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In the News

40-Plus Groups Call on Congress to End Tax Breaks for Big Oil

July 14, 2016

By Ron Kotrba

More than 40 national organizations have called on Congress to end more than a century of tax breaks for the oil industry. In a letter to U.S. legislators, a diverse coalition of environmental, veterans, labor, renewable fuels and social justice groups are challenging Congress to repeal nearly $4 billion a year in taxpayer subsidies to Big Oil, tax breaks given to the most profitable companies in the world “despite the industry’s continued efforts to promote climate science skepticism and avoid any accountability as a leading contributor of carbon pollution,” stated a press release issued by Americans United for Change.

U.S. Senators are also being called on to support the FAIR Energy Policy Act, legislation sponsored by Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, which would phase out special tax breaks for fossil fuels on the same schedule as the law Congress passed to phase out the wind production tax credit.

“We know today that we are putting too much carbon pollution into the atmosphere,” said Greg Dotson, vice president for energy policy at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. “And we should stop using tax payer dollars to encourage even more.”

Stephen Kretzmann, executive director of Oil Change USA, said, “Members of Congress have been a very lucrative investment for the oil industry. For every $1 they put in in campaign contributions, they get back more than $188 in subsidies … I am sure most Americans wish we could get returns even a fraction that good from our 401Ks. This has gone on for far too long, it is time now for a separation of oil and state.”

“We could send 166,000 kids to college every year with the $4 billion that is instead squandered on Big Oil,” said Brad Woodhouse, president of Americans United for Change. “Over summer recess, we’re going to demand answers from Republicans in Congress who can’t find the money to address the Zika Virus or Flint water crisis, or repair our crumbling infrastructure, but think Big Oil can’t live without these subsidies. Even with persistently low oil prices, which dipped below $30 a barrel earlier this year, ExxonMobil still reported nearly $1.8 billion in profits last quarter, and BP over $500 million. It seems even in the worst of times, Big Oil can make tons of money comfortably without a taxpayer handout. And it seems the only return on taxpayers’ investment is dirty air and 14,000 oil spills every year.”

Woodhouse added, “Behind closed doors, Exxon accounted for the environmental impact of climate change in their business plans, but put on a public face that everything was normal,” he said, referring to the cover-up that ExxonMobil scientists recognized fossil fuels contributed to global warming as early as 1977, yet for decades it funded misleading campaigns against climate science.

“Worse,” Woodhouse said, “for decades Exxon has funneled millions of dollars into front groups like the ACCF to wage misinformation campaigns to discredit climate science and discourage use of cleaner renewable fuels.”

Read the original story: 40-Plus Groups Call on Congress to End Tax Breaks for Big Oil

US House Biofuels Caucus Makes Final Plea for EPA to Increase Biofuel Target to 15bn Gallons

Biofuels International

July 15, 2016

A total of 17 members of the US-based House Biofuels Caucus have urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to change its 2017 biofuels blend target from 14.8bn gallons to 15 billion gallons.

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) was among several associations to submit comments in a letter to the EPA.

According to the association, there’s no justification for lowering the requirement, which would turn the RFS “into a stagnant, backward-facing policy.”

EPA’s recent proposal calls on refiners to blend 14.8 billion gallons of conventional biofuels in 2017, slightly below the 15-billion-gallon level envisioned by Congress when it expanded the RFS in 2007. Record levels of E10 consumption, broader availability of E15 and E85, more than 2 billion surplus renewable identification numbers and other factors make the statutory requirement readily achievable in 2017.

‘Back on track’

RFA president and CEO Bob Dinneen said: “We thank the lawmakers for their leadership to ensure EPA finalises a strong RFS that gets the program back on track.

“As the House members wrote, ‘a final rule that falls short of the conventional biofuel cap will do nothing to assuage critics of the program, while missing an opportunity to refocus on addressing the pressing issues needed to fully realise the potential renewable fuels can make for our economy and energy security.’ We couldn’t agree more.

“As we outlined in comments to EPA this week on its proposed 2017 RFS rule, there’s no justification for lowering the conventional biofuel target. Record levels of E10 consumption, broader availability of E15 and E85, more than 2 billion surplus renewable identification numbers and other factors make the statutory requirement readily achievable in 2017. It’s time EPA follows the statutory requirement and increase the conventional biofuel target to 15 billion gallons.”

The letter signed by the Caucus members states: “Given the proven track record of innovation and capacity for development in the renewable fuels market, we believe that a final rule that falls short of the conventional biofuel cap will do nothing to assuage critics of the programme, while missing an opportunity to refocus on addressing the pressing issues needed to fully realise the potential renewable fuels can make for our economy and energy security.”

Read the original story: US House Biofuels Caucus Makes Final Plea for EPA to Increase Biofuel Target to 15bn Gallons

Ethanol Standard Saves Consumers Money

The Star Press

July 12, 2016

By Dave Hudak

It is disappointing that Indiana’s biofuels industry must once again respond to false allegations from out-of-state hired guns.

This time, Jane Van Ryan, a Washington, D.C.-area resident and former top communications official for the American Petroleum Institute, decries the inconvenience her central Indiana-based family will face because they have the choice to buy gasoline with a 10 percent ethanol blend.

The good news for Van Ryan is that here in Indiana, we know that when she makes her trip from the Washington, D.C.-area to Gatlinburg, she will save money thanks to the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), the very policy that she and her bosses are seeking to repeal.

