Press Releases
Minneapolis, July 13 - The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Bio-Fuels) and KS95 FM held a joint E15 promotion at a Holiday station in Plymouth yesterday.
“Minnesota-made biofuel is a readily available energy solution with a proven track record of lowering prices at the pump, improving vehicle efficiency, and cleaning up our environment. We hope that our most recent event in Plymouth, with the help of KS95, will help get that message out to consumers looking for a better fuel option this summer,” said Brian Werner, executive director of MN Bio-Fuels.
During the hour-long promotion, drivers who fueled up with E15 (Unleaded 88) were rewarded with prizes such as $20 in cash, tickets to Minnesota United, tickets to the St Paul Saints, Applebee’s gift cards and KS95 merchandise.
The promotion was held from 12 pm to 1 pm. The Holiday station is located at 16825 County Road 24 in Plymouth.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Department of Commerce reports that 46.47 million gallons of E15 was sold from January to May this year.
The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Bio-Fuels) and KS95 FM held a joint E15 promotion at a Minnoco station in Hopkins on July 26.
During the hour-long promotion, drivers who fueled up with E15 (Unleaded 88) were rewarded with prizes such as $20 in cash, tickets to Minnesota United, tickets to the St Paul Saints, Applebee’s gift cards and KS95 merchandise.
"We were again pleased to partner with KS95 to highlight the benefits of Unleaded 88 to Minnesota motorists. When consumers in Hopkins choose higher blends of ethanol like Unleaded 88, they not only save money - between $3 - $5 per fill-up on average - but help keep us on track to meet both state and federal decarbonization goals. That's a win-win for our economy and environment,” said Brian Werner, executive director of MN Bio-Fuels.
The promotion was held from 12 pm to 1 pm. The Minnoco station is located at 1120 7th Street South in Hopkins.
The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Bio-Fuels) and KS95 FM held an hour-long E15 promotion at a Holiday station in New Hope on Aug 10.
Drivers who fueled up with E15 (Unleaded 88) during the promotion were rewarded with prizes such as $20 in cash, tickets to Minnesota United, tickets to the St Paul Saints, Applebee’s gift cards and KS95 merchandise.
The promotion was held from 12 pm to 1 pm at the Holiday station, which is located at 7201 Bass Lake Road in New Hope.
The promotion at the Holiday in New Hope was the seventh time MN Bio-Fuels and KS95 have teamed up to promote E15 at a station in the Twin Cities metro this year.
Picture Caption: Participants of the tour at Guardian Energy in Janesville on Aug 16.
Burnsville, Aug 18 - The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Bio-Fuels), in collaboration with the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA), hosted congressional and federal agency staffers on Aug 16 and 17 when the latter’s 2023 Biofuels Science and Sustainability Tour participants visited Minnesota.
Over the two days, MN Bio-Fuels provided participants of the tour with a better understanding of Minnesota’s ethanol industry. This included a tour of Guardian Energy in Janesville, visiting one of the first retailers in the state to offer E15 (Hennen’s Minnoco in Shakopee ) and providing the staffers with an overview of the emerging sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) market during a tour of the Minneapolis - St Paul International Airport.
IRFA’s 2023 Biofuels Science and Sustainability Tour began on Aug 14 in Des Moines before heading up to Minnesota on Aug 16. The tour ended on Aug 17.
“This week, in partnership with IRFA, we were proud to welcome a group of 50 staffers from the US Senate, House, and federal agencies to Minnesota for an educational tour about the biofuel industry and highlighting the important role it plays in lowering greenhouse gas emissions and supporting rural communities,” said Brian Werner, executive director at MN Bio-Fuels.
At Guardian Energy, the group were provided an extensive tour of the ethanol production process, the plant’s efforts in enhancing yields, reducing natural resource usage and improving energy efficiency, as well as its advanced cellulosic biofuels production.
Following the visit at Guardian Energy, the group headed to Hennen’s Minnoco in Shakopee where they were briefed on how federal funding through the Higher Blends Infrastructure Investment Program, as well as state infrastructure funding, has helped increase the number of fuel retailers offering E15 and E85 in Minnesota.
On Aug 17, the group were briefed by both Delta Airlines and Gevo at the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport on how SAF made from agriculture feedstocks can contribute to meeting the state’s carbon reduction goals. The group was also briefed by representatives from the Minnesota Farmers Union on how climate smart agronomic practices can be incorporated into the lifecycle accounting process at ethanol plants to produce ethanol with a lower carbon footprint.
