TOP STORY

Restoring E15 Year-Round

On Friday, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a 2019 rule by the Environmental Protection Agency that lifted outdated restrictions on the year-round sale of E15. The case, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, et al. vs. EPA, was a challenge by oil refiners to the rulemaking that extended a summertime Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) waiver to E15. Growth Energy, the Renewable Fuels Association, and the National Corn Growers Association were intervenors on behalf of EPA in the case and issued a joint statement expressing disappointment in the court’s ruling:

“We disagree with the court’s decision to reject EPA’s move to expand the RVP waiver to include E15, a decision that could deprive American drivers of lower carbon options at the pump and would result in more carbon in the atmosphere.

“We are working to ensure the continuity of E15 sales through the 2021 summer season and beyond. This decision could impact summertime sales across all non-RFG areas where nearly two-thirds of retail sites offering E15 currently do business. If E15 in those markets were to end, summertime E15 sales would fall by 90%.

“We are pursuing all available options and will work with the administration and our congressional champions to ensure that we have a solution in place before the 2022 driving season.”

You can rest assured knowing that restoring E15 year-round is Growth Energy’s number one priority. We will keep you updated as we proceed on these activities, but in the meantime please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions.   

For more information, please contact Legal Counsel Joe Kakesh.

IN GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

Growth Energy Applauds House Introduction of Low Carbon Biofuel Credit Act

Growth Energy applauded the House introduction of the H.R. 4254, the Low Carbon Biofuel Credit Act, by U.S Representatives Cindy Axne (R-Iowa) and Adrian Smith (R-Neb.), that would fast-track consumer access to lower-cost, lower-carbon vehicle fuel blends.

“Higher ethanol blends continue to grow in popularity among drivers looking to save money while protecting our climate,” said CEO Emily Skor. “This legislative push offers further incentives for retailers to place higher biofuel blends within reach of drivers faster than ever, which gives retailers a competitive advantage while making a greater difference for the climate today. In fact, a nationwide transition to E15 could slash emissions by 17.62 million tons per year – equal to removing approximately 3.85 million vehicles from the road.

“We applaud Representatives Axne and Smith for making access to biofuels a top priority, and we urge lawmakers to take advantage of this bipartisan opportunity to support America’s farm communities, save drivers money, and reduce carbon emissions.”

The Low Carbon Biofuel Credit Act would provide retailers and fuel blenders a direct incentive to offer higher ethanol blends, including a 5-cent tax credit for each gallon of E15 sold, and a 10 cent tax credit for each gallon of fuel containing more than 15 percent ethanol. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Thune (R-SD) introduced the Senate companion bill, S. 2262, on June 30.

Growth Energy Applauds New Legislation to Clarify Oil Refinery Exemptions

CEO Emily Skor applauded the introduction of the Small Refinery Exemption Clarification Act of 2021 by U.S. Reps. Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.). The legislation comes just days after the Supreme Court issued a decision on the meaning of “extension” for small refinery exemptions (SREs) and seeks to clarify the original congressional intent behind the small refinery exemption program.

“The Small Refinery Exemption Clarification Act seeks to clarify who is eligible, under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) SRE program, ” said Skor. “The RFS was always intended to spur increased blending of low-carbon biofuels into our domestic fuel supply every year. We firmly believe that refiners have had 16 years to adjust their operations to comply with the RFS, and that EPA’s SRE authority was meant to steer them toward compliance rather than provide a never-ending excuse to avoiding their blending obligations.

“Legislation like this will help stabilize demand in our industry, so we can continue to produce low-carbon biofuels, provide clean energy jobs in rural areas, and achieve our nation’s climate reduction goals. We are grateful to Representatives Randy Feenstra and Angie Craig for continuing to push to restore integrity to a program run amuck.”

For years, Growth Energy has raised the alarm on the abuse of SREs, and is currently involved in SRE litigation to restore integrity to the program.

Growth Energy also strongly supports and advocates for the House and Senate versions of the RFS Integrity Act, H.R. 1113 and S. 1792 respectively, bills which would add deadlines for refinery SRE petitions so EPA can properly account for them in future year RVOs. The legislation would also improve transparency in the SRE process by requiring petitioners to publicly disclose basic identification information.