The Renewable Fuels Standard, the so-called “mandate” that Van Ryan and the American Petroleum Institute are referring to is a bipartisan energy policy that provides market access for biofuels, which benefit our environment, economy and energy security. It sets annual targets for the blending of renewables into our nation’s fuel supply in order to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and keep our air clean.

As a result of the RFS, ethanol is now blended into 97 percent of the gasoline supply and virtually all regular gasoline sold in Indiana has a 10 percent ethanol blend. Indiana-made, high-octane ethanol is dropped into gasoline as a method to boost octane so that the petroleum does not damage engines or affect vehicle performance. In fact, because ethanol is environmentally-friendly and biodegradable, it has replaced dangerous and carcinogenic fuel additives like lead and MTBE, which have been outlawed in the United States.

The fact is that ethanol remains the cleanest and lowest-cost octane available on the market today. According to one analysis, consumers are saving between 50 cents and $1.50 per gallon as a result of increased ethanol production and the Renewable Fuels Standard.

Moreover, higher blends of ethanol have increased octane — which helps your car burn cleaner and cooler, better for your engine’s performance and the environment. E15, a 15-percent blend of ethanol, is approved for all vehicles 2001 and newer — nearly 9 out of 10 cars on the road today. NASCAR mechanics trust E15 for their vehicles on and off the track, hitting 10 million miles using the biofuel this year. And teams racing in the IndyCar series already use 100 percent ethanol fuel.

The question is this: Why would Van Ryan and the American Petroleum Institute, an organization funded by America’s largest oil companies who receive more than $7 billion in government subsidies and an additional $800 million in tax breaks annually, be calling for an end to the Renewable Fuels Standard?

“Big Oil” wants to continue their anti-competitive monopolistic actions that created a necessity for the Renewable Fuels Standard in the first place! They want Americans to be forced to buy more oil — whether it is shipped here from the Middle East or drilled, pumped or fractured from our lands or from the bottoms of our oceans.

The RFS enables competition in a marketplace dominated by the oil industry and ensures drivers have better options at the pump. And “Big Oil” is fighting in Congress — and yes, even in the editorial pages — to prevent drivers from having access to higher blends of ethanol. They know that the ultimate check against out-of-control oil prices is not increased supply that has been achieved through drilling technology, but an alternative source of fuel.

For over a decade, the RFS remains the most successful clean energy policy to strengthen our energy security, protect the environment and stimulates investment and creates jobs — including more than 25,000 jobs in Indiana alone.

Hoosiers deserve the truth, not misinformation peddled by “Big Oil” interests; The Renewable Fuels Standard is working and Congress should not mess with the RFS.

Dave Hudak is general manager of POET Biorefining Alexandria and secretary/treasurer of the Indiana Ethanol Producers Association.

Read the original story: Ethanol Standard Saves Consumers Money

Ethanol Fuels the Race Against Climate Change

Des Moines Register

July 10, 2016

By Austin Dillon

I have been racing cars all of my life. Growing up in the garage, I learned firsthand the incredible amount of preparation, teamwork and determination it takes to succeed. The one thing I have learned in that time, teams are measured by one thing in NASCAR: performance.

From the crew chief, to the tire changer, to the engineers, everyone on the team ultimately contributes to performance on the track. We rely heavily on each other, but we also depend on key partnerships that ensure we reach our goals. The fuel we put into our engines is one of the most important contributors to our performance at the track each and every weekend.

Fortunately, NASCAR has been powered by a homegrown bio-fuel since 2011. It’s clean, green and renewable. The best drivers in the world have raced almost 10 million flawless miles on Sunoco Green E15 — proving it’s as good for engines as it is for the environment.

Throughout my life, I have been lucky to travel across this great nation of ours. I’ve had the pleasure to meet people from all walks of life, including the hard working families who farm in our country’s heartland. That’s why I am so proud of my partnership with American Ethanol, because the American-grown corn used to manufacture ethanol has helped support countless farming communities, and our nation’s economy.

Educating our fans about sustainable homegrown American fuel that is better for our environment is truly a passion of mine. Offering consumers a higher blend of ethanol at the pump reduces our dependence on foreign oil and creates jobs right here in the U.S., while revitalizing rural economies across America.

In 2011, NASCAR’s groundbreaking partnership with Sunoco and American Ethanol prompted the launch of a long-term bio-fuels program across our three national touring series. Sunoco Green E15, a 15 percent ethanol blend bio-fuel, has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent while increasing horsepower.

How does this apply to you, the consumer who isn’t driving a race car on a daily basis? Tests by the Department of Energy prove that all 21st century engines can run on E15, a higher blend of ethanol, and automakers warranty 15 percent blends for use in nearly 3 out of 4 new cars being sold today. Moreover, drivers have surpassed 150 million miles using E15 in the last 12 months. Higher ethanol blended fuels are safe and viable options.

Gasoline retailers and automakers are embracing consumer demand for higher blends of ethanol by increasing the amount of pumps with E15, E85 and other higher blends and designing vehicles to support these higher blends of clean-burning, high-octane biofuels.

However, even with all of this positive momentum at our backs, we are now facing a critical time for our nation. Since 2005, the Renewable Fuel Standard remains the only clean energy policy working to lower our dependence on oil, keep our air clean and combat climate change.

Right now, preparations are being made to finalize the volume requirements that determine how much renewable fuel oil companies are required to make available to consumers at the pump. The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed initial volume requirements that fall short of even the modest goals set into law by Congress.

To guarantee that the current administration doesn’t turn back the clock on America’s most successful energy policy, consumers across the country must make their voices heard now — the deadline is quickly approaching. By July 11, drivers who care about having affordable, green options at the pump should contact the EPA and ask their lawmakers to support a strong Renewable Fuel Standard. It’s easy, just visit GrowthEnergy.org/Action to make your voice heard by the EPA.

