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Growth Energy on another possible hurdle to E15

A rumored switch in the point of obligation of the Renewable Fuels Standard would have devastating effects on the ethanol industry, according to a co-chair of Growth Energy.  Tom Buis told members of the National Farmers Union at their convention in San Diego that they must be vigilant in stopping any such proposal out of Washington, “Carl Icahn has been pushing it. Valero has been pushing it. And, you know, RFA (Renewable Fuels Association) got in the mix on it.”

Icahn is a Trump adviser and owns a more than an 80% stake in oil refiner CVR Energy. Buis says switching from refiners to retailers would be a blow to offering higher blends of ethanol, “We’ve worked the last few years with the major retailers, the major convenience store retailers and we just got success getting E15 into the marketplace. And, you change that point of obligation, it’s just another hurdle that’s going to be erected by our opponents to keep us out of the marketplace.”

Buis says if full implementation of E-15 is completed, an additional 2-and-a-half BILLION bushels of corn would be used.