No. 150 October 29, 2020 ![]() TOP STORY Join Us for a Post-Election Day Webinar ![]() Please join Growth Energy for a webinar on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. CST / 3 p.m. EST. about the impact of the 2020 Election on the ethanol industry. Register now to secure your spot. 2020 Election Analysis November 5, 2 p.m. CST / 3 p.m. EST We'll talk to Vice President of Government Affairs John Fuher who will review initial results from the House, Senate, and Presidential elections and how it may impact the ethanol industry. For more information, please contact Vice President of Government Affairs John Fuher.
WORKING FOR YOU IN REGULATORY AFFAIRS Growth Energy Urges EPA to Provide Immediate Credit to Automakers to Produce Flex-Fuel Vehicles IN COMMUNICATIONS Growth Energy, NCGA Participate in Virtual Town Hall with Farm Journal
Market Growth Opportunities for Ethanol: A conversation between an Iowa Farmer & Growth Energy’s CEO
Skor in EPM: When It Comes to Driving Demand, We're "Just Getting Started" IN REGULATORY AFFAIRS Growth Energy Urges EPA to Provide Immediate Credit to Automakers to Produce Flex-Fuel Vehicles IN GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS Growth Energy Submits Letter on Agriculture Innovations IN THE COURTS Growth Energy and RFA File Motion in FOIA Lawsuit Regarding SRE Transparency IN OUR ASSOCIATION On Demand: Ethanol Data Hub Webinar UPCOMING EVENTS
GE Webinar: Election Results 2 PM CT/3 PM ET November 5, 2020
Virtual - SIGMA November 9-13, 2020
GE Webinar: Market Development Update November 18, 2020
Virtual - NAFB Trade Talk November 18, 2020
Virtual - NACS November 2- December 4, 2020
IN COMMUNICATIONS Growth Energy, NCGA Participate in Virtual Town Hall with Farm Journal ![]() Yesterday, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor and President and CEO of National Corn Growers Association John Linder joined Farm Journal reporter Chip Flory for a virtual townhall discussion on growing market demand for ethanol.
Skor and Linder discussed how the two organizations are working together to expand market demand for corn and ethanol both at home and abroad, including breaking down market barriers and investing in E15 infrastructure, enacting legislation like the Next Generation Fuels Act, and restoring integrity to the Renewable Fuel Standard.
A full recording of the town hall will be included in next week's rundown.
Market Growth Opportunities for Ethanol: A Conversation Between an Iowa Farmer & Growth Energy’s CEO Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor joined veteran Iowa farm and biofuel leader Kelly Nieuwenhuis for a virtual conversation on the biofuel landscape and top priorities for the agricultural community in 2021. Nieuwenhuis is president of the board at Siouxland Energy, a member of Growth Energy, as well as a farmer near Primghar, Iowa, and chair of the Iowa Corn Growers Association Industrial Usage and U.S. Production Committee.
Skor and Nieuwenhuis discussed the recent denial of 54 gap-year small refinery exemptions (SREs), the continued need to hold the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accountable for upholding the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), and important advancements for E15.
Nieuwenhuis noted that the denial of the gap-year SREs is encouraging news, but the EPA has more work to do. “Farmers like me need greater certainty so that we can keep not only our corn moving and getting sold, but the ethanol plant running, the trucking companies going, and so on,” he said.
It’s critical that the EPA reject the outstanding exemption petitions and apply the 10th Circuit Court’s decision nationwide so industry can close the chapter on SRE demand destruction and look toward market growth, prioritizing higher blends, streamlined labeling, and removing burdensome infrastructure regulations. At Growth Energy, “we’re going to keep holding the administration accountable to those because fixing them paves the way for even greater expansion of higher blends in the retail market,” said Skor.
On October 8th, 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the first round of grants under the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP), representing a major milestone in our efforts to offer Americans access to cleaner, more affordable fuel choices. With exciting initiatives like that in the works, Growth Energy looks forward to continuing to work with farmers and agricultural partners to grow the market for corn and biofuels. As Skor noted, “it really is a team effort.”
Skor in EPM: When It Comes to Driving Demand, We're "Just Getting Started" ![]() In the November issue of Ethanol Producer Magazine, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor outlines how the industry has moved to recover and continue driving demand in the face of an unprecedented, challenging year.
