No. 47, August 30, 2018 
ON THE HILL Farmers Hold Rally in Iowa to Greet USDA Secretary Perdue
Pictured above: Rally attendees eagerly await Secretary Perdue's arrival (left); Steve Sukup poses with rally attendees while they show off their signs (right) US Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced yesterday that President Donald Trump had directed him to forge a deal to allow the year-round sales of E15 by next week. The announcement was made at a rally hosted by the Iowa Corn Growers and Iowa Renewable Fuels Association to thank US Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for his support for farmers and the RFS. The Secretary is visiting Iowa to attend the Farm Progress Show and to meet with state representatives and farmers on issues important to them. Perdue has been a staunch advocate for our nation's farmers and for the Renewable Fuel Standard and this announcement demonstrates how critical E15 year-round is to our farmers and the administration. Secretary Perdue and the president have recognized the importance of the RFS in providing certainty to farmers and spurring innovation in rural America.
Today, Perdue will attend a breakfast roundtable with Governor Reynolds and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and, later in the afternoon, he will attend a town hall meeting with Rep. Young to speak with farmers and tour the Raccoon River Watershed. Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor wrote an op-ed in the Ames Tribune on Tuesday reiterating the importance of year-round sales of E15 for our farmers and rural communities. For more details, contact Vice President of Government Affairs, John Fuher.
WORKING FOR YOU IN REGULATIONS Growth Energy's Chris Bliley Discusses Benefits of E15 at New York ERDA Meeting on Greenhouse Gas Emissions
US EPA and DOT to Hold Three Public Hearings on Proposed SAFE Vehicles Rule AROUND THE GLOBE Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts Leads Successful Trade Mission to MexicoAT THE PUMP Growth Energy Hosts Fourth Annual Prime the Pump Retreat for Nation's Top E15 Retailers
Register Now: Growth Energy's Mike O'Brien to Lead Webinar for Fuel Retailers on Benefits of E15 IN OUR ASSOCIATION Member Highlight: Big River Resources, LLCON THE TRACK American Ethanol Boat Earns “Four-Peat” at LOTO Shootout UPCOMING EVENTS
Darlington Paintout September 2 Darlington, S.C. Biofuels Summit September 10-15 Washington, D.C. IN REGULATIONS Growth Energy's Chris Bliley Discusses Benefits of E15 at NYSERDA Meeting on Greenhouse Gas Emissions 
On August 28, Growth Energy's Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley attended New York State's Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) meeting on their transportation sector's greenhouse gas emissions. On behalf of the nation’s farmers and clean energy advocates, he explained our industry’s ability to provide a cleaner, less expensive fuel alternative. During the discussions, Bliley pushed for greater access to higher biofuel blends and specifically for New York to approve the sale of E15.
Approving sale of E15 in New York would hold numerous benefits to achieving their climate goals and saving consumers money at the pump. A 15 percent ethanol blend could potentially decrease emissions by up to 43 percent, as compared to unblended gasoline. Combine those reductions with ethanol's replacement of toxic chemicals used in non-ethanol fuel and E15 fuel becomes a logical next step for realizing the state's Reforming the Energy Vision initiative. Renewable biofuels can and should be part of New York’s mission to become more environmentally friendly, and by allowing retailers to sell E15, New York can be one step closer to doing so. US EPA and DOT to Hold Three Public Hearings on Proposed SAFE Vehicles Rule The US EPA and US DOT' National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have announced that they will hold three public listening sessions on the proposed rulemaking, Safe Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicle Rule for Model Years 2021-26 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks. The sessions will be held in California, Michigan, Pennsylvania on Sept. 24, 25, and 26 respectively. Growth Energy plans to comment on this proposal and attend the meetings in support of high-octane, mid-level ethanol blends. We will continue to monitor important regulations and keep you updated on their progress. For more information on the hearings, please visit the EPA's website here. For more details, contact Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley. 
