No. 163 February 18, 2021 ![]() TOP STORY Members Dive Deep on Environmental Benefits of Ethanol Thank you to all who attended last week's webinar with David MacIntosh, lead scientist of the new EH&E study which determined that greenhouse gas emissions from corn ethanol are 46% lower than gasoline, up from the estimated 39% done by previous modeling, and which found a 25-fold improvement on land use change compared to earlier estimates.
In case you missed the webinar, David walked Growth Energy members through his findings, including how his research came to its final conclusion, land use change projections, and trends in carbon intensity. Following David's presentation, Growth Energy Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley discussed the importance of this study to our advocacy efforts to position ethanol as a key element in our nation's climate goals.
"As you look at the key takeaways, this new research really confirms a lot of what we knew to be true, that ethanol is a fundamental reducer of greenhouse gas emissions and an invaluable tool to address climate change," said Bliley. "We are continuing to innovate as an industry both on the biorefining side as well as on the corn farming side."
WORKING FOR YOU IN REGULATORY AFFAIRS State Update: E15 Legislation Introduced in Minnesota
Growth Energy Shares Concerns with Indiana E15 Labeling Provisions IN OUR ASSOCIATION Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City Featuring Emily Skor ON THE TRACK Austin Dillon Wins Second Duel at Daytona IN COMMUNICATIONS Skor Joins AgriTalk Radio to Discuss Ethanol's Role in Climate Change
IN REGULATORY AFFAIRS State Update: E15 Legislation Introduced in Minnesota At the end of last week, the Minnesota Legislature introduced legislation that would increase the minimum biofuels content in gasoline to 15 percent across the state. The bill would also require all infrastructure to be E25 compatible, among other provisions.
Yesterday, the Minnesota Senate Agriculture and Rural Development Finance & Policy Committee held a hearing on this statewide E15 legislation. Brian Thalmann of Minnesota Corn Growers Association, Carson Berger of DENCO II, and Chris Hanson of POET (Preston), among others, spoke in support of the bill and its proposed E15 standard.
During his testimony, Hanson, General Manager of POET's biorefinery in Preston, Minn., told lawmakers, "not only can E15 protect consumers from unpredictable spikes in the price of foreign oil, it can help free farmers from uncertain assistance in Washington. Predictable demand growth for E15 would also support thousands of good-paying bio-manufacturing jobs, attract new capital investment for plant construction, improvements, and equipment, and generate additional tax revenues in rural communities across our state."
Growth Energy Shares Concerns with Indiana E15 Labeling Provisions On Monday morning, the Indiana State Senate Environmental Affairs Committee held a hearing on Senate Bill 303, which would require additional warning label language for E15, reading, "Check owner's manual for compatibility and warranty requirements." Ahead of the hearing, Growth Energy's Chris Bliley sent a letter to the committee flagging Growth Energy's concerns with the onerous and confusing labeling language.
"Growth Energy writes to express our concerns with the unnecessary labeling provisions in Senate Bill 303," wrote Bliley. "The U.S. EPA and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) already require labeling for fuels including E15. Further, actions to impose additional labeling at the state and local level are pre-empted by these federal agencies." For more information, please contact Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley.
IN OUR ASSOCIATION Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City Featuring Emily Skor The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City will host CEO Emily Skor for their March webinar meeting to provide an ethanol industry overview and framework for the future of biofuels, including a discussion on Growth Energy's efforts to carve out a role for biofuels and agriculture in our nation's efforts to decarbonize the transportation sector. For more information, please contact Vice President of Development Kelly Manning.
ON THE TRACK Austin Dillon Wins Second Duel at Daytona At Daytona International Speedway on Friday, Austin Dillon got around Bubba Wallace in a last-lap pass to claim the win in the second Bluegreen Vacations Duel Daytona 500 qualifying race, the first for Richard Childress Racing since 2000.
"I made a decent block on the backstretch and then a heck of a push (from Harvick) through (Turns) 3 and 4," said Dillon. "I knew Bubba was going to try and block it but I just whipped the wheel and it worked out well."
After his duel win, Dillon opens up the 2021 Daytona season as the points leader with 58 points. For more information, please contact Director of Sales and Marketing Ryan Welsh.
IN COMMUNICATIONS Skor Joins AgriTalk Radio to Discuss Ethanol's Role in Climate Change Emily Skor joined Chip Flory on AgriTalk Radio to discuss the EH&E study that found that corn ethanol greenhouse gas emissions are 46% lower than gasoline and what that means for our industry's role in the nationwide fight against climate change. They also discussed 2020 ethanol export numbers, the Biden Administration's view on biofuels, and what is ahead in 2021. Tune in!
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