“As Congress recognized when it enacted the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) almost twenty years ago, biofuels offer numerous climate and other benefits. When compared with petroleum, corn ethanol emits only about half as much greenhouse gases (GHGs), and cellulosic ethanol, made from the waste components of crops, emits even less,” Growth Energy said in the amicus brief. “Ethanol and other biofuels also emit less particulate matter and other pollutants harmful to human health. And all these benefits are readily available right now, all while enhancing energy security and supporting U.S. jobs.” 

In EPA’s rule, which is designed to reduce emissions of GHGs and other pollutants in vehicles for model years 2027 and later, the agency ignored biofuels and their enormous, congressionally recognized benefits.  

“EPA’s analyses treated vehicles that operate on biofuels the same as vehicles that operate exclusively on fossil fuels. EPA failed to consider using or incentivizing higher biofuel blends in vehicles as a way to reduce emissions. And EPA’s cost-benefit analysis looked only at the employment and energy security impacts of the petroleum industry, disregarding the biofuels industry entirely,” the amicus brief said. “For the agency that Congress entrusted to promote biofuels, EPA’s total failure to acknowledge biofuels in the Rule is arbitrary and capricious.” 

Read Growth Energy’s full amicus brief here. 

The post Growth Energy Amicus Brief Points Toward EPA’s Lost Opportunity on Biofuels  appeared first on Growth Energy.

GEBS is the premier advocacy event for advancing biofuels policies and securing America’s energy future. This year, attendees will participate in more than 100 meetings on Capitol Hill, giving lawmakers and rural champions the information and support they need to drive change and progress in the bioeconomy. The event program also features a lineup of influential guest speakers, including keynotes from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and other sessions featuring government officials and energy industry leaders: 

• U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will provide insights into the Administration’s vision for biofuels in its broader decarbonization strategy. 

• EPA Administrator Michael Regan and Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor will engage in a conversation about the successes and challenges facing the biofuel industry today.  

• Ernest Moniz, 13th U.S. Secretary of Energy and CEO and founder of Energy Futures Initiative Foundation (EFIF), will preview the latest research on exciting opportunities to further decarbonize bioethanol.  

“You aren’t just representatives of a crucial sector,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor in her welcoming remarks to the biofuels summit this morning. “You are ambassadors for the future that our nation deserves … Because what’s good for biofuels, producers, and the entire bioeconomy is good for working families on a budget; good for energy security and independence; good for environmental stewardship and decarbonization; and good for economic development in communities that need it most.” 

In her keynote, Skor focused on policy priorities that deliver on values shared across the political spectrum. Those include finalizing timely and accurate guidance for the 45Z tax credit, setting Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) that align with current market conditions, and securing a permanent, year-round solution for E15 access nationwide. 

On driving investment in America’s rural communities: 

“If growers and producers can count on RFS requirements that are timely, ambitious, and reliable, that economic stability ripples out into entire communities … RFS, SREs, carbon capture: These aren’t wish list items to help an industry. It’s a platform to secure and strengthen the rural economy.” 

On giving American consumers greater choice and lower prices: 

“Inflation and the cost of living are dominating kitchen-table conversations around the country — and biomanufacturers deliver relief straight to Americans’ pocketbooks. Drivers across America deserve the freedom to maximize their savings at the pump. That means E15 access should be permanent, year-round, and nationwide. Period.” 

On accelerating innovation in America’s bioeconomy: 

“We are just scratching the surface of the new bioeconomy. We aren’t competing over scarcity. We’re unleashing abundance. We can’t let 21st-century innovation be held back by messy bureaucracy or special interests pushing inaccurate science.” 

On securing American dominance in hard-to-electrify sectors: 

“Air travel. Marine and freight transportation. These markets need different solutions … Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is key to decarbonizing the skies. Both Republicans and Democrats understand this. The United States can choose to lead or choose to follow.” 

On unlocking foreign markets for American bioproducts: 

“It won’t be enough to bolster our bioeconomy here at home if we lack access to global markets. America is home to the most innovative biomanufacturers in the world. We need to be proactively knocking down barriers and opening new opportunities for them to compete and win.” 

Skor’s full biofuels summit speech, as prepared for delivery, is available here. 

The post Growth Energy Brings Industry Leaders Together for Biofuels Summit in D.C. appeared first on Growth Energy.