I am proud to run American Ethanol in my car, I promise you will be too.

AUSTIN DILLON drives the No. 3 Chevrolet SS. which includes sponsor American Ethanol, for Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Read the original story: Ethanol Fuels the Race Against Climate Change

Ethanol Claim A Dangerous Combination Of Misinformation, Power

Portland Press Herald

July 8, 2016

By Doug Bevren

According to informal advisers to Maine's governor, Paul LePage, the use of ethanol in our fuel mix can be blamed for just about anything - opiate abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, cancer, anger, depression, allergies and crime. Of course, there are no credible facts to support any of these ideas. Even the oil industry, which actively lobbies against competition from renewable fuels, doesn't make such far-fetched proclamations.

That's because ethanol has been a major part of our energy mix since 1908, when Henry Ford designed his Model T to operate on the homegrown fuel. Today, ethanol makes up 10 percent of the U.S. fuel supply. It burns cleaner and cooler than oil and increases octane, which is good for our environment and our car engines. That's why NASCAR and IndyCar mechanics have trusted the fuel for years.

It's important to remember that ethanol is just another name for the specific kind of alcohol that gives adult beverages their kick. Ethanol may give you a hangover if you drink it, but to suggest that biofuels are responsible for the pyshological struggles of our returning veterans is an outrageous abuse of the truth.

Most importantly, ethanol replaces petroluum-based toxins such as benzene, toluene and xylene. In fact, many states require an ethanol blend under federal law to help them meet standards set by the Clean Air Act, because they know it significantly reduces tailpipe emissions.

Without ethanol in the fuel supply, we are left with more toxic alternatives, which have been proven to cause cancer and smog. For example, ethanol provided the clean alternative to MTBE, which Maine banned in 2004 because it’s been proven to contaminate groundwater.

We may not think of it often, but we are benefiting from ethanol every day – and not just by breathing cleaner air. Having a share of our transportation sector powered by ethanol reduces America’s reliance on foreign oil and slashes the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. On average, corn ethanol reduces carbon emissions by 34 percent compared to gasoline, and advanced biofuels can reduce emissions by 100 percent or more over gasoline. Meanwhile, biofuels displaced more oil in 2015 than the United States imported from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait combined.

Under normal circumstances, one might imagine that an executive order governing the state’s energy mix would reflect a serious review of the facts. Unfortunately, reports indicate that Gov. LePage’s recent efforts to discourage the use of ethanol were driven by a laundry list of bizarre claims by Beth O’Connor, a member of the Maine House of Representatives, and a retired mechanic from South Berwick. As a result, Maine could find itself with higher fuel costs, polluted air, greater dependency on foreign oil and fewer choices at the pump.

Maine drivers have been able to benefit from more affordable options at the gasoline pump, saving anywhere from 50 cents to $1.50 a gallon during periods of high oil prices. Now is not the time to roll back the clock by adding chemicals that produce cancer-causing emissions back into gasoline, once again becoming more dependent on foreign oil, and paying higher gas prices. The governor and his allies need to take a look at the facts, talk to some real experts and stop implementing policies based on half-understood rumors.

Read the original story here : Ethanol Claim A Dangerous Combination Of Misinformation, Power

How Biofuels Can Help Break Up Big Oil’s Marketshare Monopoly

Morning Consult

July 6, 2016

By Bob Dineen

In a recent poll conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the Renewable Fuels Association, voters support the Renewable Fuel Standard, a program to increase the amount of biofuels in the transportation pool, by a greater than 3:1 margin. Additionally, by a 2:1 margin, those same voters oppose efforts to reduce or repeal the RFS. Voters recognize that the program has been an unmitigated success and repealing or dramatically reforming it would reverse those gains already made to reduce petroleum dependency, boost rural economic development and slash greenhouse gas emissions.

That is the message I took to Congress recently, testifying before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power.

In 2015, 14.8 billion gallons of ethanol was produced, supporting 85,967 direct jobs, while net petroleum import dependence fell to just 25 percent, and would have been 32 percent without the addition of domestically produced ethanol to the nation’s fuel supply. The surge in ethanol production has reduced gasoline imports from nearly 10 billion gallons in 2005 to almost zero today. Looked at another way, the ethanol produced in 2015 displaced an amount of gasoline refined from 527 million barrels of crude oil. That’s roughly equivalent to the volume of oil imported annually from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait combined.

Meantime, the use of ethanol in gasoline in 2015 reduced greenhouse gas emissions from transportation by 41.2 million metric tons — equivalent to removing 8.7 million cars from the road for an entire year.

While some continue to criticize the RFS on the false premise that it increases food prices (see “We’re Swimming in Fuel, Why Burn our Food Supply,” by Keith Mauck and published June 28 in Morning Consult), a report recently issued by the World Bank and others found that biofuels from crops do not harm food supplies.

We don’t use food for ethanol production. The corn used in the production of ethanol is field corn, not the sweet corn that compliments every back yard barbecue. Field corn is used for animal feed and a variety of industrial products, including high fructose corn syrup and pharmaceuticals. Moreover, we’re only using the starch in the field corn, allowing all the protein and nutritional value to be used as animal feed shipped all over the globe.

