IN REGULATIONS

EPA Approves Long Awaited Pathway for Sorghum Oil Use in Biodiesel Production

Late yesterday, EPA approved the long awaited RFS pathway for sorghum oil to be used as a feedstock for biodiesel and renewable diesel production. Growth Energy has been working extensively with the National Sorghum Producers and our member plants seeking approval of this long overdue change for more than 5 years. Details on the EPA announcement can be found here.

"This is long over-due and very welcomed news for the renewable fuels industry", said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. "Growth Energy, our member plants, and the National Sorghum Producers have been working side by side and pushing hard for this change for more than five years. We are thrilled to see our efforts become a reality for numerous ethanol producers using grain sorghum to produce ethanol, and for the opportunity to open up additional markets in a struggling agricultural economy."

Growth Energy remains committed to working with our industry allies to secure legislative and regulatory victories that benefit the entire industry. Securing a pathway for biofuels alternatives is just one way we have succeeded in keeping the RFS strong over the past ten years. 

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

IN REGULATIONS

USDA Short-Term Relief Package a “Missed Opportunity”

Growth Energy's CEO Emily Skor issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) announced it’s short-term relief strategy for farmers:

“Once again, this administration has missed an opportunity to provide long-term relief to farmers by increasing domestic demand through RVP relief. Allowing year-round sales of higher blend fuels such as E15 is one way to address sales lost because of new tariffs and provide increased certainty for farmers and producers. We will continue encouraging the President and his administration to uphold his promise of supporting farmers and rural Americans by following through on allowing the year-round sale of higher blend fuels.”

Growth Energy will continue to push for RVP relief going forward and keep you updated on our progress.

Growth Energy Submits Comment to FDA on Draft Guidance for Livestock DDGS Consumption

On Monday, Growth Energy submitted comments to the FDA for their draft industry guidance on “Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for food from Animals.”  Our comments focused on reducing some of the regulatory burden of compliance under the Food Safety Modernization Law (FSMA) and clarify some of the items that should not be classified as hazards and subsequently may not immediately demand preventive controls.

Monitoring technical regulations, such as these, is critical to ensuring fair treatment of biofuels' co-products throughout the supply chain. The scientific studies used by the FDA, in this case, rely on incomplete or obsolete data to reinforce their conclusions. Growth Energy has provided clarification from more recent and complete studies to supplement those being used by FDA, which they are required to consider by law. We will continue to monitor this regulation and keep you updated as developments arise. You can view our comments here.

Growth Energy VP Chris Bliley Testified at EPA RVO Hearing Last week

Last week, Growth Energy’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Chris Bliley, testified at the EPA hearing in Ypsilanti, Michigan on the proposed 2019 Renewable Volume Obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard. Chris’ testimony focused on the unprecedented number of small refinery waivers and the need to restore lost demand, as well as pushing the EPA to provide immediate RVP relief. There were also a number of other Growth Energy members at the hearing, and we greatly appreciate their willingness to appear last week.

If you have not done so already, we urge you to submit a comment on the 2019 RVO proposal through our action center to ensure that the EPA does not ignore the critical need to address refinery waiver handouts and the subsequent demand destruction of biofuel volumes.

Our action center is extremely easy to use and comments can be submitted in just a few short clicks. Submitting comments is a way for you, as members, to contribute to the continued growth and success of biofuels and to help strengthen the impact our association has on important regulation. 

In addition to submitting comments yourself, we encourage you to share the action center with others in your personal and professional networks. The action center will allow you to quickly post the link on social media, and we also ask that you send the link, www.growthenergy.org/action, to other potential advocates via email.

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

 ON THE HILL

Congressional Boating and Motorcycle Caucuses Hold Briefing on Consumer Protection and Transparency Act of 2018

On Thursday of last week, the Congressional Boating and Motorcycle Caucuses held a Capitol Hill briefing on H.R. 5855 – Consumer Protection and Fuel Transparency Act of 2018. The bill is being sponsored by Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA-08) and would require that the EPA revise E15 labeling requirements to include items such as a warning label, pictograms, keypad confirmation, increased overall font size, and input from industries opposed to E15.

