“Without question, 2021 has been a year of change for the ethanol industry, and through it all the Renewable Fuels Association has continued to lead the industry forward, just as the organization has done for 40 years,” McCaherty said. “Our recent carbon neutrality commitment is a poignant example of RFA’s reputation as a thought leader and an agent of change, and I look forward to working with RFA’s members and staff this next year as we embrace change and zero in on new opportunities for ethanol.”

RFA’s board also re-elected Erik Huschitt, CEO of Badger State Ethanol, as Vice Chairman, and Rick Schwarck, Absolute Energy’s President, Chairman, and CEO, as Secretary. New to a leadership role is Mike Jerke, CEO of Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, who was elected Treasurer, replacing the retiring Charlie Wilson of Trenton Agri Products.

“RFA has a 40-year history of exceptional leadership, and the officers and board elected today will continue that proud tradition,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “As we kick off our new fiscal year, I look forward to working with Jeanne, the rest of the officer team, and our entire board of directors to help the ethanol industry explore new opportunities, tackle new challenges, and accomplish our mission to grow demand for low-carbon renewable fuels.”

A complete listing of RFA’s officers and board of directors is available here.

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Based in Des Moines, EcoEngineers is a renewable energy consulting firm specializing in clean energy regulations and performing audit, compliance management and consulting services. EcoEngineers was formed to help the clean energy industry stay compliant with the changing regulations, improve their carbon footprint, and maximize revenues from the environmental aspects of their fuel. Cozairo, headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, is a project developer specializing in the delivery of advantaged, return-generating carbon capture and storage projects to companies across industries, with a particular interest in serving the ethanol industry’s drive towards increased sustainability.

“We provide services to many RFA members, and when we saw the commitment to net-zero ethanol by 2050, we knew we wanted to be a part of RFA,” said Jim Ramm, Partner and Director of Engineering at EcoEngineers, citing RFA’s members’ industry-leading pledge to reach net-zero carbon emissions, on average, by 2050 or sooner.

“Our passion at Cozairo is to serve conscientious companies seeking to secure their place in a low-carbon future,” said Cozairo CEO Tim Matthews. “We believe economically attractive decarbonization strategies will be critical to maintaining ethanol’s important role in the U.S. energy sector, and we are very excited to join the Renewable Fuels Association in order to connect with ethanol producers and learn how best to serve the ethanol industry in the energy transition.”

“We’re pleased to welcome Cozairo and EcoEngineers to the RFA team as associate members, and we know they bring valuable expertise and perspective to the table,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “Both of these companies are on the leading edge of the energy sector’s transition to low- and zero-carbon fuels. The services they provide to our producer members are critically needed as we move forward with our commitment to reduce emissions.”

Click here for more information on EcoEngineers and here for more on Cozairo. Click here for more information on the value of an RFA membership and click here for a list of current members. RFA’s associate members participate in industry events and networking opportunities; receive routine updates on legislative, market development, membership, education and outreach, technical and research, and communications issues; and inclusion in the member directories. They also can participate in RFA’s Technical, Environmental, Health & Safety, and Co-Products Committees and provide input on RFA policy, activities, and priorities.

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“Earlier this year, RFA’s ethanol producer members led the way in pledging to reach net-zero carbon emissions, on average, by 2050 or sooner, and the program announced today by USDA could play a critical role in helping us get there,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “Ethanol is the perfect climate-smart commodity, and we look forward to reviewing and commenting on USDA’s new program.”

According to the USDA, it is considering actions to expand the use of climate-smart farming practices and aid in the marketing of agricultural commodities, and it defines the term “climate-smart commodity” to refer to agricultural commodities that are produced using farming practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester carbon. USDA is seeking comments on priorities and program design of the Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Partnership Program that would facilitate the expansion of markets for agricultural commodities.

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“RFA has had a long and fruitful relationship with ICM as an associate member, and we are thrilled to now welcome the company and its ICM Biofuels biorefinery to our producer member ranks,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “ICM CEO Dave VanderGriend is one of the true pioneers in the ethanol industry, and he’s been a longtime friend of the RFA. We’re pleased to have Dave joining our board of directors and look forward to working more closely with the entire ICM team.”

RFA presented its annual Industry Award to VanderGriend in 2012, with then-chairman Chuck Woodside, CEO of KAAPA Ethanol, noting that “his commitment to the industry is unquestionable and his passion for innovation seems limitless.”