AROUND THE GLOBE Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts Leads Successful Trade Mission to Mexico 
Last Friday, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts returned from a three-day trade mission to Mexico City, where he was accompanied by 25 other Nebraska representatives and agriculture stakeholders. Announcing the mission a success in a release last week, Ricketts and the rest of the delegation were able to discuss and explore new trade opportunities with Mexican stakeholders and government officials. At events hosted by the US Embassy and US Grains Council, over 100 representatives met with delegation across a series of luncheons, briefings, and tours.
“Nebraska is an agricultural state, so expanding export opportunities and new international partnerships is key to future growth,” said Governor Ricketts. “My Council for International Relations released a plan recently which named Mexico as one of several countries that Nebraska is focusing on to increase exports and identify new business opportunities. This trade mission was a key step in putting that plan into action.”
This is also not the first time that Ricketts has gone abroad on behalf of Nebraska’s farmers and biofuels producers. Alongside groups like the Nebraska Ethanol Board and the U.S. Grains Council, he has led delegations to both Denmark and Japan, the latter of which has since opened their market to American ethanol. Biofuels are being increasingly recognized by the international community as a product which helps the environment and keeps fuel prices low.
Mexico is a key market for American exports of ethanol and agricultural products. It is the seventh largest gasoline market globally, with almost 12 billion gallons in ethanol demand annually. And, today, there is virtually no ethanol used in the gas pool, with MTBE being the octane/oxygenate of choice in the country. Overall, two thirds of Mexico's MTBE supply comes from the US, but, with E10 approved for use throughout the country, our industry is aggressively working to change this. We will continue to monitor biofuels' global market development and keep you up to date on any important developments. For more details, contact Senior Vice President of Global Markets Craig Willis.
AT THE PUMP Growth Energy Hosts Fourth Annual Prime the Pump Retreat for Nation's Top E15 Retailers 
Pictured above: Prime the Pump retailers and Growth Energy staff group up during the retreat Last week, Growth Energy welcomed the fuel industry’s leading independent E15 retailers at their fourth annual Prime the Pump retreat in Brainerd, MN. The three-day Prime the Pump retreat allowed attendees to share best practices for marketing higher ethanol blends like E15. Attendees were present from: Kum & Go, Thorntons, Big River Resources, POET Ethanol Products, Kwik Trip, Minnoco, Sheetz, Applied Predictive Technologies, Growth Energy, Protec Fuel, Casey’s General Stores, ADM and RaceTrac.
“Our Prime the Pump retreat provides a unique opportunity for retailers to connect and for Growth Energy to ensure that our market development strategy reflects the most pressing needs for our retail partners,” said Growth Energy Vice President of Market Development Mike O’Brien. “This ongoing collaboration with retailers ensures that we’re not only continuing to expand the E15 footprint to give more Americans access to a cleaner burning fuel but that we’re also delivering the best marketing tools and practices for our partners to be successful,” continued O’Brien.
Growth Energy has been working closely with the leading retail publications to target executive level fuel marketers and buyers at convenience stores nationwide. As part of our on-going efforts to influence more retailers to offer E15, the market development team has created a six-part miniseries and created a fuel retail booklet that discusses the best marketing practices for selling ethanol blended fuel.
The third article in this series is titled, “Marketing E15: Engine- Safe, Engine-Enhancing.” The article highlights education as an essential component of marketing E15 and promoting its benefits.
More information on Growth Energy’s partnership with Prime the Pump can be found here. Register Now: Growth Energy's Mike O'Brien to Lead Webinar for Fuel Retailers on Benefits of E15 Growth Energy Vice President of Market Development Mike O'Brien will present a webinar on Thursday, September 6th for fuel retailers looking to increase their sales by offering E15.