But you wouldn’t know these benefits if you listened to the American Petroleum Institute and their sycophants, who repeatedly trot out false talking points of the oil industry to distract from the fact that they want to continue their 100-year-plus monopoly on the transportation sector. The incumbent industry has already lost 10 percent of the market. If the RFS is implemented consistent with the statute, the market will make the final push to see cellulosic ethanol and other advanced biofuels to fruition, resulting in the loss of 30 percent of the market. You can bet oil companies are not too happy with that prospect.

That’s why maintaining a strong RFS is essential. Congress did an excellent job of crafting the RFS, building in a great deal of administrative and market flexibility to deal with issues as they arise. Congress shouldn’t be bullied by the hyperbole and scare mongering by the incumbent industry that fundamentally disagrees with the need for alternative, low carbon options for consumers.

The American public clearly wants alternatives to Big Oil, and biofuels can help reduce our petroleum dependence, while cleaning the environment and boosting the rural economy.

Bob Dinneen is the president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association.

Read the original story: How Biofuels Can Help Break Up Big Oil’s Marketshare Monopoly

EPA Seeks Comments on RFS

Redwood Gazette

June 28, 2016

By Troy Krause

In 2005, U.S. Congress established a new national policy known as the renewable fuels standard (RFS). The program was developed as part of the national energy policy.

The RFS required that a certain volume of renewable fuel be used in everything from the gas in vehicles to the heating oil burned in homes in an effort to reduce the use of petroleum-based fuels.

The RFS is under the umbrella of the environmental protection agency (EPA), which has helped to define what constitutes a renewable fuel (such as ethanol) as well as proposing changes to the RFS. This past May, the EPA presented an amended RFS proposal, and the public has until July 11 to make comments regarding that proposal.

According to Collin Peterson, Minnesota’s Seventh District congressman, the EPA proposal needs some work.

The Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA)?would agree, as it has raised concerns with the proposal to hold the number of gallons of corn ethanol at 14.8 billion gallons rather than the 15 billion gallon standard under the RFS established by Congress.

That equates to 200 million gallons less of ethanol under the proposed RFS, said Adam Czech of MCGA.

“Congress originally called for 15 billion gallons,” said Czech, adding, according to information from the National Corn Growers Association that would result in 71.4 million bushels of corn going unsold and $271 million in lost revenue.

Czech said Minnesota was the first state in the nation to implement a 10 percent mandate in all gasoline sold, and actually the blend being sold is actually closer to 12 percent in Minnesota.

The 10 percent mandate is nationwide, added Czech, who said the corn production in the country easily is able to meet the national demand.

In fact, he added, there is a stockpile of corn in the country right now.

While Peterson said the cut is an issue, he added it could have been worse.

He also said one of the concerns he has with the proposed RFS is with the increase in advanced biofuels in the cellulosic fuel area.

Peterson said at this point there has not been a biomass product that has proven to be an efficient source of fuel and so the RFS mandate for those advanced biofuels is not very realistic. He said he would just as soon see that on hiatus until the availability of a product that works can be figured out.

Peterson said he continues to make efforts to communicate his concerns to the EPA, and he encouraged others to make public comment to the EPA regarding the RFS?proposal by the July 11 deadline.

Czech said the public can find a link to the EPA public comment page on the National Corn Growers Web site at www.ncga.org.

Peterson added the food vs. fuel debate has proven to be nonsense, as there is plenty of the commodity to go around. Czech said there is no timeline after July 11 for the EPA to make a decision regarding the RFS.

Read the original story: EPA Seeks Comments on RFS

Study Finds US Biodiesel Industry Supports Nearly 48,000 Jobs

Biodiesel Magazine

June 28, 2016

By the National Biodiesel Board

Nearly 100 biodiesel industry leaders are converging on Capitol Hill June 28 to call for strong clean-fuels policy as a new study found that the industry is supporting nearly 48,000 jobs nationwide.

The study, conducted by LMC International, found that the 2.1 billion gallons of biodiesel and renewable diesel used by Americans last year supported $8.4 billion in economic impact across a wide variety of economic sectors along with 47,400 jobs and $1.9 billion in wages paid.

The report also highlighted how growing biodiesel imports are eating into the domestic industry’s production and economic impact. It found that the industry would have supported 21,200 additional jobs last year if all the biodiesel and renewable diesel had been produced domestically. Instead, almost a third came from overseas.

Anne Steckel, vice president of federal affairs at the National Biodiesel Board, said the study underscores the benefits of strong policy that encourages further development of the domestic industry.

“Ending our dependence on oil is an opportunity, not just for the environment and our national security, but for the economy and for American workers,” Steckel said. “This industry is supporting tens of thousands of jobs from coast to coast, and we’re just getting started.”

Biodiesel—made from a diverse mix of resources such as recycled cooking oil, soybean oil and animal fats—is the first and only EPA-designated advanced biofuel to reach commercial-scale production nationwide. According to the EPA, biodiesel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 57 percent to 86 percent compared with petroleum diesel.

Biodiesel producers, feedstock suppliers and other stakeholders were heading to Capitol Hill June 28 to highlight the benefits of strong biodiesel policy. They are calling for higher biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuel requirements under the renewable fuel standard (RFS) than EPA recently proposed along with extension and reform of the biodiesel tax incentive slated to expire at the end of the year. The reform would change the $1-per-gallon incentive to a domestic producer’s tax credit. Under the current blender’s credit, biodiesel imported to the U.S. qualifies for the incentive.

The LMC study, which was commissioned by NBB, found that biodiesel production has a significant positive impact across a variety of economic sectors, including processing and manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, and animal processing.

