The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) 37th annual conference kicked off in Omaha today with remarks from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, as well as updates from the organization’s leadership, including ACE Board President Dave Sovereign, representing Iowa-based Golden Grain Energy, ACE CEO Brian Jennings and ACE Chief Marketing Officer Ron Lamberty, and a keynote address from Lee Blank, CEO of Summit Carbon Solutions.
Recognizing the two-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act on August 16, Secretary Vilsack’s remarks touched on the Department’s investment in ACE’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) and its Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP).
"As we mark the second anniversary of the Biden-Harris Administration's Inflation Reduction Act, we are celebrating the ways that this historic investment in clean energy is delivering on the President's promise to strengthen American energy independence, lower costs, and create lasting economic growth for generations to come," U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. "USDA is working with ACE through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program to invest Inflation Reduction Act funds in the field as we create new markets for farmers and biofuel producers, and we are also working together to help make E15 more widely available to save millions of dollars for the American people while ensuring that producers can tap into additional opportunities like Sustainable Aviation Fuels. We appreciate our partnership with ACE to help communities invest in homegrown biofuels through the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program, which aims to lower fuel costs for families, generate new revenue streams for American farmers and businesses and bring good-paying jobs to rural communities."
Jennings remarks spoke to ACE’s work to make corn ethanol the undisputed, gold-standard, clean fuel of the future.
“Agriculture is part of ACE’s DNA, so we are in a unique position to set the standard, which is why the USDA has entrusted us to lead an effort ultimately designed to help ethanol producers and farmers unlock new markets and profit opportunities through climate-smart agriculture,” Jennings said.
The interest in ACE’s RCPP projects illustrates the importance of this work. Over the past few weeks, ACE has conducted meetings with more than 500 farmers interested in learning about the opportunity, and those farmers have expressed interest in enrolling nearly 250,000 acres in ACE’s project, approaching five times available funding.
“…despite the deep concern in rural America about corn prices, the farmers who attend our meetings understand how ethanol has benefited them over the years, and they are optimistic about the future opportunity to sell low carbon corn to ethanol producers,” Jennings said. “Farmers and ethanol producers are already part of the climate solution; the work ACE is doing will solidify corn ethanol as the gold-standard clean fuel of the future.”
Jennings’ remarks also covered how ACE is working alongside biofuel champions in Congress to continue pushing for legislation to allow E15 year-round, staying vigilant to protect the integrity of the Renewable Fuel Standard — particularly in light of the D.C. Circuit Court sending the small refinery exemptions (SREs) denied by the Biden Administration EPA back to the Agency for further review — and the work needed to help farmers and ethanol producers maximize on tax credit opportunities under the IRA.
In addition to ACE leadership and Secretary Vilsack’s remarks, Lee Blank provided an update on Summit Carbon Solutions’ pipeline project. Other Thursday general session speakers included Mackenzie Boubin with the U.S. Grains Council, who shared an update on ethanol markets around the globe; Marty Ruikka with The ProExporter Network, who shared biofuel feedstock projection realities for renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel; and a panel of speakers discussing the current state of GHG modeling and how to unlock new markets and tax credits with climate-smart agriculture. Visit ethanol.org/events/conference/ for more about the agenda and speakers, and the virtual newsroom for updates from the event.