TOP STORY

CEO Emily Skor on Fox Business: "We have the capacity to do more to drive down the price for consumers."

Last week, CEO Emily Skor joined Fox Business for a live interview with Jackie DeAngelis on how biofuels can lower prices at the pump and bolster American energy independence.

Skor also spoke with Fox 5 DC and explained to Washington, D.C. viewers that "the fact that you cannot dispute is that consumers save more money when they're using gas that has more ethanol in it." Take a look:

NOW WE NEED YOUR HELP

Help us amplify the savings that E15 provides at gas stations across the country. Here’s what you can do:

• Take photos and videos of E15 price reductions at the pump or on your local gas retail sign.
• Share the photos on social media calling on the EPA to allow year-round sales of E15, using the hashtag #E15Now.
• Visit our action page to send a letter to your elected official, asking that they support year-round E15.
• Share or retweet our TV ad on social media.

For more information, please contact Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications Elizabeth Funderburk.

IN GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

U.S. Senate Hearing on EPA FY2023 Budget

During yesterday's U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed FY2023 budget, biofuels champions in the Senate took the opportunity to ask EPA Administrator Regan for the administration's plan to allow for year-round access to E15. Below are excerpts from the hearing:

Senator Duckworth (D-Ill.): "Mr. Regan, do you think E15 could help provide a less expensive fuel option for hardworking Americans at the pump?"

EPA Administrator Regan: "I do believe that E15 can provide a less expensive option based on the data that we've seen as of late and I also can say that we are evaluating what options we might have at EPA to look at utilizing E15 at a level that would be helpful to the American people and to help alleviate some of the pain that we've seen since Russia has launched this war against Ukraine. And so, the President has pledged all hands on deck and for us to look at every single option, including with E15. That is one of the reasons why I've been laser focused around providing certainty to the RFS program in general because the Congress's intent was that biofuels would have a larger play in this space. And so, whether it’s E15 or RVOs, we need to have a comprehensive approach to alleviating our dependence on oil. And I think that this is the path that we should pursue, and we are."

Senator Ernst (R-Iowa): ""E15, actually, is the most affordable or often the most affordable option that exists for consumers at the pump. And so, Administrator, are you going to allow for E15 to be sold this summer?"

EPA Administrator Regan: "This is a conversation that I and Secretary Vilsack have been having quite a bit as of late and so I can tell you that we are evaluating what Clean Air Act authorities we have to potentially take advantage of E15."

Growth Energy Applauds Bipartisan Letter to Biden Administration on E15, RVOs

29 members of the U.S. House of Representatives – led by Reps. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Adrian Smith (R-NE), Cindy Axne (D-Iowa), Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.), and Dusty Johnson (R-SD) – sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to prioritize homegrown and renewable biofuels in order to increase U.S. energy independence and lower prices at the pump. Specifically, the Members are urging President Biden to both immediately reinstate the year-round availability of E15 through an emergency waiver and reverse the lowering of the 2020 and 2021 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs). CEO Emily Skor released the following statement applauding the letter:

“The message on both sides of the aisle remains loud and clear: to immediately offer relief at the pump and move toward a more secure energy sector, the Biden Administration must increase access to homegrown, low-carbon biofuels,” said Skor. “As gas prices hit their peak, higher blends of biofuels like E15 were selling for more than 50 cents cheaper per gallon at the pump in some areas of the country. Increasing access to lower-cost biofuels, through year-round E15 and robust RVOs, would offer these savings to more drivers and reduce our country’s dependence on foreign oil.”

Make Your Voice Heard on the Home Front Energy Independence Act

Gasoline prices have surged to record levels as war in Ukraine inflames the global energy crisis. For too long, the U.S. has relied heavily on foreign sources of petroleum and petroleum products — like Russia — to meet our nation’s energy demands — leaving American drivers at the mercy of volatile energy markets. Fortunately, U.S. leaders have an opportunity to provide American consumers with immediate relief from high gas prices at the pump.  

Introduced by U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and U.S. Representatives Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), and Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) the Home Front Energy Independence Act would: 

• Codify the ban on imports of Russian petroleum; 
• Make the sale of E15 year-round permanent; 
• Create a tax credit for higher biofuel blends; 
• Streamline E15 labeling; 
• Invest in E15 infrastructure; and 
• Extend the biodiesel tax credit by three years. 

If enacted, this bill will help stop Russia from profiting off U.S. drivers and boost U.S. energy security by increasing the supply of lower-cost, homegrown biofuels available to motorists. 

