Four Conference Takeaways

To the ACE members and friends who attended our conference in Sioux Falls, thank you for joining us! It was an outstanding event in a new venue covering many topics and providing meaningful networking opportunities. In case you missed it, among the important takeaways, here are four of interest:

1. Congress is Close to Passing E15 Legislation – Clearly our top legislative priority in Congress has been the bipartisan bill to allow retailers to sell E15 year-round in all part of the country. During his keynote, Congressman Dusty Johnson (R-SD) thanked ACE for our advocacy and said there is “more than a 70% chance” this legislation will pass this fall. We like those odds but implore you to keep Congress’s feet to the fire by using our online Action Center to send messages and make calls! USDA is forecasting a record corn crop and the most harvested acres since 1933, increasing the urgency to increase domestic demand by finally getting E15 year-round legislation over the finish line!
2. Positive Vibes about 45Z – A big thank you is owed to the outstanding panel of experts from RSM, Christianson, and Mickelson & Company who provided valuable insight on the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Tax Credit during our conference. These companies explained the changes Congress recently made to 45Z and helped our members make plans to maximize returns on investment. While there is significant enthusiasm about 45Z, we also must remain vigilant in urging Treasury to speed up the proposed rulemaking and final guidance for this credit, and we must keep working to ensure low-carbon farming practices can be monetized through 45Z. This remains a top priority for ACE.
3. Clarity Needed for the RFS and SREs – The future of our favorite acronym – the RFS – is clouded at the moment by one of our most despised acronyms – Small Refinery Exemptions, or SREs. While ACE is encouraged by the proposed RFS blending levels for 2026 and 2027, concerns remain about how EPA will handle the backlog of SREs, and most importantly, whether the Agency follows our advice to ensure full reallocation of existing and future SREs. When EPA grants SREs without reallocating those blending volumes to other refiners, it causes RIN values to fall and reduces the incentive to blend E15 and E85.
4. Homefield Advantage in Sioux Falls – This was the fist conference we have hosted in Sioux Falls in more than 20 years, and based on the overwhelming positive feedback we received from attendees, rest assured, you will not need to wait another 20 years for the next Sioux Falls conference.