"Looking back on this past year, it’s impossible to overstate the ingenuity and resilience we’ve seen on display by America’s biofuels producers. We pivot, we remain agile, we seize those opportunities that emerge—planned or unplanned—but we also stay the course. And now, we’re approaching this decade with the same singular focus: Drive demand for ethanol and propel this industry forward." For more information, please contact Vice President of Communications Elizabeth Funderburk.
IN REGULATORY AFFAIRS Growth Energy Urges EPA to Provide Immediate Credit to Automakers to Produce Flex-Fuel Vehicles ![]() Earlier this week, Growth Energy submitted comments on a notice from the Environmental Protection Agency that sets a weighting factor (F-factor) for flexible fuel vehicles for model year 2020 and would affect how the agency determines the F-factor for flexible fuel vehicles for model years 2021 and later.
“Recent trends in government and private investment in biofuels infrastructure and updated data on E85 availability all lead to growth in higher biofuel blends,” said Growth Energy Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley. “EPA should seize on that data to provide appropriate, immediate credit to automakers to continue to produce flex-fuel vehicles to run on these higher biofuel blends.”
In the organization’s written comments, Growth Energy offered a detailed technical analysis on the benefits of an updated F-factor, noting that any upward revision should take immediate effect so it continues to accelerate automaker investment and innovation. They recommend the following:
Despite inconsistencies in the agency’s estimates of E85 use and the modeling in AEO 2020, Growth Energy believes that upon addressing the flaws in the 2020 Annual Energy Outlook (AEO 2020) and consideration of projected growth in E85 stations and uptake, EPA will be justified in establishing a F-factor of 0.20 for model year 2021 moving forward.
To read Growth Energy’s comments on EPA’s proposed rule on F-factor, click here or the button below. For more information, please contact Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley.
IN GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS Growth Energy Submits Letter on Agriculture Innovations The U.S. Department of Agriculture is looking for specific technologies that will help the agency’s mission for increasing domestic agriculture production while cutting the sector’s environmental footprint along the way as part of its Agriculture Innovation Agenda.
Growth Energy submitted a comment letter which highlights the greenhouse gas reductions brought by ethanol, especially higher blends like E15 and higher, and carbon capture technologies being utilized by a fourth of the industry. For more information, please contact Vice President of Government Affairs John Fuher.
IN THE COURTS Growth Energy and RFA File Motion in FOIA Lawsuit Regarding SRE Transparency ![]() Upon the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) failure to adequately respond to several Freedom of Information Act requests filed by the biofuels industry regarding the small refinery exemption (SRE) program and EPA’s radical escalation in granting SREs in recent years, Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association filed a motion this week for partial summary judgment in the federal District Court of the District of Columbia. Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association asked the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to order the following:
Following the filing, Growth Energy and RFA issued a joint statement to media stating, “For the last several years, biofuels interests have pleaded with EPA to lift the veil of secrecy that it has held over the issuance of small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). These clandestine agency actions have destabilized markets and allowed numerous refineries to avoid their RFS compliance obligations at the expense of renewable fuel producers and supporters, including America’s farmers.
“Fundamentally, this request is about fairness and transparency in government. If an agency decides to relieve a refinery from the obligations Congress imposed under the Clean Air Act or any federal law, it should be done in the public view.”
We will continue to update you on the progress of this case. For more information, please contact General Counsel Joe Kakesh.
IN OUR ASSOCIATION Wigans Attends Ag Roundtable with Amb. Branstad, Sec. Perdue On Monday, Growth Energy member and Corn LP Board Member Mark Wigans joined former U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and former U.S. Representative David Young for a roundtable discussion on agriculture in Des Moines.
Wigans was one of many state ag leaders at the private event, and he had the opportunity to speak one-on-one on behalf of Growth Energy with Secretary Perdue (pictured above) about small refinery exemptions and expanding E15.
We'd like to thank Mark Wigans for attending this event and championing biofuels with ag officials.
On Demand: Ethanol Data Hub Webinar ![]() Last week, Senior Vice President of Global Markets Craig Willis hosted a webinar for Growth Energy members on the longer term global outlook for ethanol demand and demonstrated the new reporting tools available in Growth Energy's Ethanol Data Hub.
In case you missed it, the webinar will be available until Nov. 30th to watch on demand here or by clicking the button below. For more details, contact Vice President of Development Kelly Manning.
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