“The biofuel industry’s foundations began here in Minnesota with the dedicated, grassroots efforts of our farmers and the partnerships they established to strengthen their rural communities and add value to agricultural products. We were glad to have the opportunity to show these hardworking public servants first-hand how Minnesota has been - and will continue to be - a leader on developing and fostering an industry dedicated to providing an innovative, homegrown source of renewable fuel,” Werner said.
Picture Caption: Tour participants learn about the ethanol production process at Guardian Energy on Aug 16.
Picture caption: Tour participants at Hennen's Minnoco in Shakopee.
Picture caption: Tour participants being briefed on SAF at the Minneaspolis - St Paul International Airport On Aug 17.
Burnsville, Aug 25 - The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Bio-Fuels) commends Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen for his leadership advocating for the participation of agriculture and biofuel producers in decarbonizing the aviation sector in a recent letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
In the letter, Thom Petersen, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, thanked the Secretary for his ongoing support of agriculture and recommended policymakers implement guidance that facilitates the industry’s participation in new markets, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
“Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association is grateful for Commissioner Petersen and Secretary Vilsack’s efforts to ensure Minnesota farmers and ethanol producers can continue contributing towards the decarbonization of our transportation sector,” said MN Bio-Fuels Executive Director Brian Werner. “We urge regulators in Washington to adopt SAF tax credit guidance that supports Minnesotan farmers and biofuels.”
The U.S. Department of the Treasury is deciding which additional carbon accounting model can be used for determining eligibility for SAF tax credits passed in the Inflation Reduction Act. The Commissioner makes clear that adopting the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne GREET model would be an appropriate choice, given its use by the Treasury Department for non-aviation fuel tax credits, and ability to incorporate updated science and data from federal agencies.
The forthcoming decision by the Biden Administration regarding the method and model used to measure carbon intensity holds significant implications for American farmers. “The key question remains whether U.S. sustainable aviation fuel producers will be allowed to use a lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounting methodology based on the well-established Argonne GREET model developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, which is used with standards for other biofuels, or whether producers can only use a policy framework approved by an international body (ICAO) under the CORSIA program. The GREET methodology is tailored to U.S. circumstances and would permit some row crops to be utilized for SAF under both the 40B and 45Z tax credits, whereas the CORSIA methodology would deter their use,” Petersen writes.
Furthermore, Commissioner Petersen emphasizes Minnesota's commitment to the Biden Administration's SAF Grand Challenge, aiming to produce 3 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel by 2030: “Expanding SAF production not only creates jobs in Minnesota farming communities, but also in construction and equipment design for cutting-edge biorefineries, biorefineries and infrastructure operations, and scientific research on bioenergy and biofuels. But we cannot contribute to the SAF Grand Challenge if regulatory policies restrict the use of crop-based biofuels and disincentivize participation from farmers by adopting a less dynamic carbon intensity model.”
As the third-largest producer of corn and the fifth-largest producer of ethanol in the U.S., Minnesota is committed to constantly innovating to improve yields, find new markets, and support American energy security.
Burnsville, Aug 30 - CFO Systems LLC has joined the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Bio-Fuels) as a vendor member.
“MN Bio-Fuels welcomes CFO Systems as our newest vendor member. With their support, together we will continue working to strengthen the ethanol industry across the state while lowering prices at the pump, building up rural communities, and achieving cleaner air quality,” said Brian Werner, executive director at MN Bio-Fuels.
Headquartered in Omaha, NE, CFO Systems provides fractional CFOs, controllers, senior accountants, human resources, operations and procurement executives as well recruiting. It also provides strategic planning and turnarounds.
Founded in 2004, the company focuses on small to middle market organizations in every industry. Apart from Omaha, it has offices in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virgina, Washington and Wisconsin.
It has worked with numerous ethanol plants, including those in Minnesota.
“You’d be hard pressed to find more biofuel and ethanol experience in any other leadership team. We have CEO, CFO, Controller, HR, Board of Directors, SEC experience and expertise comprised within various directors. This is decades of knowledge dating back to 2003. CFOS our firm have served over a dozen biofuel plants in many states. These leadership team members have led organizations though construction and expansions, pandemics, start-ups, industry constraints, LCFS and other regulations, incidents involving insurance claims, refinancing, SEC compliance and deregulation, capital raises, mergers,” said Shelly Ruwe, operations - people, process and projects at CFO Systems.
Learn more about CFO Systems here.
The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Bio-Fuels) and KS95 FM promoted E15 (Unleaded 88) to drivers at a Holiday station in Vadnais Heights today.
