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Skor participates in Congressional Biofuels Caucus Virtual Townhall

Yesterday evening, the co-chairs of the Congressional Biofuels Caucus (Reps. Peterson, Davis, Loebsack, Marshall) hosted a virtual Town Hall to discuss the state of the biofuels industry amid the COVID-19 crisis. Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor participated in the townhall, speaking with legislators, members, and the press about the long road to recovery that's ahead for biofuels, and what our champions in Congress can do to ensure stability in the marketplace, get the administration to follow through on promises for increasing access to higher blends, and break down barriers for trade. 

This was a valuable opportunity for Skor and biofuel industry allies to speak directly with our lawmakers, encourage them to keep biofuels included in the discussion for future federal relief packages, and hold this administration's feet to the fire.

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

IN GLOBAL MARKETS

On Tuesday, Growth Energy and six member companies (ADM, POET, GPRE, Marquis, Conestoga, and Big River) joined almost 200 other food and agriculture companies from across America to support the Phase One Trade Agreement with China in a letter to President Trump.

The U.S. – China Phase One Trade Agreement is critical to both the near- and long-term success and growth of American agriculture – and the millions of American jobs the agricultural sector sustains. The U.S. ethanol industry can be a significant contributor to the agreement as few products in the U.S. agricultural portfolio could achieve $1 billion in sales within a year. U.S. ethanol is poised to deliver product worth over $1.6 billion in the short term, and DDGS exported to China were as high as $1.8 billion in 2013/14, prior to China’s initiation of anti-dumping and countervailing duties. We continue to advocate for a significant reduction in current Chinese ethanol tariffs (45%) and remove the AD/CVD DDGS duties to incentivize trade with the country.

China’s import agriculture commitments under the Phase One agreement are $36.5 billion in 2020. As of April 2020, however, China has only imported $6.3 billion in agricultural goods, or $1.4 billion short of the monthly pace required to meet the terms of the agreement.

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

IN MARKET DEVELOPMENT

Last week, Growth Energy held our E15/HBIIP webinar with 75 professionals representing 45,000 retail locations attending the event. We co-hosted this webinar with CSP magazine to highlight the value of offering E15, educate retailers regarding the compatibility and regulatory rules for dispensing E15, and to feature the USDA’s $86 million fuel infrastructure grant program, the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP). Mike O’Brien and Chris Bliley spoke about the value and regulations required for offering E15. Mark Brodzinski, Deputy Administrator for Rural Business-Cooperative Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, spoke regarding the current USDA infrastructure program.

We chose to partner with CSP for this event, as the magazine and their daily e-newsletter have a combined 300,000 convenience store professional readers. More than 75 professionals representing approximately 45,000 retail sites attended the webcast. Some of the key company attendees where from Marathon Petroleum, Shell, Phillips 66, CHS/Cenex, QT, Kwik Trip, Thorntons, and Casey’s.

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

IN GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

Sens. Thune, Shaheen introduce cellulosic pathways bill

This week,  U.S. Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) introduced legislation to reduce Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) delays in the approval of applications to produce advanced biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

The bipartisan bill would set a 90-day deadline for EPA to act on petitions that have been pending for more than six months, and it would fast-track approval for advanced biofuels that have already been certified under state-based low-carbon fuel programs. For example, biofuels are responsible for nearly 80 percent of all the carbon reductions credited under California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), with the recorded carbon intensity of ethanol declining nearly 33 percent since 2011.

“We applaud Senators Thune and Shaheen for working on a bipartisan basis to break the regulatory logjam holding back cellulosic biofuels,” said Skor in a statement to press. “Studies show that advanced biofuels can cut carbon emissions by 100 percent or more while providing a low-cost alternative to petroleum-based aromatics that poison our air and threaten our health.

“For too long, we’ve seen major investments in low-carbon biofuels held hostage by regulatory delays, even as farmers and biofuel producers work hand in hand to harness clean energy from agricultural residue, corn fiber, and waste. By keeping pathways frozen, EPA has put an artificial cap on advanced biofuels, limiting growth under the RFS. This important legislation will help clear the deck on long-overdue approvals and jumpstart growth at a time when revitalizing rural communities has never been more important.”

Pictured above: Growth Energy fly-in participants speak with Rep. Angie Craig (Minn.-02).

Our June Fly-in concluded last week with 18 meetings from four state delegations. Nine Members of Congress joined these calls and discussed short-term needs with the next COVID relief package and China following through on ethanol and DDG purchases, and longer-term needs like expanding higher blends fueling infrastructure. Our fly-in participants were able to meet with Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Roy Blunt (R-M.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), and Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), and others.

Stay tuned for announcements regarding timing for Growth Energy’s Biofuels Summit in September where we will be meeting with offices again virtually.

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

IN COMMUNICATIONS

Don't forget - Growth Energy has an interactive map to our website as a resource to members, consumers, and staff of elected officials. The map is available to the public at GrowthEnergy.org/interactive-map and offers an easy to navigate visual overview of Growth Energy members and Unleaded 88 and E85 retail locations that can be broken down by state or congressional district.

For more details, contact Vice President of Communications Elizabeth Funderburk.

IN OUR ASSOCIATION

This week, American Ethanol partner and Growth Energy Board Member Richard Childress generously donated masks to employees at Growth Energy's member plants. In a letter, Childress praised the good work being done by our plants, saying that "as an industry, you have rallied together to donate ethanol, produce hand sanitizer and contribute to your communities as America fights COVID-19. It's going to take all of us to rebound from the effects of this pandemic, and I know you are doing your part."

The Growth Energy member development team will be distributing these masks to our plants in the coming days.

To receive a shipment of these masks, please contact Vice President of Member Development Kelly Manning.

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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