This anti-ethanol bill would unnecessarily complicate the purchasing of fuel for consumers on the grounds that small engine owners are unable to purchase the proper fuel at the pump. There is no evidence to suggest that consumers are at all confused over what fuels are approved for use in their engines. In fact, Growth Energy's own study found that consumers were more than able to the right fuel for their engine. We will continue to monitor the bill's progress and keep you updated on its status.

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

IN COMMUNICATIONS 

Growth Energy Staff Present on Data Management at Cvent Connect Conference

Clockwise from top: Creative Director Houston Ruck demonstrates walks through features of the Cvent platform. Manager of Operations Daniel Cones describes the technical requirements of our database integration. Ruck presents the business case for a CRM integration.

Growth Energy Staff works very hard to ensure that our association remains at the forefront of the industry in the media, in policy, and in the market. However, much of the hard work that we do also goes on behind the scenes and out of the public eye. None of our staff members embody this more than our Manager of Operations Daniel Cones and Creative Director Houston Ruck who were asked recently to present on their experience integrating our Microsoft Dynamics database and the Cvent platform — a software suite from the largest event technology management company in the world. 

This is not the first accolade Growth Energy's staff has earned. In 2015, we were selected by a juried panel to receive a Plannie Award for "Best Event Website". This year, Cvent invited Daniel and Houston to present at their annual conference on data integration along with Cvent's Senior Manager for Sales Engineering Steve Smith.

While planning events for our members, our staff broke new ground to create seamless membership management capabilities and remain at the forefront of data integration. These systems allow us to more efficiently stay ahead of member needs and utilize data to ensure precise data tracking and analysis. We are very proud of the work of these two staff members and the recognition they have received in their field.

For more details, contact Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs Jenn Morris.

AROUND THE GLOBE

Growth Energy Joins USGC on Trade Mission to Indonesia and Vietnam

Growth Energy's Craig Willis joined the US Grains Council on their recent trade mission to Indonesia and Vietnam where he gained key insights into the biofuels markets of both countries. Craig's first stop was Indonesia where a population of around 262 million people consume over 10 billion gallons of gasoline each year. That market is growing at a rate of 3.5 percent annually and Indonesia is on track to become the seventh largest economy in the world by 2030. Currently the country has a 30 percent tariff on ethanol.  The state owned oil company, Pertamina, which markets gasoline for a majority portion of the country currently doesn’t use imported ethanol. With their current capacity, Indonesia has a voluntary E2 fuel program and there is huge potential for market growth. 

Vietnam, by comparison, is much friendlier to ethanol, despite being a much smaller market, with an annual gasoline demand of 2.1 billion gallons per year. In Ho Chi Minh City alone there are around 10 million people driving 700,000 cars and 7 million motorcycles. At the beginning of this year, Vietnam began offering an E5 RON 92 alongside its RON 95. Previously, the country had only widely offered E0 at the pump, but made the shift to an E5 blend as part of a government initiative to improve fuel prices and reduce pollution. Currently E5 products sell for 5 to 7 percent less than E0 blends and make up approximately half of total sales. While the market isn't as large, Vietnam has plans to move into E5 for all blends and has been historically more friendly to US imports. 

“This trip has only cemented in my mind the untapped upside potential that ethanol has globally," Willis said. "Ethanol’s positive environmental characteristics, coupled with its attractive blending economics, make it difficult for policy makers and gasoline marketers to not give strong consideration to our product.”

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

AT THE PUMP

Prime the Pump E15 Quiz

Compared to the average E10 site, how much more ethanol is sold when E15 is a choice at the pump?

