year the ethanol industry was responsible for 83,949 direct jobs and 295,265 indirect and induced jobs. In addition to good-paying, non-exportable jobs, the ethanol industry added $52.7 billion to the national GDP, $26.7 billion to household incomes, and $10.3 billion in taxes, which help stimulate the national, state, and local economies. The study also revealed that the 14.3 billion gallons of ethanol produced in 2014 displaced an immense 515 million barrels of foreign oil, which carries a monetary value of almost $49 billion.
Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the RFA, touted the study’s findings, stating, “Numbers are powerful. These numbers reflect the vast reach of the U.S. ethanol industry across many sectors of our society. Each of the nearly 380,000 jobs represents a solid, stable income for a parent who can continue to provide for their family, buy groceries, and pay the rent on time. Each of the $10.3 billion spent in local, state, and federal taxes mean improved public services, safe, drivable roads, more teachers for local school systems or greater access to the latest technology and information for students. And, each of the 515 million barrels of oil we no longer have to import, mean less dependence on often volatile countries and a more stable energy future for all Americans.”
Dinneen continued, “It is my hope that Americans and policymakers alike will look at these numbers and fully understand the integral role of biofuels in our society.”
John Urbanchuk, author of the study and managing partner of ABF Economics, concluded his analysis by noting, “The ethanol industry continues to make a significant contribution to the economy in terms of job creation, generation of tax revenue, and displacement of imported crude oil and petroleum products. The importance of the ethanol industry to agriculture and rural economies is particularly notable. Continued growth and expansion of the ethanol industry through new technologies and feedstocks will enhance the industry’s position as the original creator of green jobs, and will enable America to make further strides toward energy independence.”
A brief summary of the study’s findings:
- $52.7 billion to America’s gross domestic product
- 83,949 direct jobs and 295,265 indirect and induced jobs
- $26.7 billion to household incomes
- $10.3 billion in federal, state and local taxes
- Displaced 515 million barrels of oil, the equivalent of $49 billion
The full study, prepared on behalf of the Renewable Fuels Association, can be found here.
GRAPEVINE, Texas — At this year’s National Ethanol Conference, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) released a new ABF Economics study titled “Contribution of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of the United States in 2014,” which quantified the economic, national security, and job creating benefits of domestic ethanol production in 2014.
The study revealed that last year the ethanol industry was responsible for 83,949 direct jobs and 295,265 indirect and induced jobs. In addition to good-paying, non-exportable jobs, the ethanol industry added $52.7 billion to the national GDP, $26.7 billion to household incomes, and $10.3 billion in taxes, which help stimulate the national, state, and local economies. The study also revealed that the 14.3 billion gallons of ethanol produced in 2014 displaced an immense 515 million barrels of foreign oil, which carries a monetary value of almost $49 billion.
Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the RFA, touted the study’s findings, stating, “Numbers are powerful. These numbers reflect the vast reach of the U.S. ethanol industry across many sectors of our society. Each of the nearly 380,000 jobs represents a solid, stable income for a parent who can continue to provide for their family, buy groceries, and pay the rent on time. Each of the $10.3 billion spent in local, state, and federal taxes mean improved public services, safe, drivable roads, more teachers for local school systems or greater access to the latest technology and information for students. And, each of the 515 million barrels of oil we no longer have to import, mean less dependence on often volatile countries and a more stable energy future for all Americans.”
Dinneen continued, “It is my hope that Americans and policymakers alike will look at these numbers and fully understand the integral role of biofuels in our society.”
John Urbanchuk, author of the study and managing partner of ABF Economics, concluded his analysis by noting, “The ethanol industry continues to make a significant contribution to the economy in terms of job creation, generation of tax revenue, and displacement of imported crude oil and petroleum products. The importance of the ethanol industry to agriculture and rural economies is particularly notable. Continued growth and expansion of the ethanol industry through new technologies and feedstocks will enhance the industry’s position as the original creator of green jobs, and will enable America to make further strides toward energy independence.”
A brief summary of the study’s findings:
- $52.7 billion to America’s gross domestic product
- 83,949 direct jobs and 295,265 indirect and induced jobs
- $26.7 billion to household incomes
- $10.3 billion in federal, state and local taxes
- Displaced 515 million barrels of oil, the equivalent of $49 billion
The full study, prepared on behalf of the Renewable Fuels Association, can be found here.