During the two-hour-long promotion, drivers who fueled up with Unleaded 88 were rewarded with prizes such as $20 in cash, tickets to the St Paul Saints, tickets to Valley Fair, gift vouchers to Applebee's and KS95 merchandise.
Throughout the promotion, MN Bio-Fuels and KS95's personality, Greg "Hutch" Hutchinson, educated consumers on the various benefits of fueling up with Unleaded 88.
The promotion was held from 11 am to 1 pm at the Holiday on 1035 County Road East in Vadnais Heights. Prior to today's event, MN Bio-Fuels and KS95 had previoulsy promoted E15 at stations in Coon Rapids, Golden Valley, Fridley, Hopkins, New Hope, Plymouth, St Paul and White Bear Lake.
Janesville, Sept 21 - Nine students from Minnesota State University, Mankato’s biological engineering analysis class toured Guardian Energy today to learn more about the ethanol production process.
“It’s always a pleasure to host students from Minnesota State Mankato. For this group of biological engineering students, we were able to showcase how Minnesota-grown ethanol is part of a solar-based ecosystem which converts renewable feedstock into clean energy while strengthening rural economies, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and prices at the pump,” said Jeanne McCaherty, CEO of Guardian Energy.
During the tour, the students learned about the various components of the ethanol production process such as incoming grain grading, grain handling, fermentation, grain storage, dried distillers grain production and storage, ethanol storage and shipment.
Today’s tour was sponsored by the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Bio-Fuels). Guardian Energy is a member of MN Bio-Fuels.
“Students in the Biotechnology Program and Food Science Technology program have great preparation from their classroom and laboratory experiences. One of our goals is to have students understand and be able to apply their education to real-world situations. Our tour of the ethanol plant exposes the students to the much larger scale of an industrial facility. It helps them understand the difference between a laboratory experience and the operation of a real-world production facility,” said Gregg Marg, professor of biological sciences at Minnesota State Mankato.
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The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Bio-Fuels) and KS95 FM rewarded drivers who fueled up with Unleaded 88 (E15) during an hour-long promotion at a Minnoco station in Richfield yesterday.
During the promotion, drivers won prizes such as $20 in cash, tickets to Valley Fair, gift vouchers to Applebee's and KS95 merchandise.
KS95 personality, Greg "Hutch" Hutchinson, and MN Bio-Fuels staff educated consumers on the various benefits of fueling with E15 during the promotion.
Yesterday's promotion was the 10th time MN Bio-Fuels and KS95 have teamed up at a gas station in the Twin Cities metro area to promote E15.
The Minnoco in Richfield is located on 6744 Penn Avenue South.
Benson, Oct 13 - Thirteen students from Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa High School toured Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company (CVEC) yesterday to learn more about ethanol production.
During the tour, the students toured the various stages of the ethanol production process such as incoming grain grading, grain handling, fermentation, grain storage, dried distillers grain production and storage, ethanol storage and shipment.
“We take pride in showcasing our production process and various co-products. These tours also give us an opportunity to highlight the vital role our industry plays in strengthening Minnesota’s economy, reducing greenhouse gases, reducing prices at the pump and promoting energy independence,” said Chad Friese, CEO of CVEC.
The students that participated in the tour were 10th -12th graders from the school’s small engines class.
The tour was sponsored by the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Bio-Fuels). CVEC is a member of MN Bio-Fuels.
Gary Rodgers, agriculture teacher at Belgrade-Brooten-Elrose High School, accompanied his students during the tour.
“Ethanol is a growing industry primarily because it reduces carbon emissions and the environmental impacts of producing ethanol have been greatly reduced,” he said.
Picture caption: (from left to right) Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Thom Peterson, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Harold Wolle, president of the National Corn Growers Association, Brian Werner, executive director at the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association, and Jeanne McCaherty, CEO of Guardian Energy.
Burnsville, Oct 18 - Sen. Amy Klobuchar toured Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association Producer Member, Guardian Energy, in Janesville on Oct 14 to reiterate her support for Minnesota’s ethanol industry and discuss her work to lift outdated restrictions on the summertime sale of E15.
“It was good to be in Janesville at the Guardian Energy ethanol plant to discuss the importance of renewable fuels with Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association Executive Director Brian Werner, Guardian Energy CEO Jeanne McCaherty, National Corn Growers Association President Harold Wolle, and Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Peterson,” she said.