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

IN OUR ASSOCIATION

Growth Energy Meets with National Corn Growers' State Groups During Corn Congress

Pictured above: (Top) Vice President John Fuher discusses legislative priorities; (bottom left) CEO Emily Skor answers questions from Illinois FFA members; (bottom right) Emily explains our strategic vision

Member Highlight: E. I. DuPont

Name of company and city/state in which you are located:

E.I. DuPont, headquarted in Wilmington, Del., with other US - Biofuels related sites in Palo Alto, Calif.; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Beloit, Wis.

Management team (for biofuels related products):

• Global Business Leader: Troy Wilson

How long has the company been in operation?

DuPont was founded over 200 years ago, in 1802, and started out as a manufacturer of gun powder.

How does your company contribute to the biofuels industry?

DuPont is a world leader in enzymes, yeast, and fermentation aids for the biofuels industry.

What other products/services does your company provide?

DuPont has products for many industries including agriculture, materials, and specialty chemicals.

What do you consider some of your company's main accomplishments?

DuPont has a long history of creating products that have changed the world for the better – these include Nylon, Tyvek, Kevlar, and many more well-known brands. In the biofuels industry, we have brought a long list of products to market that help improve yield, throughput, and operational success. Some recent innovations include: SYNERXIA® THRIVE GX, a highly robust yield yeast that produces glucoamylase for the best yeast performance in the industry. OPTIMASH® AX – a thermostable xylanase for enhanced liquefaction the helps liberate additional starch.  

What is  your website address?

www.xcelis.com

What do you like about being a member of Growth Energy?

Growth Energy provides the industry wtih valuable tools for advocacy and downstream marketing activities. It has a clear direction for expanding the use of biofuels and helping lawmakers understand the national and global impact of ethanol from the perspectives of many different stakeholders.

Any other fun facts?

When founding the company Eleutherian Mills, that later became DuPont, Eleuthère Irénée du Pont purchased land along the Brandywine River from Jacob Broom. Broom tried to pressure du Pont into purchasing additional land by building a dam upstream from the mill, limiting water flow to the growing du Pont business. To find a way, to resolve this dispute, E.I. du Pont engaged his lawyer – none other than Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton helped secure land and water rights from a property owner on the other side of the river from Broom, thereby gaining water rights to half of the river and destroying Broom’s dam.  

For more details, contact Vice President of Development, Kelly Manning.

ON THE TRACK

Dave and Deric Kramer Represent American Ethanol at Hometown Track

Pictured above: Father and son, Dave and Deric, pose together (left) and Deric gets settled in (right)

Deric Kramer continued his fantastic year in the NHRA Pro Stock series last weekend at his hometown track, Bandimere Speedway, in Morrison, Colo. Throughout this season, Deric earned his first-ever pole qualifying position, took home a runner up finish, and secured his first-career NHRA Pro Stock win in his American Ethanol Chevrolet Camaro. Last weekend was Deric’s first time racing in front of his friends, family, and hometown fans as a NHRA Pro Stock winner, and he did not disappoint.

Deric earned yet another top qualifying spot, and ultimately ended the weekend with a top 5 finish. To make the weekend even more special, Deric raced alongside his father, Dave Kramer, General Manager of Sterling Ethanol, who also qualified first in the Competition Eliminator drag series. Dave made it to the finals in his series, and called qualifying first overall with his son “a dream come true.” We congratulate Deric and Dave on their phenomenal showing last weekend, and thank them for continuing to represent American Ethanol on and off the track.

Two American Ethanol Paint Outs for Richard Childress Racing this Weekend

American Ethanol will be on the hood of two Richard Childress Racing cars this weekend! Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Chevrolet will be representing American Ethanol in the Monster Energy Cup Series race at Pocono this weekend, and Matt Tifft will also be driving the American Ethanol No. 2 Chevrolet the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa speedway. Be sure to tune in to watch.

NASCAR Xfinity Series, U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway: Saturday, July 28 at 5 p.m. Eastern time on NBSCN

Monster Energy NASCASR Cup Series, Gander Outdoors 400 at Pocono Raceway: Sunday, July 29 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time on NBCSN

For more details, contact Manger 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. 

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