The webinar will be moderated by Convenience Store News Editorial Director, Don Longo, and, in addition to hearing from Mike, Afshin Mohamadi, a Principal at Quadrant Strategies, will present. Attendees will gain insight from these industry experts who will present on the most up-to-date E15 consumer research, layout the best marketing practices with E15, and examine case studies of specific branding efforts, promotions, and marketing. Registration is now open for this free webinar to be held on Thursday, Sept. 6, at 2 PM ET. For more information on the event and to register, go here. You won't want to miss this opportunity to hear how Growth Energy continues to lead the industry in biofuels market innovation. For more details, contact Senior Vice President of Market Development, Mike O'Brien.
IN OUR ASSOCIATION Member Highlight: Big River Resources, LLC 
Pictured above: Big River Resources, LLC's board (left); Big River Resources, LLC's logo (right) Name of Company and city/state in which you are located: Big River Resources, LLC - Our administrative office is located in West Burlington, Iowa, and we have ethanol plants located in West Burlington and Dryersville, Iowa; Galva, Illinois; and Boyceville, Wisconsin. We also have grain elevators located in Monmouth, Edgington, Aleda, Gerlaw, and Joy, Illinois.
Management Team:
How long has the company been in operation? The West Burlington Ethanol facility began production in April, 2004.
Do you make any ethanol co-products? We produce Dried Distillers Grains and Distillers Corn Oil.
How long have you been an GE member? Big River Resources, LLC, has been a member since 2009.
What do you consider some of your company's main accomplishments? Big River Resources was formed to fulfill the Mission Statement: “to improve and stabilize the agricultural economic resources of the multi-state region by establishing corn based ethanol as the premier renewable fuel. Our major accomplishments include the establishment and operation of 4 successful ethanol facilities providing a market for 150 million bushels of locally grown corn to produce 420 million gallons of fuel grade ethanol on an annual basis. We provide 258 local jobs in the rural Midwest, support our local communities and provide a significant return to our local investors.
What is your website address?
What do you like about being a member of Growth Energy? Big River Resources appreciates and supports the active manner in which Growth Energy works to promote ethanol and grow ethanol demand through initiatives such as American Ethanol, NASCAR and Prime the Pump while addressing political and technical issues for the industry. For more details, contact Senior Vice President of Development, Kelly Manning.
ON THE TRACK American Ethanol Boat Earns “Four-Peat” at LOTO Shootout 
Pictured above: The American Ethanol Mystic Powerboats Catamaran skims over the water at speeds in excess of 190 mph. The American Ethanol Mystic Powerboats Catamaran has become a legendary fixture at the Lake of the Ozarks (LOTO) Shootout, the largest unsanctioned boat race in the United States. The fastest boat at the shootout takes home “Top Gun” honors, and the American Ethanol boat has now claimed the Top Gun crown four years in a row! Last weekend, Don Onken’s boat hit a top speed of 204 mph which outpaced the second-fastest boat by an eye-popping 36 mph. The boat was driven by Tony Battiato and throttled by John Cosker, the same crew who earned Top Gun status last year. The American Ethanol boat has reached speeds as high as 217 mph at the LOTO Shootout (a world record for piston-powered boats) when the course was one mile, but the race has since been shortened to 3/4 of a mile for safety concerns to cap potential top speeds.
The LOTO Shootout is a weeklong event that brings together boating enthusiasts from across the country. It includes a street party / parade displaying all of the competition boats, where the Onken Racing team interacts with thousands of fans, handing out American Ethanol gear and talking about the E90 fuel that has propelled them to superstar status at the shootout. In all, the event is attended by roughly 110,000 spectators, and it is a fantastic way for us to validate the performance of ethanol in the marine motorsports community. For more details, contact Manager of Communications, Austin Dabney.
The Weekly Rundown is the weekly newsletter for Growth Energy's members. It is published 51 times a year by the communications staff at Growth Energy. For more information, email team@growthenergy.org. You're receiving this newsletter because you've subscribed to Growth Energy's The Weekly Rundown. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe instantly. Copyright © 2018 Growth Energy. |
