Ethanol. Right. Now.

Sound science and a fair playing field

The American Coalition for Ethanol recently submitted official comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the proposed rule for the Renewable Fuels Standard.  This "RFS2" has been a point of concern, specifically the EPA's inclusion of the controversial "international land use change" (ILUC) theory in the proposed rule.  It's also concerning that EPA appointed Tim Searchinger, the lawyer who is the very architect of the ILUC theory, a seat on the peer-review panel.  These so-called "indirect effects" are new, untested, unreliable, and controversial computer-generated predictions that are, at this time, being selectively applied only to corn ethanol. 

In our comments, ACE asked that EPA insist on greater scientific consensus and real-world data before moving forward to apply these penalties to biofuels in the final rule.  And if EPA insists on applying indirect effects, these effects should be applied to all fuels – not just ethanol.  This includes undertaking a complete lifecycle assessment of the indirect emissions association with petroleum.  Sound science and fair playing field is all we’re asking. 

ACE, RFA, Corn Growers announce national blender pump campaign

Today the American Coalition for Ethanol, the Renewable Fuels Association, and leading corn-producing states announced an innovative, unprecedented "Blend Your Own Ethanol" campaign uniting the resources and expertise of the groups in an effort to seed 5,000 blender pumps nationwide in three years.

 

In a press conference this afternoon, Ron Lamberty (ACE Vice President / Market Development), Robert White (RFA Market Development Director), and Darrin Ihnen (National Corn Growers Association First Vice President and farmer from Hurley, South Dakota) spoke on the importance of educating America’s petroleum marketers on the opportunities of retailing ethanol through blender pumps.

 

Lamberty emphasized that the “BYOethanol” campaign will provide petroleum marketers with the facts on how blender pumps are an excellent business strategy – station owners can be ready for future fuel blends while giving their customers more choices at the pump today.  White explained how the campaign will use an expanded Web presence and interactive features, a new and informative magazine, educational opportunities at petroleum marketer events, and more.

 

According to Ihnen, growing blender pump infrastructure benefits motorists, petroleum marketers, and corn growers as growing efficiencies in corn production provide for greater opportunities to supply a growing network of ethanol producers and consumers.  Ihnen said that the "corn growers are proud to be part of this campaign" that unites the "true expertise of ACE and RFA."

 

Read the full press release here: http://www.ethanol.org/pdf/contentmgmt/BYOethanol_final_press_release_8112009.pdf

Gearing up for ACE's 22nd annual ethanol conference

We look forward to seeing many ethanol supporters this week in Milwaukee for the American Coalition for Ethanol's 22nd Annual Ethanol Conference & Trade Show.  Online registration has closed, but if you'd still like to attend, you may register on site beginning Tuesday at the Midwest Airlines Center.  The agenda for the conference can be seen at this link.

There are several ways to follow the conference proceedings online.  Check out these sites:

• Follow ACE on Twitter at "blend_ethanol" -- www.twitter.com/blend_ethanol
• Check out ACE's YouTube channel -- www.youtube.com/ACEethanol
• Discussions on conference topics in the Ethanol Collective social network -- www.ethanolcollective.com

Continue to check back here as well as we blog live from this week's event.

ACE announces final agenda for ethanol conference Aug. 11-13 in Milwaukee

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), the nation’s largest ethanol advocacy association, is announcing the final agenda for its 22nd Annual Ethanol Conference & Trade Show, set for August 11-13 at the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Online registration will remain open on www.ethanol.org through Wednesday, August 5.  Registration will also be available on-site at the convention center.  Rooms are still available in the ACE Conference blocks at the Hilton City Center and Doubletree Hotel; visit this link for more information.

The three-day event begins on Tuesday morning, August 11 with the Jeff Fox Memorial Golf Tournament at Milwaukee’s Brown Deer Golf Club.  The ACE Trade Show opens Tuesday evening with a Welcome Reception from 5:00 – 7:30pm.  The conference sessions begin Wednesday morning with breakout sessions on key topics, then the general session on Wednesday afternoon with a keynote address by Dallas Tonsager, USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development.  The conference begins again on Thursday morning with a general session and concludes around noon.

The complete conference agenda can be viewed here: http://www.ethanol.org/pdf/contentmgmt/Final_agenda_for_ACE_conference_73109.pdf

U.S. House agreement on climate bill: no international land use charges to biofuels until independent study

U.S. House of Representatives leaders have brokered a deal ensuring that biofuels will not be charged with international indirect land use change emissions until there is widespread scientific agreement.  This new agreement ensures that science, not politics, will determine whether EPA can go forward with the highly controversial theory.

While both U.S. EPA and the California Air Resources Board have tried to impose such penalties on biofuels, ACE has consistently pointed out that these agencies have failed to demonstrate a link between biofuels production and tropical deforestation.  Singling out biofuels for selective enforcement of these "indirect effects" while holding petroleum harmless is scientifically indefensible and bad public policy.

ACE's press statement can be read here.  Executive VP Brian Jennings was interviewed on the national radio program AgriTalk; the program can be downloaded here and then advance to Brian's interview which begins at 11:00 and ends at 15:30.

E15 petition gathers more than 5,500 signatures from all 50 states

The American Coalition for Ethanol is hosting a petition on its website, Ethanol.org, for those in favor of the EPA approving up to 15 percent ethanol per gallon of gasoline.  In just over a month's time, the petition has gathered more than 5,500 signatures, with all 50 states and 3 countries represented on the list. You can view or sign the petition at www.ethanol.org/petition. 