The first petition seeks to have the court correct errors that led to its rejection of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to deny several oil refiners’ SRE petitions. The second petition asserts Growth Energy’s standing to challenge EPA’s decision to excuse some of those same refiners from RFS biofuel blending obligations.

“These petitions are consistent with how the RFS should work,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “Congress clearly intended for SREs to provide rare relief for refineries, and only those seeking to comply in good faith with their RFS blending obligations. If the D.C. Circuit’s opinion stands, guardrails to ensure good faith compliance will disappear, allowing refineries to gamble on RIN markets, pocket any windfalls, and lean on the U.S. government when those gambles don’t go their way.”

Skor stated further that it’s clear that Growth and other biofuels producers have standing to participate in RFS disputes, including disputes about SREs. “Every SRE granted by EPA directly and negatively impacts biofuels blending, biofuels production, and our industry’s bottom line,” she added. “That type of competitive injury can’t be ignored, and we deserve to be able to protect our members’ interests in court.”

Read the first petition here and the second one here.

The post Growth Energy Files Two Petitions for Rehearing on Refinery Exemption Decisions appeared first on Growth Energy.

As a result of the temporary waivers issued in 2022, 2023, and 2024, consumers choosing E15 experienced
average cost savings of 10-30 cents per gallon in summer 2023, with some locations offering over $1 off per gallon.

A NATIONWIDE, PERMANENT SHIFT TO E15 (UNL88) WOULD SAVE $20 BILLION+ IN FUEL COSTS EACH YEAR.

The post E15 (UNL88): Savings with Summer Sales appeared first on Growth Energy.

For almost 20 years, the RFS has grown a new American industry that supports hundreds of thousands of American jobs, improves the rural economy, and increases the demand for farm commodities, helps reduce carbon emissions, and provides more affordable options at the pump, and delivers greater energy and national security.

In 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set renewable volume obligations (RVOs) for the first time without relying on statutory volumes set by Congress. Instead, EPA was required to set the standards by considering six statutory factors that include costs, climate change, air quality, energy security, and infrastructure, among others. The “Set” rule that EPA finalized for the 2023-2025 RVOs maintained the 15 billion gallon implied conventional RVO that EPA had long established in previous years, provided a modest increase in non-cellulosic advanced and biomass-based diesel (BBD) RVOs, and did not project any SREs for the period.

The post Accelerating Growth: The RFS in 2026 and Beyond appeared first on Growth Energy.

The post Our Policy Priorities appeared first on Growth Energy.

However, tariffs, technical trade barriers, and inaccurate carbon intensity scores pose challenges to U.S. exporters looking to satisfy growing biofuel demand across the globe. They also disadvantage U.S. farmers by closing off potential markets. This must be addressed

The post Trade: Eliminate Barriers for U.S. Ethanol appeared first on Growth Energy.

The post Ensuring Year-Round Sales of E15 appeared first on Growth Energy.

Today, there are more than 3,400 retail locations in 33 states selling E15 at a price point up to a dollar cheaper per gallon than regular gasoline.

The vast majority of these locations are selling UNL88 (E15) along with E85 at blender pumps and making both available at nearly every dispensing location.

MOVERS. Major retailers selling or committed to selling E15 include: Sheetz, Thorntons, Kum & Go, bp, Maverik, Love’s, Circle K, RaceTrac, Kwik Trip, Cenex, Casey’s, Rutters, Pump & Pantry, NUVU Fuels, United Dairy Farmers, QuikTrip, Sinclair, Minnoco, Protec Fuel, Royal Farms, Murphy USA, and Family Express.

LOCATION. These retailers are not exclusively in the rural Midwest. Many of these retailers are in major metropolitan areas: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Louisville, Raleigh-Durham, and San Antonio.

VOLUME. The average convenience store sells 1 million gallons of gasoline per year on average, while the bulk of the retailers involved in the industry-sponsored Prime the Pump program sell 2.8 million gallons per year on average — nearly 3 times as much volume as the traditional retailer.

BLEND. The retailer partners are seeing an average bioethanol blend rate that easily exceeds 10 percent, pushing beyond the so-called 10 percent blend wall.

The post UNL88 (E15): Progress Update appeared first on Growth Energy.

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