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Kicking off Conversations with Biofuels Champions: U.S. Senator Joni Ernst

Leading up to our annual Biofuels Summit, we are excited to launch "Conversations with Biofuels Champions", a ten-week video series with our Hill champions. 

We're kicking off this series with U.S. Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa. Elected to her first term in 2014, Senator Ernst has been at the frontlines of the fight to protect the RFS, both on Capitol Hill and in conversations with the administration.

In her interview with Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor, Sen. Ernst talks about the importance of fixing small refinery exemptions for biofuel producers, and how she's focused on expanding access to higher blends of ethanol as part of COVID-19 recovery and beyond. 

Next week, we'll hear from U.S. Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer (D-Iowa) about why fighting to protect biofuels is deeply personal.

For more details, contact Vice President of Communications Elizabeth Funderburk.

IN REGULATORY AFFAIRS

Growth Energy urges EPA to examine real-world data on ethanol’s air quality benefits

This week, Growth Energy submitted comments on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) “anti-backsliding” report on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The draft study, required by the Clean Air Act and released in May 2020 as part of a consent decree reached in February 2019, omitted critical data on the environmental advantages of low-carbon biofuels. 

“The Renewable Fuel Standard has stood the test of time as America’s single most successful clean energy policy, driving down greenhouse gas emissions while displacing toxic petroleum-based aromatics, like benzene, a known carcinogen,” said Growth Energy Senior Vice President Chris Bliley. “An ever-growing body of evidence confirms ethanol’s role in protecting air quality, and EPA should not be passing up an opportunity to showcase these clean energy solutions.”

To learn more about the contributions of biofuels to clean air and a healthy climate, click here.

For more details, contact Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley.

IN GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

Thirty-two House Members sent a bipartisan letter last Thursday to the White House urging the Administration to reject the 52 “gap year” petitions for RFS exemptions. Led by our Congressional Biofuels Caucus champions, the House letter builds on advocacy efforts made by our Senate and Governor biofuel supporters who also sent letters to the EPA recently. In the letter, the caucus stated that “there is no reasonable scenario in which an existing refinery can claim it is entitled to an exemption that it did not previously seek or receive … Setting this dangerous precedent would ultimately devastate the rural economy.”

Growth Energy praised the letter, with Skor stating that “Rural communities are done playing regulatory games with the oil industry. We’ve seen too many plants shut down, too many jobs lost, and too many farmers deprived of vital markets at a time when we should be rebuilding the agricultural supply chain. These gap-year exemption requests are a brazen attempt to circumvent a court decision that restores integrity to the nation’s biofuel blending targets. They should be rejected without delay. We’re deeply grateful to our House champions who are rallying alongside governors and Senate leaders to demand that administration do the right thing.”

With 2021 appropriation bills being introduced in Congress, we were able to include language updating EPA’s Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) model later in the House Agriculture Appropriations bill. It encourages USDA to work with EPA on sharing and gathering blended fuels data necessary for future updates to the MOVES model which is used to estimate emissions for mobile sources for air pollutants, greenhouse gases, and air toxics. The language reads:

"USDA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Data Sharing Efforts.—The Committee recognizes that the EPA Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator (MOVES) emission modeling system is used to estimate emissions for mobile sources for air pollutants, greenhouse gases, and air toxics. The Committee encourages USDA to work with EPA on sharing and gathering blended fuels data necessary for future updates to the MOVES model."

Stay tuned for updates from Growth Energy.

For more details, contact Vice President of Government Affairs John Fuher.

IN COMMUNICATIONS

As COVID-19 continues to devastate our biofuel producers and rural communities, NOW more than ever we need to STAND UP for the Renewable Fuel Standard and DEMAND that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deliver certainty to US farmers.  

Despite promises to enforce the law, the EPA has yet to rule on at least 80 exemption requests filed by oil companies seeking to push biofuels out of the market. Worse, the agency is now considering 52 retroactive exemptions dated as far back as 2011 – an absurd effort to dodge the law at the expense of rural communities. Our farmers can’t afford more demand destruction; THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW. 

A year ago, in Council Bluffs, President Trump promised to fight for the American farmer. Now more than ever, we need his administration to deliver on its long-overdue promises and PUT AMERICAN FARMERS FIRST.  

Send a letter to your leaders in Congress to show your support for biofuels. ACT NOW to make your voice heard.

Be sure to encourage others to act by sharing this message on your social media channels. Click here or on the button below to download Growth Energy's member-only social media toolkit, which includes graphics and sample posts.  

For more details, contact Vice President of Communications Elizabeth Funderburk.

IN GLOBAL MARKETS

Last Thursday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) released export numbers for May 2020. This is the first reporting month that truly began to show the negative effects of the demand destroyed by COVID-19 due to reduced driving around the globe. May’s exports reported at 67.5 million gallons (mg) -- an almost 32% reduction from May’s one year ago, which was 98.8 mg.

The strong pre-COVID start to 2020 still has year-to-date exports slightly ahead of this point in 2019 (652 mg versus 641mg), while the most recent twelve-month rolling totals (1.47bg) have 2020 beginning to lose ground to the same twelve month period one year ago (1.53bg).

Several individual country notables over the past twelve months include Canada slightly overtaking Brazil in the top spot with exports of 323mg versus 319mg. The shipment pace to India is strong coming in at 198mg versus 190mg in the previous twelve-month period. South Korea has also had solid buying, increasing 18mg to 117mg, due to increasing amounts of ethanol being used to replace methanol in window washing fluids. Mexico exports were strong for a second consecutive month as 9mg was sent south in what is believed to satisfy demand for the hand sanitizer market.

We'll be sure to keep you updated on the impacts of COVID-19 on exports in the weeks and months ahead.

For more details, contact Senior Vice President of Global Markets Craig Willis.

IN MARKET DEVELOPMENT

Drivers are choosing E15, marketed to consumers as Unleaded88, at the pump now more than ever. Over the past several years, E15 has seen rapid growth nationwide. It took about four years for retailers to sell enough E15 to fuel ONE billion miles (from about 2013 to 2017). However, since then, use has increased so quickly that the number of miles driven has surpassed 15 billion. Today, top unleaded 88 retailers include big names such as Casey’s, Kwik Trip, Sheetz, Bosselmans, Cumberland Farms, Family Express, Kum & Go, Minnoco, Murphy USA, Nuvu Fuel, Protec Fuel, QuikTrip, Racetrac, Royal Farms, Thorntons, and United Dairy Farmers.

The consumer miles driven have also led to an increase in the number of fueling stations offering Unleaded 88. To date, there are more than 2,192 sites selling Unleaded 88, compared to 100 locations in 2014—and the numbers continue to grow.

What we’re seeing is an acceleration effect,” says Mike O’Brien, Vice President Of Market Development for Growth Energy. “A consumer comes to the site, they see the fuel, they try the fuel, and they come back and buy it again and again. So, we have more of a loyal customer base.”

For more details, contact Vice President of Market Development Mike O'Brien.

The Weekly Rundown is the weekly newsletter for Growth Energy's members. It is published weekly by the communications staff at Growth Energy. For more information, email team@growthenergy.org or visit our website GrowthEnergy.org. 

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