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No. 292, September 7, 2023 |
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Next Week: Growth Energy Biofuels Summit in Washington, D.C. |
Next week, almost 100 Growth Energy members will gather in Washington, D.C. for the 14th Annual Growth Energy Biofuels Summit. Attendees will meet with Members of Congress and their staff to drive home our message about the critical role our industry plays in lowering carbon emissions and saving American drivers money at the pump. While in D.C., industry leaders will spend two days on Capitol Hill advocating for key policy priorities like maintaining a strong Renewable Fuel Standard and securing a permanent fix for year-round E15. We're also excited to welcome U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack who will be one of our keynote speakers and offer perspective on the biofuels industry’s role in meeting this administration's carbon reduction goals.
Make sure you're following along with our X (formerly Twitter) feed for updates as the Summit progresses! |
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For more information, please contact Vice President of Government Affairs John Fuher. |
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Last week, domestic ethanol demand was 14.2 BGY, up 1.8% compared to a week ago. The EIA-reported gas demand was up 1.8% from last week, at 139.0 BGY. The 4-week average ethanol and gas demand are 14.1 and 138.5 BGY.
Ethanol production was 15.4 BGY last week, down 3.9% versus the week before, and 2.8% less than the 4-week average in 2019. Midwest production was down 4.0% (-11.8 MG) versus a week ago, and average production in the other regions was down 1.8% (-0.3 MG). Capacity utilization of plants online was 89.3% overall, 90.3% in the Midwest, and 75.0% on average, elsewhere, excluding 1,505 MGY of capacity shutdown at 29 ethanol plants for other than maintenance (details on pg. 29). On an installed capacity basis, utilization was 83.6% overall, 87.9% in the Midwest and 45.7% in the other regions.
Exports were an estimated 27.1 MG last week based on 120 MG/mo. of exports forecast for August. The EIA reported no ethanol imports last week.
Overall inventory was down 6.4 MG last week. EIA-counted stocks decreased 49.6 MG, and regional changes were: East (-2 MG), Gulf (-23 MG) and West (-1 MG) Coasts and the Midwest (-23 MG). In-transit inventory increased 43.2 MG.
Based on the total inventory of 1,793 MG on August 25th and the 4-week avg. domestic demand, there were 46.3 days of supply, down 0.2 days versus a week ago. Including the 4-week avg. of net exports, there were 42.1 days of supply, down 0.2 days versus a week ago. |
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As Caucuses Approach, Presidential Candidates Continue Pledging Support for Ethanol |
Help Us Secure Year-Round E15: Send Us Photos of Cost Savings in Your Area
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PHMSA Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
Happening Today: RFS Compliance Webinar |
POET Reopens Cloverdale, Ind. Plant |
ClearFlame Showcases Innovative Engine Technology at Nebraska Forum |
| Growth Energy Biofuels Summit Washington, DC September 11-14, 2023
Learn More National FFA Convention
Indianapolis, IN November 1-4, 2023 Learn More |
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As Caucuses Approach, Presidential Candidates Continue Pledging Support for Ethanol |
Governor Doug Burgum (R-North Dakota) is pictured at the Iowa State Fair. Source: Radio Iowa
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Republican presidential candidate Doug Burgum recently said carbon capture technology can spark what he calls “the golden age of agriculture.”
A recent story from Radio Iowa quoted Burgum saying that "the easiest fuel in the world to decarbonize is ethanol and we’ve got an opportunity here in that where this could just keep expanding and double the demand.” Burgum is the governor of North Dakota and the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline would ship carbon from Midwest ethanol plants to underground storage in Burgum’s state.
Burgum joins a growing list of presidential candidates who are pledging their support for the ethanol industry in the run up to January's Iowa caucuses. For instance, last month Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) promised a bigger emphasis on ethanol in a town hall meeting with likely voters. |
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Help Us Secure Year-Round E15: Send Us Photos of Cost Savings in Your Area |
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E15/UNL88 is available at retailers across the U.S. this summer thanks to a successful campaign by Growth Energy and the biofuels industry to secure an emergency waiver from the EPA. This was a welcome development, but Growth Energy continues to make the case for year-round E15 to the EPA, on Capitol Hill, and in state legislatures around the country. If you see an example of significant cost savings at a fuel station near you, take a picture (like the ones above) and share it with us! We'll put your photos to good use telling the story of how E15 saves drivers money.
Please email your photos to kwebster@growthenergy.org. |
For more information, please contact Vice President of Government Affairs John Fuher. |
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PHMSA Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
The Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) released an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) on modernizing regulations to improve safety and efficiency. There are a number of topics covered in the ANPRM framed in the form of “essay questions”, as opposed to a proposed rulemaking. While lengthy, there is some discussion of items related to rail transportation of hazardous materials including ethanol and possible changes to railcars—such as eliminating hinged and bolted manways altogether. Additionally, there is discussion about tank car thermal protection and an effort from Norfolk Southern to increase the performance standard.
Growth Energy will plan to comment on these by the October 3rd comment deadline, soliciting input on any of the topics discussed in the ANPRM that would impact efficient rail service of ethanol and ethanol coproducts. |
Happening Today: RFS Compliance Webinar |
Happening today, September 7th, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be hosting a Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Set Implementation Webinar from 1-4 PM Eastern. The RFS Set Rule promulgated new regulatory provisions that updated third-party engineering review requirements, provided new independence requirements for independent third-party auditors and professional engineers, created an alternative to recordkeeping requirements for separated food waste, and provided new regulatory provisions for the production, distribution and use of biogas as a renewable fuel. EPA intends to discuss these changes in greater detail during the webinar.
Additional details can be found here: 2023-17310.pdf (govinfo.gov). |
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For more information, please contact Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley. |
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POET Reopens Cloverdale, Ind. Plant |
POET, the world's largest producer of biofuels and Growth Energy producer plant member, has officially reopened their Cloverdale, Ind. bioprocessing facility. They celebrated the reopening with an event at the plant that was attended by area farmers, community members, state officials, and POET leadership.
POET Bioprocessing – Cloverdale was acquired by POET in 2010 but was idled in 2019 due to issues surrounding the implementation of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Since then, better federal management of the RFS and strong support for E15 at the state level from key Indiana policymakers, including Gov. Holcomb, Lt. Gov. Crouch, and Rep. Baird (Ind.-4), have played a significant role in POET’s decision to reopen Cloverdale, its fifth facility in the state.
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ClearFlame Showcases Innovative Engine Technology at Nebraska Forum |
Growth Energy associate member ClearFlame Engine Technologies recently had the opportunity to showcase their innovative FuelAdaptive™ engine at a forum on sustainable trucking hosted by Senator Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), the Nebraska Trucking Association and the Clean Freight Coalition. ClearFlame brought their truck to highlight low carbon alternatives. Read more about their technology here.
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For more information, please contact Senior Vice President of Development Kelly Manning. |
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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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