“Having previously supported RFA as an associate member and, as a producer member representing ICM investments, I know firsthand the good work RFA does for the ethanol industry,” said VanderGriend. “We share a common vision and goal with RFA and I’m excited that ICM, Inc. and ICM Biofuels have joined this association as it represents another step in our continuous efforts to advocate and support renewable fuels and expand the market for ethanol.”

Click here for more information on ICM. Click here for more information on the value of an RFA membership and click here for a list of current members. All RFA producer members have voting rights on the RFA Board of Directors, which develops the association’s policies and priorities. Members also participate in industry events and networking opportunities; receive routine updates on legislative, market development, membership, education and outreach, technical and research, and communications issues; and inclusion in the member directories. They also can participate in RFA’s New Uses; Technical; Environmental, Health & Safety; and Co-Products Committees and provide input on RFA policy, activities, and priorities.

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“We thank these congressional champions for their strong support and reaching out to the administration at this crucial time,” RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper said. “As the U.S. EPA prepares to roll out proposed renewable volume obligations for 2021 and 2022, rumors are circulating about massive cuts that will even reach back to 2020’s volumes, which were settled back in 2019 and automatically adjusted based on lower volumes during the pandemic. If true, these reduced volumes will be devasting for the ethanol industry and rural America—and slow down the goal of significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions as low-carbon biofuels are replaced by more fossil fuels. In fact, the new, lower volumes, if true, would increase GHG emissions by up to 15.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.”

“We have strong reservations about the potential for the Administration to destroy over 5 billion gallons of biofuel volume from the 2020, 2021, and 2022 RVOs,” the letter states. “This action would directly undermine your commitment to address climate change and restore integrity to the Renewable Fuel Standard. Every gallon of biofuels that is blended into our nation’s fuel supply displaces a gallon of oil and cuts carbon emissions. Reducing biofuel blending requirements will increase greenhouse gas emissions.”

The letter was also signed by Reps. Mark Pocan, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Bobby Rush, David Scott, Tim Ryan and Ron Kind, and Sens. Dick Durbin, Tammy Duckworth, Tina Smith, Tammy Baldwin and Debbie Stabenow.

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“Unfortunately, EPA’s proposal fails to recognize that the fuels we put into our engines can have as much—or more—impact on fuel economy and GHG emissions as the engine technologies themselves,” RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper wrote. “We believe the proposal missed a critical opportunity to expressly solicit public comment on potential regulatory pathways for adopting high-octane, low-carbon liquid fuels as a means of improving fuel economy and reducing emissions from the light-duty vehicle fleet.”

RFA recommends the following course of actions:

• Require a transition to a higher minimum-octane gasoline (98-100 RON) for all new internal combustion vehicles.
• Establish parity and consistency in the regulation of fuel volatility for ethanol and gasoline blends.
• Approve a Mid-Level Ethanol Blend Certification Fuel.
• Reject the results of the EPAct/V2/E-89 Fuel Effects Study and suspend further use or development of the MOVES2014 model until a new emissions study based on appropriate test fuels is conducted.
• Update EPA’s Lifecycle Analysis of Corn Ethanol Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions.
• Level the playing field for GHG emissions credit generation for all alternative fuel vehicles, including flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs).

“If our nation is to reach its goal of net-zero GHG emissions by mid-century, we’ll need both cleaner, more efficient cars and cleaner, more efficient fuels,” Cooper wrote.

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“With the achievement of this milestone, E Energy Adams joins an elite group of ethanol biorefineries that have reached one billion gallons of production,” said Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “We congratulate Carl Sitzmann, his excellent staff, and all of the E Energy investors who made this accomplishment possible. Day in and day out for the last 14 years, they have worked tirelessly to support the local economy and provide American consumers with cleaner, greener, and more affordable fuel options.”

E Energy Adams operates an ethanol plant in Adams, Neb. The plant started operations in October 2007. While the original plant capacity was 50 million gallons per year, various expansion efforts and projects to remove bottlenecks over the years brought the current capacity to 100 million gallons. In addition to doubling ethanol capacity, the plant also increased corn storage, added various new technologies, and gained unit-train capability to ship to California. E Energy Adams joined RFA in 2012, and CEO Carl Sitzmann is a member of RFA’s board of directors, serving on its executive committee for the past four years.

“It took us nearly 14 years to make a billion gallons of ethanol, and we’re very proud of what we have achieved for our community and investors,” said Sitzmann. “We have a huge impact on the surrounding community. In addition to the significant tax revenue we provide to the county and local village, we’re boosting corn prices for the local producers, providing a protein-rich distillers grains to livestock feeders, and our distillers corn oil is used as either livestock feed or as feedstock for renewable diesel production.”

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