IN THE WHITE HOUSE

President Trump Supports Year-Round E15

Last week, President Trump publicly stated his support for lifting the outdated Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) limits on summer-time sales of E15 without tying RVP relief to any refinery-backed limits on Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). This was a first for the president, and a sign that the White House clearly understands that RVP relief will expand a growing market for America’s farmers while letting consumers pick the fuel of their choice. This simple fix allows retailers to offer better options alongside traditional blends all year long. Although this is very good news for us, we will continue to remain actively engaged on this issue to ensure that the president holds true to his words.

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

ON THE HILL

Emily Skor Testified in Front of Energy and Commerce

On Friday morning, the Subcommittee on the Environment of the House Energy and Commerce Committee examined the potential of high octane fuels and vehicles. Emily Skor testified along with Chairman of Illinois Corn Paul Jeschke, Vice President of Propulsion Systems at General Motors Dan Nicholson, President and CEO of American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers Chet Thompson, and Tim Columbus on behalf of the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers. Emily’s testimony focused on the importance of mid-level blends to octane, the success of the RFS in achieving access to the marketplace for higher biofuel blends, and the perils of sunsetting the RFS for a high-octane fuel standard. 

You can check out the full testimony here. 

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

Sec. Perdue to Speak in Front of Senate Ag. Committee

Next Tuesday, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will appear before the Senate Agriculture Committee to discuss the State of Rural America. We expect issues facing the ethanol industry to come up throughout this hearing. You can find out more information here.

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

IN THE STATES

Louisiana Anti-Discounting Legislation

State Representative Lance Harris (R) has introduced legislation that would ban fuel retailers in Louisiana from using RINs and "other financial savings" to reduce the price they charge for motor fuels. The legislation was approved by the full House last week and is set to be considered by the Senate Commerce Committee on April 25. The bill sponsor owns and operates convenience stores and the legislation has the support of the Louisiana Oil and Gasoline Marketers. We’re engaging allies and other resources to work against this legislation as it would be a terrible precedent. We will keep you updated accordingly.

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

IN THE GLOBAL VIEW

Growth Energy Applauds Japan Policy Shift to Allow Use of U.S. Ethanol

On Tuesday, the Japanese government passed a new biofuel policy allowing imports of ETBE made from U.S. corn-based ethanol. The change comes as part of the country’s update of its existing sustainability policy, approved in 2010, in which only sugarcane-based ethanol was eligible for import and which only allowed sugarcane-based ethanol for the production of ETBE, an oxygenate.

The new policy calls for an increase in the carbon intensity reduction requirements of ethanol used as a feedstock to make ETBE to meet a 55 percent reduction, up from 40 percent, and recognizes corn-based, U.S.-produced ethanol’s ability to meet that goal, even with the higher greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction standard.

Japan will now allow U.S. ethanol to meet up to 44 percent of a total estimated demand of 217 million gallons of ethanol used to make ETBE, or potentially 95.5 million gallons of U.S.-produced ethanol annually. Japan imports nearly all of the ETBE from ethanol that it uses.

We will continue to work closely with the Japanese government as it implements its new policy and provide updated technical information about GHG reductions and other benefits of corn-based ethanol.

Ontario moves to E10

The Canadian Province of Ontario officially approved the use of E10 in their fuel supply thereby doubling the amount of blended ethanol from 5 percent to 10 percent by 2020. This move is a win for Canadian consumers, the environment, the ag economy and biofuel producers. We are pleased to see the government of Ontario provide its citizens with these benefits. 

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

AT THE PUMP

Second Annual High Octane Fuels Summit Recap

Last week the Growth Energy Market Development team partnered with CSP to host the second annual High Octane Fuels Summit in Chicago. Joining us were representatives from Cumberland Farms, Meijer, Rmarts, and Kwik Trip, who together represent 1,500 fuel sites. We discussed transportation trends, emerging markets, marketing practices, and challenges facing fuel retailers today. Kwik Trip’s General Manager of Fuel Procurement and Marketing Joel Hirschboeck, who oversees their Fuel Procurement, Commercial Sales and Alternative Fuels Division, gave a testimonial of the process of incorporating E15 into their offerings and shared their strategy. Our summit answered the questions of prospective retailers on purchasing behavior, technology, segmentation, and trends that have gained momentum. 

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

IN COMMUNICATIONS

Help Promote Biofuels This Earth Day!

This Earth Day, step back have a look around, and take in the fresh air. You can breathe easy knowing that higher blends of ethanol help replace toxic emissions in the air. So enjoy Earth Day with your family knowing that the air is safer and cleaner thanks to ethanol.

Let the world know about the benefits of higher ethanol blends for the environment. To help you get the word out, we have assembled a social media toolkit with ready-to-use content that you can share on your channels.

Be Sure to Catch Emily Skor on Agri-Talk on Thursday

This Thursday on Agri-Talk, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor will speak about her testimony in front of the Subcommittee on the Environment of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. She will be discussing the RFS and High Octane Fuels. Make sure to tune in!

Don't Forget to Participate in our All-Member Call

Don't forget, we will be having our all-member call on Tuesday, April 24 at 11:00 a.m. EST. We will be sending out more information as the date approaches. The dial-in information is as follows:

Dial-in Number: 866-951-1151

Passcode: 2502678

Remember to save the date!

AT THE PLANTS

Amy Baker Runs the Boston Marathon

Congratulations to Amy Baker, wife of Ray Baker (GM of Adkins Energy in Lena, Ill.), who ran in the Boston Marathon on Monday while representing American Ethanol. It was her second time running the prestigious race, and she finished with a total time of 3:22:22, for a fantastic pace of 7:43 per mile!  She is an avid marathon runner having already competed in Chicago, New York and London and is registered to run in Berlin, Germany in September. Next year, she will finish the Abbott World Marathon Majors by running in Tokyo and completing the six major world marathons. Amy is proud to support American Ethanol while racing! 

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

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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