NBB believes EPA should set stronger volumes of biomass-based diesel under the RFS, calling for at least a 2.5-billion-gallon requirement in 2018. LMC found, with 2.5 billion gallons of production, the industry would support 81,600 jobs and $14.7 billion in total economic impact if all production were domestic. The impact is 55,000 jobs and $9.8 billion in total impact under a split of two-thirds domestic production and one-third imports.

NBB is the U.S. trade association representing the biodiesel and renewable diesel industries, including producers, feedstock suppliers, and fuel distributors.

To read the LMC study click here.

Read the original story: Study Finds US Biodiesel Industry Supports Nearly 48,000 Jobs

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Strategies to Combating Climate Change Must Include Biofuels

Morning Consult

June 29, 2016

By Jan Koninckx

Recently, world leaders from the United States and more than 170 other countries met at the United Nations to sign an historic accord demanding urgent action to combat climate change. The landmark agreement marks a major milestone in international efforts to decarbonize the world’s energy supplies and to prevent a disastrous increase in global temperatures. To be successful, these efforts can and must address the transportation fuels that contribute a quarter of all human-made carbon dioxide emissions.

Fortunately, a decade ago Congress created the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which is an on-ramp for low-carbon fuels. Thanks to this policy, we now have the capacity to offer motorists a clean choice at the gas pump while reducing the need and the cost for imported oil. By gradually increasing the share of renewable fuel in our gas tanks, the RFS has proven to be the single most effective policy tool in our arsenal to decarbonize liquid fuels, which remain one of America’s largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

Other policy options, including the deployment of electric vehicles, will play a major role in reducing emissions. However, even with a continuous commitment by policymakers, consumers and industry, phasing out the current fleet of internal combustion engines and building the energy infrastructure required to power a new generation of vehicles will span multiple decades. To have an immediate and lasting impact on global emissions, it is essential that policymakers embrace tools like the RFS that can go to work immediately, replacing the fuel in today’s gas tanks with sustainable, clean-burning alternatives.

Already, current U.S. blends of 10 percent ethanol allow American drivers to avoid over 40 million tons of CO₂ emissions. Blends beyond 10 percent ethanol will increase these benefits. New technologies are allowing every gallon of biofuel to achieve higher carbon savings. These technologies are the direct result of investments by companies like DuPont that are working to produce clean-burning alternatives from resources such as agricultural residues and other cellulosic biomass.

Today’s corn-based ethanol already produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions over its full life cycle – from field to wheel – than regular gasoline, reducing emissions by 34 percent. Second-generation cellulosic ethanol is substantially more efficient and getting better every day. In fact, DuPont’s new plant in Iowa will produce fuel with at least 90 percent lower carbon emissions than conventional gasoline.

Accelerating this progress requires a commitment by policymakers to drive to specific goals and to implement them across large markets. These polices provide the stability and economic driver needed to decarbonize our fuel supplies. That is why entrenched interests have worked aggressively to undermine the RFS and preserve the status quo. However, relying exclusively on oil as our only source of transportation fuel will never help us reduce human-made greenhouse-gas emissions or clean our air.

The choice is clear, and it is critical that all industries work together to support all forms of low carbon transportation. Allowing those efforts to be diverted or divided will only guarantee that America misses its last, best chance to revolutionize the entire energy sector and meet the aggressive climate goals that world leaders now recognize as vital to success in the fight against climate change.

With the RFS, America has shown that it is possible to embrace alternative energy supplies without harming consumers. Science holds the answers. Biofuels are a part of the solution now, and they belong at the center of any serious plan to protect our planet for future generations.

Jan Koninckx is global business director for biofuels for DuPont Industrial Biosciences.

Read the original story: Strategies to Combating Climate Change Must Include Biofuels

Ethanol Clean, Renewable, High Performing Fuel

Fond Du Lac Reporter

June 24, 2016

By Jim Zimmerman

Henry Ford had it right in 1908 when he called ethanol “the fuel of the future.” Ford said ethanol would be far cheaper than gasoline, boost car performance with high octane ratings, clean the car engine and promote longer engine life, be environmentally friendly and be a more renewable energy source.

Ford’s assessment of the benefits of ethanol still rings true today. Ethanol improves air quality with reduced harmful emissions, reduces our dependence on foreign oil and provides consumers with better performing fuel.

Ethanol use started in the 1920s by Standard Oil to increase octane and reduce engine knocking. Ethanol has those same benefits today, including air quality improvements. Widespread use started in the late 1990s to replace the oxygenate Methyl-tert-butyl ether because MTBE was harming our drinking water.

Our country decided it needed to provide cleaner burning fuel (something big oil wouldn’t do on its own) and increase our energy dependence with renewable fuels. The Renewable Fuel Standard was established in 2005 to require specific levels of renewable fuels to be added to gasoline.

Over that time ethanol has been a success. In 2015, ethanol lowered CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions from transportation by 41.2 million metric tons – equal to removing 8.7 million cars from roads. The American Lung Association calls E85 (fuel with up to 85 percent ethanol) the “Clean Air Choice” because ethanol reduces harmful emissions.

We’ve lowered how much we depend on foreign oil. The 14.8 billion gallons of domestically-produced ethanol in 2015 lowered net U.S. import petroleum dependence from 32 percent to 25 percent.

Consumers have been the beneficiaries of the Renewable Fuel Standard. It was needed to provide competitive choices for the purpose of opening the fuels market. The current fuel market is dominated by foreign companies, receiving anywhere from $10 billion to $52 billion a year in corporate welfare.

