ACE Calls on Biden to Intervene on Midwest E15 Waiver Rule
In August, ACE called on U.S. President Joe Biden to ensure EPA promptly finalizes its proposed regulation to eliminate the 1-pound per square inch (psi) Reid vapor pressure (RVP) waiver for gasoline containing 10 percent ethanol (E10) in eight states. In a letter to President Biden, ACE CEO Brian Jennings outlined how “what should have been a straightforward undertaking by EPA to approve a petition submitted by eight governors on April 28, 2022, allowing retailers in their states to sell E15 year-round, has unfortunately turned into a sixteen-month odyssey.”
ACE thanked President Biden for directing EPA to invoke its emergency authority this summer and in 2022 to issue temporary fuel waivers allowing continued sales of E15 to prevent fuel supply shortages which could have raised prices at the pump for millions of Americans. However, the letter caveats, we also need EPA at long last to approve the Governors’ petition, so emergency steps are not needed in the future, and motorists in the eight states can benefit from uninterrupted E15 availability in time for the 2024 summer driving season.
Whitefox ICE Membrane Solution Installed at Glacial Lakes Mina Plant
ACE member Whitefox Technologies announced in August that Glacial Lakes Energy LLC has agreed to install the Whitefox ICE® membrane dehydration system at its ethanol plant located in Mina, SD. Pat Hogan, Director of Operations for Glacial Lakes Energy commented “With a drive towards Net Zero and carbon reduction, GLE extensively reviewed the Whitefox ICE® system for our GLE Mina facility to assist in our carbon reduction goals. As well as reducing energy input into our process, the Whitefox ICE® system will allow us to debottleneck our distillation system to allow for an additional 8 million gallons per year of ethanol production.”
This is Whitefox’s 2nd ICE project in South Dakota and will assist Glacial Lakes to increase their production capacity and reduce natural gas consumption, and in doing so, achieve their business objectives. The installation project is anticipated to be completed during Q2 2024.
EPA Denies 26 Small Refinery Exemptions
Mid-July EPA updated its small refinery exemption (SRE) dashboard, denying 26 pending requests from refiners seeking exemptions from biofuel blending requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for compliance years 2016-2018 and 2021-2023. “ACE members are grateful the Biden EPA is fulfilling its commitment to apply the law with respect to Small Refinery Exemptions, consistent with the Agency’s previous actions in April and June of 2022 and the Tenth Circuit Court’s ruling that small refinery exemptions may only be granted when a small refinery’s hardship is caused by the RFS program itself,” said Brian Jennings, American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO.
Ethanol Groups Join American Carbon Alliance
The newly formed American Carbon Alliance announced it has added the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE), Growth Energy, and the Renewable Fuels Association to its coalition to bring attention to the benefits that carbon capture technology will have on rural communities, the nation’s economy, and the ethanol industry.
“These three powerhouse organizations are a force when it comes to leading the charge for America’s farmers, producers, corn growers, and ethanol plants,” said Tom Buis, CEO of the American Carbon Alliance. “We’re thrilled to add them to our coalition and look forward to working with them to bring about a new energy future in America.”
“There’s no doubt that carbon capture and sequestration puts ethanol on a unique trajectory to reach both net-zero and net-negative emissions,” said Brian Jennings, CEO of ACE. “The American Carbon Alliance is helping to bring together all aspects of the industry to strengthen the future for producers, the agriculture industry, and American energy. We want to be a part of that.”
