Man with a mission, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President Bob Dinneen suggested in his key note speech that the 2011 ethanol export record of 1.2 billion gallons could be beaten this year. Bioenergy International No 78, 2-2015 17 Highly engaged Missy Ruff, from RFA Washington DC and Ann Lewis, RFA Ellisville, MO, gave all kinds of valuable info on Ethanol production. » – Ethanol is faring worse than other commodities. Uncertainty reigns in the tank car market. Many ethanol trains are unable to get through snow and drifts. A lack of crews and locomotives further complicated the situation, Tranausky explained. Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) chairman and Al-Corn Clean Fuel CEO Randy Doyal was satisfied with this year’s turnout at the 20th National Ethanol Conference in the “heart of oil country”. – This has been a really great conference. Twenty years ago when we were starting the plant we had now, we got five dollar for corn for the first time, said Doyal, whose farmer-owned cooperative plant in Claremont, Minnesota is about 20 years old as well. According to Doyal, it was perfect timing because he got up and running when a lot of the industry came to an end because of that price and he was able to do that because of the co-op nature his company. Doyal is a solid supporter in the RFA and what they are able to accomplish as an organisation for the **whole** industry, and he wishes all producers were members. He parallels it to the co-op structure of his plant. – There’s a reason why co-ops work. It’s because people join together and work hard to reach common goals and that’s what RFA is all about, explained Doyal. Debate over E15 Director of Office of Air Quality and Transportation in the US Environmental Protection Agency, Christopher Grundler said during the debate concerning higher blends, “that’s one of the areas that RFA President Bob Dinneen and I have vigorous debates on, because I’m questioning how big a factor that is in terms of the slow uptake in E15.” Grundler said that parity is not an issue in regions where reformulated gasoline is required. “That accounts for between 30 and 40 percent of our fuel supply, including places like Chicago,” he said, adding that governors have the ability to petition the EPA to remove this one pound RVP waiver for their states but they “have received no such petitions.” Even though there will surely continue to be a strong push to incorporate higher blends into the US fuelling structure, US ethanol producers already seems to have their eyes on new opportunities elsewhere. Producers in the USA are watching export markets such as Canada, Brazil, other parts of FEATURE: BIOMASS TO LIQUIDS US Grains Manager of Ethanol Export Programs, Ashley Kongs, advises here Senior Vice President Scott A. Richmann from Memphis Company, Informa Economics over actual grain policies. South America as well as the Middle East and Asia to continue to grow as major importers of American ethanol. Despite lower oil prices, ethanol remains in a tight market share battle with big oil. It was a year ago that the EPA first announced its plan to reduce the amount of ethanol blended into US gasoline. The ethanol industry has been fighting hard to convince the Obama administration to reverse the EPA proposal. And this prizefight seems destined to continue well into 2015. Text & photos: Markku Björkman BI78/4780/JH
Bioenergy no 2 - March 2015
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