Feb 18, 2015
By Mike Bryan
Low oil prices and the resulting low gasoline prices have certainly been a boon to motorists. If someone were to have asked me, I would have said that oil would never again be this low. But then, when corn was $7 a bushel, many thought that they would never see corn prices below $5 again. So as the old saying goes, “nothing cures high prices like high prices.”
While not everyone would agree, the recent fall in oil prices makes an even stronger case for all forms of domestic energy, both renewable and nonrenewable. In fact, what the oil producing countries are doing makes a strong case for greater energy independence in general. The cost of extraction has not changed, nor has the cost of transportation and refining. What has changed is reduced demand because of shale oil discoveries like the Bakken and a strong and growing renewable fuels industry.
The cost of extracting a barrel of oil is likely less than $10, so oil producing regions of the world can and are playing fast and loose with the price in an attempt to decimate the shale oil industry and at the same time cripple the renewable energy industry. This is economics 101, when demand lessens, you reduce your price to maintain market share and then slowly raise your price as the opportunity avails itself, with a side benefit of crippling competition in the process.
My point is that we should all be scared out of our wits to really see the power that these oil rich countries have over our economy, our environment and our energy future. When an intentional price cut is imposed by one segment of our energy supply chain that is exclusively designed to eliminate competition, we should not celebrate it, we should be mad as hell.
Whether it is in the first quarter or second quarter of 2015 or sometime later in the year, the price of oil will return to a higher price. The question we must come to grips with is what will be the long-term fallout on domestic oil production and the renewable fuels industry as a result of this short-term drop in oil price? It is, indeed, a shot across the bow of domestic oil and renewable fuels, that “we” can make your industries noncompetitive anytime “we” want. “We” control the market and “we” will decide what domestic energy programs succeed or fail.
If ever there was a time when the government should rally behind the domestic energy industry to subsidize or support in any way possible its continued growth, now is that time. Because once new investment dries up because major oil producing countries decide it should, it will never regain its momentum. Who would invest in something that someone else, at their discretion, could make unprofitable overnight?
Artificially low oil prices should be seen as what they really are, a wakeup call for the world to vow to never be dependent on a single energy source again. While the price of energy independence may be more in the near-term, long-term the benefits of that independence will be huge.
That’s the way I see it.
Read the original story here: Short-Term Pain Long-Term Gain
Feb 17, 2015
By Bob Dinneen
From the first tip-off to the trophy presentation, March Madness brings a unique sense of competition, hope and excitement for basketball fans everywhere as teams emerge and make a run for the championship. In the same way, competition, hope and excitement abound as E15 is gaining visibility and emerging on the market in a big way. What started off in 2012 as a single station offering the higher-level blend in Lawrence, Kansas, has grown to stations in 15 states selling the fuel.
E15—which was approved by the U.S. EPA for 2001 and newer cars, trucks and SUVs—has been in the marketplace for two and a half years. It can now be purchased at stations in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
Not only is E15 expanding into new states, but it is advancing to the next round in other areas as well. Popular automakers such as Audi, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Jaguar and others now approve the use of the higher-level fuel blend in their new 2015 vehicles. In fact, nearly 70 percent of auto manufacturers approve the use of E15 in model year 2015 vehicles. Swish!
But no matter how much progress is made, or how well your team is doing, there will always be the naysayers who get in front of the microphone and spew their opinions without knowing the facts or doing the proper research. In the case of E15, Big Oil and its counterparts are ginning up false concern over engine damage and misfueling. But, no matter how little faith Big Oil puts in consumers, drivers know what can and can’t be put in their fuel tanks. In fact, history reveals no known cases of engine damage or inferior performance while using E15. Moreover, there have been no known cases of misfueling in small engines, boats, pre-2001 vehicles, or other nonapproved equipment, and zero liability claims against retailers, blenders, refiners or automakers have been reported.
The fact that E15 is not causing engine problems shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone given the record-breaking testing E15 went through before gaining the EPA’s stamp of approval for use in vehicles 2001 and newer. The overall testing done on E15 encompassed more than 6 million miles. Separately, 43 studies examined E15 and only one—which was paid for by the American Petroleum Institute—had concerns with the blend. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has since called a technical foul after reviewing the Big Oil-funded research and finding that “the conclusion that engines will experience mechanical engine failure when operating on E15 is not supported by the data.” It doesn’t get any clearer than that.