During the plant tour, the participants acknowledged and thanked Klobuchar for her leadership on bills to strengthen Minnesota’s ethanol industry such as the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, the Flex-Fuel Fairness Act, the Next Generation Fuels Act and the Adopt GREET Act. Ben Stover, plant manager at Guardian Energy, conducted the plant tour.
“Sen. Klobuchar has been a consistent champion of the ethanol industry in Minnesota, and we appreciate that she recently visited our member plant, Guardian Energy, to see first-hand the low-carbon ethanol and high-protein animal feed that it produces every day,” Werner said.
Among the issues raised to Klobuchar during her visit included uncertainty over a permanent summertime waiver for E15 and the adverse consequences for a potential summertime ban on E15 in 2024.
“The current issue before us is year-round access to E15, also known as Unleaded 88. I am confident that she and our champions in Congress will be successful in getting this law changed and implemented,” Wolle said.
In 2022 and 2023, the EPA issued emergency waivers to allow the sale of E15 during the summer months but a permanent solution is required to ensure access to E15 is uninterrupted from 2024 onwards.
“Biofuels have the potential to transform our energy sector, strengthen our economy and national security, and revitalize rural America. I am committed to working alongside leaders like the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association to establish year-round E15 and make sure biofuels are a part of our energy solution,” Klobuchar said.
Among the potential solutions include legislative action in Congress to extend a 1-PSI reid vapor pressure (RVP) waiver for E15.
“As consumers increasingly seek out and fill-up with lower cost E15 at the pump, we thank Sen. Klobuchar for her bipartisan work to ensure that outdated and obsolete restrictions on summertime E15 sales are lifted once and for all,” Werner said.
E15 sales in Minnesota hit a new record in August with 10.22 million gallons sold. In total, 77.07 million gallons have been sold in Minnesota from January to August this year, 15.13 percent higher than the 66.94 million gallons recorded over the same period in 2022.
Picture caption: (from left to right) Peterson, Wolle, Werner, Klobuchar, McCaherty and Ben Stover, plant manager at Guardian Energy.
Picture caption: KS95 personality, Greg "Hutch" Hutchinson, rewarding a consumer who fueled up with Unleaded 88 at the Holiday station at 16825 County Road 24 in Plymouth on Oct 19.
Burnsville, Oct 23 - The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Bio-Fuels) concluded a six-month E15 (Unleaded 88) promotional campaign at Twin Cities metro-area gas stations on Oct 19.
Throughout the campaign, MN Bio-Fuels partnered with KS95 FM to promote Unleaded 88 to consumers at various gas stations in the metro-area. The campaign came to an end at a Holiday station in Plymouth on Oct 19.
“As we conclude another year of partnering with KS95 to promote Unleaded 88 to Minnesota consumers, we reflect on the fact that sales of Unleaded 88 have grown 15 percent year-to-date as compared to 2022. The fact is – when they are given the choice - consumers continue to seek out homegrown biofuels because of their environmental and cost benefits. We call on our federal delegation to pass the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act before the end of the year legislation so that we are not arbitrarily restricting consumer access to this higher biofuel blend in 2024,” said Brian Werner, executive director at MN Bio-Fuels.
The stations that participated in the promotional events were located in Coon Rapids, Fridley, Golden Valley, Hopkins, New Hope, Plymouth, Richfield, St Paul, Vadnais Heights and White Bear Lake.
At each promotional event, consumers who fueled up with E15 were rewarded with various prizes. Among the prizes that were given out over the six-month campaign included cash prizes, tickets to Minnesota United, tickets to the St Paul Saints, tickets to Valley Fair, gift cards to Applebee’s and various KS95 merchandise.
The campaign kicked off at a Winner station in Golden Valley on April 25 and concluded at a Holiday station in Plymouth on Oct 19.
The promotional event at the Holiday station ran from 11 am to 1 pm and consumers who fueled up with Unleaded 88 were rewarded with prizes such as $20 in cash, tickets to Valley Fair, gift cards to Applebee’s and KS95 merchandise.
The Holiday station is located at 16825 County Road 24 in Plymouth.
In 2023, 77.07 million gallons of Unleaded 88 have been sold in Minnesota from January to August, 15 percent higher than the 66.94 million gallons recorded over the same period in 2022.
Marshall, Oct 25 - Fifteen students from Marshall High School toured the Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) carbohydrate solutions plant here yesterday.