Today, ethanol is standing on its own as a clean burning, lower cost fuel option in the marketplace. The increase in overall fuel supplies from domestically-produced ethanol blended with gasoline has helped lower gas prices at the pump by anywhere from 50 cents to $1 per gallon.

What Ford recognized about engine safety and performance more than 100 years ago still holds true today. Automakers are responding to consumer demands with vehicles designed to support higher blends of clean-burning, high octane biofuels.

Because of this growing consumer acceptance, companies like Kwik Trip in Wisconsin, Sheetz in North Carolina and Kum & Go in Iowa are installing pumps to offer consumers E15 blends, a lower cost fuel with higher octane levels. It’s likely the auto you drive today can run on E15; just check your manufacturer’s warranty.

With advancements in corn farming and ethanol production technology in the last 20 years, ethanol production has a positive energy balance. One unit of energy invested in corn ethanol production creates 2.3 units of usable energy, and the process is only becoming more efficient as technology progresses. We’ve done this without hitting consumers in the pocketbook in higher food costs.

Ethanol is transforming how we make and use energy. Ethanol is a solution that offers drivers a renewable fuel source at a lower cost with engine performance benefits. Bottom line, there’s a place at the pump for both petroleum and ethanol, just like Henry Ford foretold. It’s just that ethanol is proving to be the cleaner, better performing fuel.

Read the original story: Ethanol Clean, Renewable, High Performing Fuel

Klobuchar, Grassley Lead Bipartisan Group Of 39 Senators In Calling For A Strong Renewable Fuel Standard For 2017 As EPA Finalizes Rule

June 24, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Amy Kkobuchar (D-MN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) led a bipartisan group of 39 senators in calling for a strong Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) works toward finalizing its proposed rule on biofuels volume requirements for 2017 under the RFS. In a letter to the EPA, the senators urged the agency for a strong RFS that will support U.S. jobs and the economy, reduce the environmental impact of the transportation and energy sectors, and decrease dependence on foreign oil.

"The biofuel industry supports hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout the country, reduces the environmental impact of our transportation and energy sectors, and cuts our reliance on foreign oil," the lawmakers wrote. "We urge you to ensure that the final rule promote growth in the U.S. biofuel sector and capture economic opportunity rather than drive investment overseas."

The bipartisan letter to the EPA was also signed by Senators John Thune (R-SD), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Al Franken (D-MN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), John Hoeven (R-ND), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Pat Roberts (R-KA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Marie Hirone (D-HI), Jerry Moran (R-KA), ROn Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Jack Reed (D-RI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jon Tester (D-MT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tom Udall (D-NM) and Richard Bluementhal (D-CT).

Last October, the senators met with White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough to pus for the release of a strong final RFS rule that supports homegrown ethanol production.

The senators pointed out that when Congress adopted the RFS in 2005, and expanded it in 2007, "it intended to put in place a stable, forward-looking policy to drive innovation and investments in biorefining capacity and distribution infrastructure to bring biofuels to American consumers."The letter describes the enormous industry growth, including investment and job creation, and the development of new types of renewable fuels, thanks to stable policy. However, the senators wrote, the EPA has undermined those gains in recent years by relying on concerns that the distribution infrastructure needed to transport renewable fuels is lacking. As a result, "biofuel investment has fallen and projects are moving overseas," the senators wrote.

The oil industry uses the distribution infrastructure argument in opposition to higher blending levels, but biofuels producers disagree.

The EPA still has time to change its proposed rule for the better. It has dones so before. The EPA's final rule for 2014, 2015 and 2016 was somewhat higher than the proposed rule because Grassley, Klobuchar, their fellow senators, and farmers and fuel producers at the grass roots weighed in heavily with the EPA. The agency revised the levels higher but they were still lower than what ethanol producers anticipated they could produce.

Read the original story here : Klobuchar, Grassley Lead Bipartisan Group of 39 Senators In Calling For A Strong Renewable Fuel Standard For 2017 As EPA Finalizes Rule

API Singing the Same Push Poll Tune

Renewable Fuels Association

June 21, 2016

Today, the American Petroleum Institute (API) unveiled new anti-ethanol results from a May Harris Poll. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen had the following response:

“API, an oil trade group which has made its top priority to get rid of the renewable fuel standard (RFS), is yet again relying on push polling to foster its narrative that the public doesn’t support biofuels. With its push poll, API poll suggests a remarkable 77% of voters are concerned about higher ethanol blends.

“The API’s poll is bunk and stands in stark contrast to a poll that Morning Consult, on behalf of RFA, conducted last week, which found that by a greater than 3:1 margin, voters support the renewable fuel standard and continuing the nation’s commitment to biofuels. Additionally, the RFA found by a 2:1 margin, voters oppose efforts to reduce or repeal the RFS. The polling, of 2,001 registered voters, was conducted June 15-18, and has a margin of error of +/- 2%.

“API posed its two biofuel-related polling questions in a callously misleading way. By contrast, the RFA asked no leading questions. When voters are given a question devoid of prejudice, it’s amazing what happens. The American public clearly wants alternatives to Big Oil, and biofuels can help reduce our petroleum dependence, while cleaning the environment and boosting the rural economy.

Here’s API’s first misleading question:

‘As you may know, much of the gasoline in the U.S. market currently contains up to a 10% ethanol blend. Most auto manufacturers have said they will not cover vehicle damage caused by higher ethanol fuel blends. Given that situation, how concerned are you about government requirements that would increase the amount of ethanol in gasoline?’