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

IN REGULATORY AFFAIRS

Growth Energy Submits Comments, Research to Update Lifecycle Modeling and Further Debunk Anti-ethanol Study

Growth Energy submitted comments this week in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) workshop on the greenhouse gas lifecycle analysis (LCA) of land-based crop biofuels used in the transportation sector. Growth Energy’s comments call on EPA to update its LCA of biofuels, and ethanol in particular, to accurately reflect the latest science that shows ethanol achieving nearly 50% reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

As part of its comments, Growth Energy included an in-depth analysis of the data from Lifecycle Associates as well as rebuttals to an anti-ethanol study released in February by Tyler Lark and others on the greenhouse gas impacts of ethanol. DOE’s own Argonne National Laboratory identified several flaws in the Lark study, including deficiencies in modeling land transition and inaccurate classification of satellite data. Pieter Booth, Principal of Net Gain Ecological Services, found that the Lark study misleads readers and fails to properly evaluate and explain its findings.

“The authors characterize as fact numerous modeled results, giving the reader a misleading impression of false confidence in the conclusions which are drawn from highly uncertain models embedded with extensive assumptions that may or may not reflect the real-world,” wrote Booth.

Growth Energy Submits Comments to EPA on Biofuels’ Role in Reducing Emissions from Aviation Sector

Growth Energy submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the agency’s particulate matter (PM) emissions standards and test procedures for jet engines, and the role biofuels play in reducing PM and greenhouse gas emissions in mobile sources including the aviation sector.

“As we have already seen with higher biofuel blends and light-duty vehicles, the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) holds tremendous potential for reducing air pollution and improving our air quality,” wrote Growth Energy. “Ethanol to jet fuel as SAF has the potential to replace 50% of the petroleum used in jet fuel.”

In its comments, Growth Energy shared a recent alternative jet fuel emissions project from the Airport Cooperative Research Program for the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, which shows that a 50% blend of SAF can reduce PM emissions by nearly 70%, sulfur by 37%, and carbon monoxide by 11%.

“These are meaningful reductions that would be a win-win-win for our environment, human health, and for our rural economy.”

Minnesota, Iowa, and Kansas Call for Year-Round E15

State governors and attorneys general have joined the national call for year-round access to E15. Late last week, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz sent a letter to EPA Administrator Regan calling for an emergency waiver to authorize the summertime sale of E15.

"I urge swift action to waive RVP limitations for gasoline blended with E15 for the 2022 summer driving season," wrote Governor Walz. "Issuance of this waiver will help provide economic relief and increase access to homegrown biofuels."

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller and Kansas Attorney Derek Schmidt also sent a joint letter to Administrator Regan asking the federal agency to use its emergency powers under the Clean Air Act to allow the summertime sale of E15.

"Allowing the higher blend of ethanol also would support our nation's efforts toward reducing our dependence on foreign oil - especially during this time of global instability."

For more information, please contact Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley.

IN OUR ASSOCIATION

Gevo and Farmers Edge Partner to Verify Sustainable Fuels from Low-Carbon Grain through Verity Tracking

Gevo , Inc., a Growth Energy associate member, and Farmers Edge Inc., a global leader in digital agriculture, announced that they signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to deliver a one-of-a-kind, carbon inset management program. This collaboration is expected to support the sustainable development & full carbon lifecycle tracking of a carbon intensity (CI) score from low-carbon grain through renewable fuels production. The potential combination of Farmers Edge highly precise and proprietary datasets with Gevo's Verity Tracking platform and blockchain technology is expected to create value around agriculturally driven carbon impact. The companies plan to launch a program with US growers to measure and track carbon intensity scores for corn and soy in the production of sustainable aviation fuel and other low-carbon hydrocarbon fuels.

Dr. Paul Bloom, Gevo’s Chief Carbon and Innovation Officer, stated, “This pioneering collaboration with Farmers Edge is an industry first to scale-up carbon accounting for climate-smart agricultural practices across the full carbon life cycle from farm to food, fuels and sustainable products. We look forward to bringing the data-driven capabilities and technology of both organizations to help our value chain partners and customers prove their carbon footprint reductions on our collective journey to net-zero and beyond.”

“The goal of Verity Tracking is to increase market validation and liquidity for carbon-based digital assets, return this value in multiple forms back down to the farming level, and provide scientifically modeled, verifiable carbon impact scoring through Argonne GREET to the farmers,” commented David George, Gevo’s Senior Vice President of Verity Tracking. “This technology will allow farmers to track their feedstock-related CI score that can then be quantified through the value chain into biofuels like SAF, food products, energy, or consumer products. Verity Tracking’s capabilities coupled with Farmers Edge innovative technology and analytics should form the basis to make this a market reality.”

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

ON THE TRACK

Tune in: Get Bioethanol Car Heads to Martinsville

On Saturday night, the Get Bioethanol car will drive for the second time in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series. The car, driven by #3 Austin Dillon, which showcases the performance benefits of racing with engine smart and earth kind bioethanol blended fuel, Sunoco Green E15, will drive under the lights at the Martinsville Speedway. Follow along here and be sure to tune in on Saturday night!

For more information, please contact Director of Sales and Marketing Ryan Welsh.

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