“We were excited to welcome students from Marshall High School to our facility. By seeing our operations, these students gain valuable insight into how we transform local corn crops into ingredients / products used for animal feed, bio-industrial applications, and as clean energy. We’re proud to be part of an industry which contributes to the local economy while lowering carbon emissions, lowering prices at the pump and boosting energy independence,” said Greg Webb, vice president for state government relations at ADM.
The students who participated in the tour were all 12th graders from the school’s advanced automotive and welding class.
During the tour, they learned how ethanol and its co-products are produced. They also toured the facility’s fructose plant and maintenance shop.
The tour was organized by the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association. ADM is a member of the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association.
Mike Braithwaite, agriculture teacher at Marshall High School, accompanied his students for the tour.
He said the tour provided his students with insights into ethanol production.
“They now also have a better understanding of the local impact of ethanol production and career opportunities at ADM-Marshall,” Braithwaite said.
Janesville, Nov 1 - Sixteen students from Mankato East High School toured Guardian Energy yesterday to gain a better understanding of renewable energy production.
“We appreciate students from Mankato East High School taking time out of their schedules to learn about ethanol production. With these tours, we have an opportunity to showcase the many ways our industry benefits Minnesota, from strengthening rural economies and decreasing harmful emissions to reducing prices at the pump and making us less reliant on foreign fuel,” said Jeanne McCaherty, CEO of Guardian Energy.
During the tour, the students toured the various stages of the ethanol production process such as incoming grain grading, grain handling, fermentation, grain storage, dried distillers grain production and storage, ethanol storage and shipment.
The students that participated in the tour were from grades nine to 12 and were from the school’s Introduction to Natural Resources class.
“My Introduction to Natural Resources class benefited tremendously from traveling and participating in the Guardian Energy tour. The experiential learning and the hands-on approach to teaching these concepts is invaluable in providing a worthwhile education on such an important topic like sustainable energy,” said Randall Colvin, agriculture teacher at Mankato East High Schools.
Burnsville, Nov 16 - Renewable chemicals and advanced biofuel producer, Gevo Inc, has joined the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Bio-Fuels) as a producer member.
“Gevo is an industry leader in the development of an alcohol-to-jet pathway for SAF and we are excited to announce their membership in MN Bio-Fuels. We look forward to partnering with them to ensure that agriculture and ethanol play a key role in decarbonizing the US aviation sector,” said Brian Werner, executive director at MN Bio-Fuels.
In Minnesota, Gevo has a facility in Luverne which is a developmental plant with proven ethanol and isobutanol production from corn.
“Gevo has effectively worked with MN Bio-Fuels over the past year, focusing on SAF policy and various transportation sector initiatives. We are enthusiastic about joining the community of ethanol producers and are eager to broaden the prospects in the state for SAF, Isobutanol, and renewable chemicals,” said Kent Hartwig, director of state government affairs at Gevo.
Gevo’s facility in Luverne has a capacity of 1.5 million gallons per year and produces various co-products such as animal feed and corn oil. It also uses power from wind turbines to displace a portion of the carbon emissions of the facility.
Learn more about Gevo here.
Picture caption: Gevo's facility in Luverne, MN
Picture caption: (from left to right) Brian Kletscher, board president of MN Bio-Fuels, and Brian Werner, executive director at MN Bio-Fuels, with the 2023 Annual Report.
Burnsville, Dec 7 - The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association (MN Bio-Fuels) released its 2023 Annual Report at an event for members and industry stakeholders at Canterbury Park in Shakopee yesterday.
“MN Bio-Fuels had a remarkable year in 2023. We added a new producer member and six new vendor members, moved to a new office in Burnsville, and strengthened our ties with fellow agriculture and biofuel associations that share our mission and values.”
“Ultimately, our success is the Minnesota ethanol industry’s success, and this association will continue to be an active and vocal advocate for renewable fuel production, which is needed now more than ever. It is my honor to serve as your Executive Director, and I look forward to working with each one of you to contribute to another successful year in 2024,” said Brian Werner, executive director at MN Bio-Fuels.
The report highlighted MN Bio-Fuels’ organizational updates, work and achievements in the areas of advocacy, communications, fuel and supply chain in 2023 as well as the organization’s priorities in 2024.
“This association has been - and will continue to be - successful because of the active participation of members and stakeholders that are willing to stand up and support our shared missions,” Werner said.
Read MN Bio-Fuels' 2023 Annual Report here
Picture caption: Werner presenting MN Bio-Fuels' 2023 Annual Report.
Picture caption: MN Bio-Fuels members and industry stakeholders were treated to casino games at the launch of MN Bio-Fuels' 2023 Annual Report.