“What’s the truth? Auto manufacturers explicitly approve of E15 (15% ethanol, 85% gasoline) use in more than 70% of MY2016 vehicles, according to a December 2015 RFA analysis of warranty statements and owner’s manuals. But you wouldn’t know it from API’s biased polling question. There is not a single example of E15 destroying a consumer’s engine. API’s reference is so prejudicial, the result they got was preordained.

Here’s API’s second misleading question:

‘Do you agree or disagree that using even more corn for ethanol production could increase consumer prices here in the U.S. and increase hunger among the world’s poor?’

“A report issued just last week by the World Bank and others found that biofuels from crops do not harm food supplies, and besides, corn used for ethanol comes from field corn, not the sweet corn that humans consume. API’s claim that ‘even more corn for ethanol production could increase consumer prices here in the U.S. and increase hunger among the world’s poor’ doesn’t pass muster and is another example of the desperate lengths they will go to mislead and misinform the public.”

Read the original: API Singing the Same Push Poll Tune

Biofuels Industry Looks to Meet Strong Demand, Emission Needs

Iowa Farmer Today

June 16, 2016

By Bill Tiedje

After weathering a winter of big stocks and low oil prices, the U.S. biofuels industry is looking forward to a strong year, thanks to growth in domestic gasoline demand and higher vehicle emissions standards ahead.

Brad Davis, Ag Processing Inc. (AGP) board chairman and CEO of Gold-Eagle Co-op and the CORN, LP ethanol plant in Goldfield, Iowa, said a burdensome supply of ethanol stocks early this year, which limited optimism, was met by a strong disappearance in stocks in the first quarter.

“Ethanol really looks like we’re going to have a good year for 2016,” he said. “It is hard to predict. I think it just surprised a lot of folks. We steadily dropped our stocks.”

That’s a good thing, since there’s a lot of corn that needs to move, he said.

“When we built our plant, one of the points we were trying to make was when the ethanol industry is very strong, you have more of a tendency to see the production side less robust. When production ag has fairly high corn prices, it is a little tougher on ethanol side,” Davis said.

Most ethanol plants have been paid off and can now manage production to meet needs; however, if a plant slows output to match decreased demand, production efficiencies also decrease, he said.

Record gasoline demand

Driving domestic ethanol demand is near-record levels of U.S. gasoline consumption. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s June Short-Term Energy Outlook projected the highest annual average gasoline consumption on record in 2016, due to a 2.5 percent increase in highway travel.

Renewable Fuels Association Senior Vice President Geoff Cooper said, “Obviously what’s driving that is we see lower gas prices today, so people are driving more.”

Of the 143-144 billion gallons of gasoline that EIA projects will be consumed in the U.S. this year, more than 10 percent will be ethanol, Cooper explained.

To achieve the 10 percent usage, most gasoline is mixed with 10 percent ethanol; but some gasoline has no ethanol, while some, such as E-15 or E-85, contain higher percentages, he said.

Davis described ethanol’s 15 billion gallon market as a milestone for the industry.

“This is one of those things we’ve watched in the ethanol industry for years. Once we hit 9 percent, everybody was pretty excited about it,” Davis said.

High octane needs

Both Cooper and Davis said another key aspect of ethanol demand is the need for a clean, high-octane fuel.

Cooper said nearly all U.S. oil refiners have retooled their plants to produce low-octane fuels.

Despite crude oil prices in the $40 to $50 per barrel range, Cooper said ethanol still competes against other octane sources.

“Ethanol remains by far the cheapest octane. Not only that, it’s the cleanest octane source,” Cooper said.

Ethanol exports are also playing an increasing role.

“We’re on pace to export slightly more than 1 billion gallons of ethanol this year, the second most in history,” Cooper said. “... We’ve seen China really emerge as a very robust export market just in the last six months.”

Looking ahead, Cooper said the industry is working with automakers to meet future vehicle fuel economy and emissions standards by utilizing ethanol’s high-octane properties.

“We see ethanol as having a major role in that,” Cooper said. “Ethanol has a very bright future because the world wants more octane.”

Biodiesel

On the biodiesel side, Iowa Biodiesel Board Executive Director Grant Kimberley said commercial fleets and ag users continue to be strong sources of demand for biodiesel.

Certainty regarding regulations in the market continue to be an issue for biodiesel processors, but consolidation has helped the industry manage tough market conditions, he said.

“Remember, we’re still a relatively young industry,” Kimberley said. “The industry is in a pretty decent place.”

Kimberley said mandates for clean air standards in big cities are likely to be a source of growth for the industry. He sees a bigger desire from around the country, especially the coasts, for a lower carbon-intensity fuel.

For farmers, there’s a lot of reasons why it makes sense to use biodiesel, Kimberley said.

Studies have shown biodiesel adds around 63 to 65 cents per bushel to soybean prices and also helps reduce the price of meal for livestock producers, since processors are making more meal, he said.

Over-the-road trucking is also an important source of demand, where the fuel is available at the pump, he said. Thanks to federal and state tax advantages, “it is kind of a no-brainer” for diesel use here in Iowa, Kimberley said.

Read the original story: Biofuels Industry Looks to Meet Strong Demand, Emission Needs

GRFA: Commit to Biofuels Policies to Achieve COP21 Targets

Biodiesel Magazine

June 15, 2016

By Global Renewable Fuels Alliance

On June 13, Bliss Baker, the President of the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance, called on parties to the climate agreement reached at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to take immediate action to significantly reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector and incorporate increased biofuels blending as part of their national plans. Of the 195 parties that adopted the agreement in Paris, 177 have now demonstrated their commitment by officially signing the agreement.

