The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) 36th annual conference kicked off in Minneapolis, MN this week with an update from ACE leadership, including ACE board president, Dave Sovereign, ACE CMO Ron Lamberty, and ACE CEO Brian Jennings.
Jennings addressed timely topics such as year-round E15, the Renewable Fuel Standard, and how ethanol is part of the solution to curb carbon pollution.
Jennings reminded attendees that pain at the pump is not a thing of the past, stating that national average gas prices are creeping back to levels reached last August and acknowledging year-round E15 has been and continues to be a priority for ACE. “We are grateful EPA issued temporary waivers this summer, identical to action taken last year, to capitalize on E15’s ability to reduce prices,” Jennings said. “Nevertheless, we cannot continue to rely on emergency steps to secure uninterrupted market access for E15.
"The only bulletproof approach to permanent and nationwide E15 availability is through Congress. To this end, bipartisan bills are making progress in the Senate and House, and we expect activity around E15 legislation to speed up following the August recess. Be assured ACE is working alongside our champions in Congress to identify ways to get a bill over the finish line this year," said Jennings.
ACE and its members have an appreciation for the fact that everything counts. Referencing ACE’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), Jennings mentioned ACE is here to help farmers and ethanol producers maximize their investments in the carbon space. “We are getting dirt under our fingernails,” Jennings told attendees. “Helping farmers adopt practices such as conservation tillage, 4R nutrient management, and cover crops to reduce the carbon intensity of the corn they deliver to your plants. We're collaborating with scientists to properly monitor and measure the GHG benefits resulting from climate-smart ag practices, so the data is irrefutable and sufficiently robust to convince the lifecycle modelers and market regulators that farmers and ethanol plants need to receive valuable carbon credits."
The opening remarks were followed by a keynote address from Tom Kloza, Global Head of Energy Analysis for Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) and two general session panels covering biofuel incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act as well as climate-smart farming for carbon markets. The Thursday general session was concluded with a virtual address by U.S. Representative Angie Craig (MN-2). The conference wrapped up on Friday with a fuel retailer panel; a panel on carbon, capture and sequestration; as well as an outlook on ethanol exports from Mackenzie Boubin, U.S. Grains Council Director of Global Ethanol Export Development.
For more information on the agenda and speakers, visit ethanol.org/events/conference.