On March 6, the ethanol industry brought a formal waiver request to the Environmental Protection Agency, asking for an allowance for up to 15 percent ethanol per gallon of gas.  Since the 1970s, the amount of ethanol for standard (non-flex-fuel) vehicles has been capped at 10 percent.

President Obama issues a biofuels directive, starts interagency work group and calls for peer review of GHG data

President Obama today issued a directive to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack on the subject of biofuels and rural economic development, calling for a new Biofuels Interagency Working Group headed by the Ag and Energy Secretaries and the EPA Administrator.  Having the USDA, DOE, and EPA work together on biofuels issues makes a lot of sense.

In the memorandum, the President had a lot of good things to say about ethanol, including a citation of the 600,000 barrels of biofuels produced each day in the U.S. last year, as well as the jobs and tax revenues that are an important boost to the U.S. economy.  The President instructed USDA to, within 30 days, get Farm Bill programs moving that will help biofuels facilities reduce fossil fuel use and transition to advanced biofuels production.  This immediate assistance will be a positive for America's biofuel producers which have been struggling in today's tough economy as other industries have as well.

The discussion of the Presidential directive came in the same media conference call as the announcement of the proposed rulemaking for the Renewable Fuels Standard, which suggests that indirect greenhouse gas emissions be counted in biofuels' carbon tally.  Though ethanol supporters aren't happy to see that methodology in the proposed RFS rule, there was a ray of hope -- the Presidential directive calls for a peer review of the assumptions surrounding the carbon intensity of biofuels and of fossil fuels. 

Let's put this discussion back into the realm of science where it belongs so that fossil fuels can be subjected to the same scrutiny that biofuels have undergone.  If biofuels' indirect GHG emissions are to be counted, then so should those of fossil fuels.  The bottom line is that future sources of oil -- tar sands, oil shales, etc. -- are going to have serious consequences for the environment while future sources of biofuels are going to be even more environmentally friendly than they are today.

The American Coalition for Ethanol issued a full statement today which can be read here: http://www.ethanol.org/pdf/contentmgmt/ACE_praises_Presidents_biofuels_directive_5_5_09.pdf

Posted by KB, 5/5/09

Petition drive underway to gather signatures in favor of E15

The American Coalition for Ethanol launched an online petition this week to gather signatures in favor of the move to E15.  ACE contacted its membership on Wednesday morning encouraging people to sign, and in less than 48 hours, more than 2,800 names have been added.

ACE hopes to gather as many signatures as possible to demonstrate ethanol's widespread grassroots support.  The U.S. EPA is currently considering a waiver that would allow up to 15 percent ethanol per gallon of gasoline, moving beyond the current limit of 10 percent per gallon set in the 1970s.

The petition is found at www.ethanol.org/petition or by visiting the E15 Action Center on www.ethanol.org.

Ethanol formally petitions EPA to allow up to 15% in gasoline

The official waiver petition has been made.  The American Coalition for Ethanol has joined Growth Energy, the Renewable Fuels Association, the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, and several cellulosic ethanol companies is making formal petition to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to allow the use of up to 15 percent ethanol in a gallon of gasoline.

Allowing the use of mid-level blends of ethanol in America’s existing fleet of vehicles would bring an array of benefits, including the creation of good jobs, ensuring a market for next-generation biofuels, and providing more cost-effective choices at the pump for consumers.  The current arbitrary cap of 10 percent ethanol per gallon of gasoline is stalling growth in America’s green energy sector and unnecessarily limiting progress toward energy independence.  It's time for the E10 cap to be lifted.

Why did UL change its mind on standard gas pumps and E15?

The American Coalition for Ethanol is asking Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to explain why they’ve arbitrarily changed their position on the ability of gas pumps to handle ethanol blends up to 15 percent.

 

The letter, written February 5 to August Schaefer, UL’s Senior VP & COO, said:  “I am writing to express ACE’s concern that Underwriters Laboratories has recently made what appears to be an arbitrary change to the ‘UL 87’ standard.  That standard, which has been relied upon by the ethanol industry, pump manufacturers, and many petroleum marketers, has consistently been interpreted as allowing the use of up to 15 percent ethanol in standard gasoline dispensing equipment.  Recent statements by UL that have changed the meaning of the standard without any accompanying change in data, coupled with similar action by UL two-and-a-half years ago regarding E85, have caused many within the ethanol industry to question whether UL – an organization built on a reputation of precision and impartiality – has at very least treated ethanol issues with carelessness and at times appears to have an anti-ethanol bias.”

 

The letter points out that, even though the UL 87 standard does not specifically mention E10 or E15, it refers to underlying standards that employ such clear phrases as “ethanol does not exceed 15 percent” and “approved for gasoline/ethanol blends up to 15 percent ethanol” and “gasoline with up to 15 percent ethanol.” 

 

The letter concludes:  “If there is existing data that suggests this is not the case, it should have been presented in UL’s joint statement with the U.S. Department of Energy in December 2008.  Barring that, UL should stand by its clear, consistent statements that pumps with the UL label are approved for blends up to 15 percent ethanol.”

 

Read ACE's letter here: http://www.ethanol.org/pdf/contentmgmt/ACE_e15_letter_to_UL_2409-1.pdf

 

Posted by RL, 2/10/09