In addition, Growth Energy supported several letters led by Democrat and Republican members in both chambers who wrote the White House, EPA, and USDA on the market implications of SRE authority abuse.

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

IN GLOBAL

Export Update: May 2021

For the month of May, exports remained fairly consistent but dipped slightly from previous months. Canada continues to be the top importer of American ethanol. Our top export markets for May 2021 are as follows:

1. Canada at 27.34 mg
2. China at 12.62 mg
3. South Korea at 9.02 mg 

For more information, please contact Senior Director of Market Development Mike Lorenz.

IN OUR ASSOCIATION

Golden Grain Energy LLC to Install Whitefox ICE® Membrane Solution

leader in Iowa's ethanol industry.

"We've been in discussions with Whitefox and watching the technology continue to advance for a few years now, and we felt the time was right to adopt membrane dehydration as part of our operational future," said Chad Kuhlers, CEO of Golden Grain Energy. "Whitefox systems have been verified in 24/7 operations at several other plants. With the other yield and operational improvements Golden Grain has implemented, Whitefox is a good solution for our plant to debottleneck existing process units and we expect additional benefits in plant maintenance and overall operational efficiency."

POET Biofuels on BBC: Growing the Distance

POET appears in a new short film as part of the series Nature's Building Blocks, produced by BBC StoryWorks. The film series showcases several companies doing groundbreaking, innovative work in biotechnology.

POET's film focuses on biofuels and the vital role they play in fighting climate change and supporting the rural economy. Plant-based bioethanol is 46% cleaner than traditional gasoline, making biofuels the most sustainable way to decarbonize the existing vehicle fleet.

"This film allows us to reach a global audience with our message: biofuels are they key to successful agriculture, which is a critical part of our arsenal in the fight against climate change," said POET Founder and CEO Jeff Broin. "At POET, we're combining the Earth's resources with human ingenuity to take swift action in the climate crisis by producing clean energy and plant-based bioproducts that will allow us to sustain our way of life for generations to come."

Preview: Fuel Ethanol Workshop

The 2021 Fuel Ethanol Workshop and Expo, the most widely attended industry event of the year, kicks off next week in Des Moines, Iowa. Growth Energy will showcase its efforts in market development and leadership in ethanol policymaking in Washington, D.C. with a Get Biofuel booth in the convention hall. Growth Energy staff will also present throughout the week:

• Growth Energy Regional Sales Director Will Beck will share his expertise on market expansion of ethanol during his presentation, The Vital Role Convenience Stores Play in Market Expansion for Fuel Ethanol
• Growth Energy Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley will update attendees on working with the Biden Administration on panels titled, Charting the Prospects for the Renewable Fuels Sector in the Biden Era and The Latest Regulatory, Legislative Initiatives Impacting Biofuels.

To stay updated on this year's FEW, follow along on Growth Energy's Twitter!

For more information, please contact Vice President of Membership Kelly Manning.

IN MARKET DEVELOPMENT

247 Terminals Now Offering Pre-Blended E15

In an exciting milestone in market development, 247 terminals now offer pre-blended E15, a significant increase from 2017, when only five locations offered E15.

Don't forget to use the Get Biofuel fuel finder to stay updated where to fill up on higher blends!

For more information, please contact Senior Vice President of Market Development Mike Lorenz.

IN COMMUNICATIONS

CEO Skor on E15 Court Decision and Future of RFS

CEO Emily Skor joined Farm Journal Radio Podcast 'DC Signal to Noise' and laid out how the biofuels industry is addressing the recent court decision that vacated a 2019 rule by the Environmental Protection Agency that lifted outdated restrictions on the sale of E15.

"We as a nation need to be using higher blends of biofuels for a host of reasons; we need that as an industry, so that is our focus moving forward," said Skor

When talking about working with Members of the Congress and the Biden Administration moving forward, Skor noted that President Biden specifically committed to rural America "and to clean energy jobs and a strong RFS. So we need to hold them accountable to those pledges, and we'll see how things come to fruition in the weeks ahead because there's a lot of moving pieces right now this summer for us."

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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