Since its debut, consumers have driven more than 100 million miles on E15 and the higher-octane, typically lower-priced product is delivering as promised. In fact, retailers who have made the switch over to E15 report that consumers are embracing the higher-level blend. The future is bright as hundreds of E15 stations are in the works with many expected to open in the coming weeks and months. It will take time for E15 to work its way across the country, just as it did for E10, and just as it takes time and hard work for teams to move from the Sweet 16, to the Elite Eight, to the Final Four and beyond. It’s still early in the game for E15, but it's a good bet E15 will be a bracket buster for Big Oil's lobbyists looking to keep consumers from getting in the game.
Read the original story here: E15's Big Dance
Feb 13, 2015
By Brian Jennings
"Traveling to Washington, D.C., and having the opportunity to meet and talk with members of Congress was quite an experience. Unfortunately there are leaders in our country who are unaware of the many benefits of renewable fuels and the positive effect ethanol has on not only the American farmer but also the country as a whole."
-Kenton Johnson, Granite Falls, MinnesotaKenton Johnson serves on the board of directors for three Minnesota ethanol plants; Bushmills Ethanol Inc., Granite Falls Energy LLC and Heron Lake BioEnergy LLC. He stood shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow ethanol supporters to promote the benefits of our industry to lawmakers during the 2014 Biofuels Beltway March.
The American Coalition for Ethanol was the first organization to endorse the idea of the renewable fuel standard (RFS). Our members provided the momentum essential for this proposal to eventually become law. Since the RFS was enacted by Congress and signed into law by President Bush, ACE members like Kenton Johnson have also been proactive about showcasing how it has been a success.
One of the primary ways we’ve highlighted the benefits of the RFS is through our annual Biofuels Beltway March fly-in to Washington, D.C., occurring (wait for it) each March. Consider this your personal invitation to join Kenton and other ethanol advocates at our seventh annual fly-in, March 24 to 25.
The goal of ACE’s Biofuels Beltway March is to help you tell your personal ethanol story to decision makers in D.C. and demonstrate the breadth and depth of grassroots support for renewable fuels. If you’ve taken part in previous ACE fly-ins, please join us again this year and encourage a colleague to come along. If you haven’t participated, there is no more important time to help protect your ethanol investment and see first-hand how your membership support of ACE makes a strong and positive difference inside the Beltway.
Nearly 80 people from all walks of life, including students, bankers, farmers and industry vendors joined ethanol supporters like Kenton at last year’s fly-in to share their personal ethanol stories with more than 160 members of Congress and top administration executives. Our fly-in also featured some of the first retailers in the U.S. to sell E15, E30 and E85. The retailers explained how they have made money and won new customers because they’ve offered these new fuels at their stations.
With opponents’ attacks against E15 and the RFS intensifying and more than 70 new members elected to Congress, active participation in our fly-in takes on greater importance this year. In addition to a large crop of incoming freshmen, just a small fraction of current lawmakers were in office when the original RFS was enacted in 2005 and modified in 2007 by Congress. Moreover, low oil prices and EPA’s mismanagement of the annual volume setting process will be used by our opponents to call for repeal of the RFS. We need you to meet face-to-face with the EPA and members of Congress to help show that the RFS is working, that cellulosic ethanol is real, and how blends such as E15, E30 and E85 are better and cleaner choices for consumers.
In addition to meetings with Congress on Capitol Hill, this year we are also planning to meet with officials from the White House, the EPA, and the Department of Transportation and Surface Transportation Board officials about our concerns with the proposed rule on DOT-111 tank cars and ongoing rail congestion. We also expect more retailers who are selling higher ethanol blends to join us once again and share how they have new customers and profits because they’re selling E15 and higher blends of ethanol.
There is no better time for people who have a stake in the success of the ethanol industry to come march with us. I hope to see you March 24 to 25.
Read the original story here: Come March With ACE
Feb 11, 2015
By Erin Voegele
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has published the February issue of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, reporting ethanol production is expected to average 938,000 barrels per day this year.
According to the EIA, ethanol production reached a new record monthly average of 978,000 barrels per day in December, with production in January estimated to be 969,000 barrels per day. Ethanol production averaged 933,000 barrels per day last year, and is currently expected to average 938,000 barrels per day in 2015.