Baker noted that the transportation sector produces an estimated 25 to 30 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and that low-carbon transport fuel alternatives to crude oil like ethanol and biodiesel are a cost-effective and immediately available option for countries to adopt.

“The GRFA is encouraged by the support for strong action to address climate change coming out of COP21,” he said. “But if we are to have any hope of meeting the ambitious targets laid out in that agreement, substantial action is going to have to be taken soon. Biofuels represent a significant step in the right direction that governments can take today.”

Of the 162 intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) submitted to date, more than 60 recognized the advantages of biofuels-supportive policies by including them in their carbon emission reduction plans.

Baker pointed out that in addition to the parties to the agreement at COP21, third-party groups like the B Team coalition of chief executives and the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition have expressed their support for strong public emissions reduction policies that will provide the predictability necessary for the private sector to be able to develop long-term plans.

“Introducing biofuels supportive policies to reduce emissions from the transportation sector in the short and medium term just makes sense,” Baker said. “The biofuels industry will have a significant role to play in international efforts to transition away from carbon-intensive fossil fuels in the transport sector, and the GRFA looks forward to working with governments to develop policies to achieve those goals.”

Read the original story: GRFA: Commit to Biofuels Policies to Achieve COP21 Targets

US Ethanol Production Sets New Weekly Record

Ethanol Producer Magazine

June 15, 2016

By Erin Voegele

The U.S. ethanol industry set a new weekly ethanol production record the week ending June 10, with production reaching an average of 1.013 million barrels per day, according to data published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The previous record was set the week ending Nov. 20, 2015, when production averaged 1.008 million barrels per day.

EthanolProductionBlog

The U.S. ethanol industry has surpassed the 1 million barrel per day mark only five times, all within the past year. The first was the previous recording-setting week of Nov. 20, 2015. Less than a month later, during the week ending Dec. 11, 2015, production reached an average of 1 million gallons per day. During the week ending Jan 8, 2016, production again topped the 1 million barrels per day mark, reaching 1.003 million barrels per day. The week ending June 3, production reached near-record levels of 1.006 million barrels per day.

Prior to November 2015, the ethanol production record sat at 994,000 barrels per day, which was set the week of June 19, 2015. New records were also repeatedly set in 2014. The week of June 13, 2014, the U.S. produced 972,000 barrels per day of ethanol, breaking a production record set several years earlier in late 2011. The week of Nov. 21, 2014 the record was again broken with 982,000 barrels per day of ethanol production. In December 2014, new records were set three consecutive weeks in a row, with average daily production of 988,000 barrels per day the week of Dec. 5, 2014; 990,000 barrels per day the week of Dec. 12, 2014; and 992,000 barrels per day the week of Dec. 19, 2014. The week of June 5, 2015, the industry tied the 992,000 barrels per day record.

Additional weekly ethanol production data can be found on the EIA website.

Read the orignal story: US Ethanol Production Sets New Weekly Record

Bioenergy Crops Are Not a Risk to Food Production, Says a New Report

Imperial College London

June 15, 2016

By Simon Levey

In a new report, the researchers also identify five ways that countries as diverse as the United States and Brazil can achieve their targets to increase energy security, foster rural economic development and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Experts contributed from ten institutions across Africa, Europe and America, including the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the World Bank and Imperial College London in the UK.

Previous studies into growing crops for use as fuels have tended to blame bioenergy crops for food shortages. In the new report, ‘Reconciling Food Security and Bioenergy: Priorities for Action’, published yesterday in the journal Global Change Biology – Bioenergy, the authors have revealed underlying assumptions in previous studies that lead to inaccurate conclusions.

These include oversimplifying the causes of local food shortages and obscuring the opportunities for bioenergy to contribute to solutions. The report also found that these misconceptions were commonly reproduced in media coverage.

"Reliable information about the actual local effects is essential, but has been lacking in food-biofuel-climate debates," said lead author Keith Kline of ORNL's Climate Change Science Institute.

The report also highlights some practical recommendations for governments and policymakers. Dr Jeremy Woods, a coauthor from Imperial’s Centre for Environmental Policy, noted that properly designed biofuel schemes invest in infrastructure and know-how that help protect against sudden changes in environment or markets. "Integrated systems with diversified market options mitigate inevitable shocks caused by weather or unforeseen crises," he said.

The authors also highlight the need for more plantations of 'flex-crops' that are simultaneously fuel and food or can be switched between these markets as conditions or economics demand. Crops such as sugarcane, for example, can be eaten or converted into ethanol fuel for automobile engines.

"A significant share of a country's energy can be provided by biomass while also enhancing food production," according to Dr Glaucia Souza of the University of Sao Paulo. "Brazil's sugarcane ethanol program has demonstrated through a 40-year process of continuous monitoring, learning and adaptation that it is possible to couple increased incentives for land restoration and ecosystem services with enhanced food security and poverty reduction."

They also recommend that policymakers design new flex-crop schemes to be resilient to economic and environmental changes, including climate change, by cultivating diverse species of crops, varying how land is managed by farmers, and selling products across a range of markets.

The authors recommend that policymakers work with communities to ensure that local people benefit from the new schemes, and conduct ongoing programmes of education, analysis and capacity building in the face of climate change.

"Access to clean and reliable energy is integral to the United Nations' sustainable development goals, along with the alleviation of poverty and eradication of hunger," said Dr Siwa Msangi of the International Food Policy Research Institute. "Social, cultural and economic differences require that solutions to food and energy security be locally defined."

Read the full research report.

Read the orignal story: Bioenergy Crops Are Not a Risk to Food Production, Says a New Report

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