The forecasted 2015 average made by EIA in the February STEO is up slightly from the forecasted 936,000 barrel per day average made in the January STEO. The forecast for 2016 production is down slightly, however, from 937,000 barrels per day forecasted in the January STEO to 936,000 barrels per day forecasted in the February STEO.
Biodiesel production averaged approximately 80,000 barrels per day last year and is expected to average 84,000 barrels per day this year and in 2016.
According to the U.S. EIA, U.S. weekly regular gasoline retail prices averaged $2.04 per gallon on Jan. 26, the lowest since April 6, 2009. Prices increased to $2.19 per gallon on Feb. 9. EIA expects gasoline prices, which averaged $3.36 per gallon last year, to average $2.33 per gallon this year, increasing to $2.73 per gallon next year.
EIA’s most recent weekly data indicates ethanol production averaged 948,000 barrels per day the week ending Jan. 30, down from 978,000 barrels per day the week ending Jan. 23. Imports reached 33,000 barrels in November, with 25,000 barrels of that coming from Brazil and 8,000 barrels from Canada. In October, only 30,000 barrels of ethanol were imported into the U.S, including 6,000 barrels from Canada and 24,000 barrels from Singapore. U.S. ethanol exports reached nearly 2.17 million barrels in November, up from nearly 1.89 million barrels in October. India, Canada, Brazil, South Korea and Philippines were among the top importers of U.S. ethanol in November.
Read the original story here : EIA Increases 2015 Ethanol Production Target
Feb 8, 2015
Kansas Ethanol LLC has entered an agreement to use ICM Inc's value-added Fiber Separation Technology (FST) platform. FST removes fiber from the standard ethanol process and allows for increased ethanol and oil recovery yields.
This in turn, ICM said, unlocks throughput and efficiency for each gallon of ethanol produced and creates options for diversified co-products with high-protein feeds and fiber.
"Kansas Ethanol was in a similar situation a few years ago as an early adopter of ICM's Selective Milling Technology (SMT) and SMT's success gave us a great deal of confidence as we considered taking this next step as an early adopter of FST," said Mike Chisam, president and CEO of Kansas Ethanol.
ICM's SMT is geared towards increasing ethanol yields, reducing enzyme use and decreasing centrifuge and dryer loads. ICM said Kansas Ethanol is one of 19 ethanol plants in North America that use SMT.
"Kansas Ethanol is both a valued customer and partner in the industry. We are impressed with Kansas Ethanol's desire to be a leader in the renewable fuels industry and we appreciate this opportunity to help them set new operation and production standards with the addition of FST," said Chris Mitchell, president of ICM.
Read more here : ICM Inc Announces Contract With Kansas Ethanol LLC On Full-Scale Commercial Installation Of Its Fiber Separation Technology
Feb 10, 2015
By Sussane Retka Schill
Ten more corn ethanol plants were approved through the U.S. EPA’s efficient producer petition process (EP3) at the end of January, bringing the total to 19. The first round of nine approvals were announced in December.
The 10 corn ethanol plants include Badger State Ethanol LLC, Green Plains Ord LLC, Lincolnland Agri-Energy LLC, Tharaldson Ethanol Plant 1 LLC, Dakota Ethanol LLC, Green Plains Shenandoah LLC, Lincolnway Energy LLC, Farmers Energy Cardinal LLC, Highwater Ethanol LLC and Quad County Corn Processors.
Late last year, the EPA streamlined the petition process used by producers wanting to demonstrate above-average greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions. Ethanol producers must provide the bushels of corn processed, their natural gas and electricity consumption and the gallons of ethanol produced, which are then plugged into a new GHG calculation tool developed by the agency.
Under the current renewable fuels standard program(RFS), the production volume of existing corn ethanol plants was grandfathered in, and any new production above the gallons registered with the EPA are required, by law, to meet the 20 percent GHG reduction threshold when compared to the baseline gasoline. The average GHG reduction value for corn ethanol plants in the original 2010 modeling done by EPA was about 17 percent, including controversial indirect land use change emissions. Energy efficiency improvements and ethanol yield gains mean 19 ethanol producers can demonstrate GHG reductions better than 20 percent.
Read the original story here : EPA Names 10 More Efficient Corn Ethanol Producers