Team ethanol has a “new urgency” after executive order drama

Source: By Anthony Adragna, Politico • Posted: Thursday, March 2, 2017

The White House may be saying an ethanol executive order isn’t in the works, but that doesn’t mean ethanol producers are getting back to business as usual. The possibility that the Trump administration might change which businesses would comply with the Renewable Fuel Standard sparked a quick reaction. “We’re not changing what we’re doing, but we’re doing it with a greater sense of urgency,” Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor told ME. “We want to nip this in the bud.” Skor and much of the rest of the RFS community see Trump adviser Carl Icahn as the force behind the move, and they’re ready to fight.

RFA out: Much of the ethanol community reacted badly to news Monday that Bob Dinneen, CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, had extracted promises from the Trump White House in exchange for some support of the change to the program. The umbrella group Fuels America, which advocates for the RFS, severed ties with RFA on Tuesday. Dinneen seemed to accept the news with dignity. “I continue to have great respect for the Fuels America coalition and its members, and I believe deeply in its mission,” he said in a statement. “There seems to be some misinformation about our discussions involving an Executive Order emanating from The White House. RFA’s only objective is to expand market opportunities for ethanol. We will continue to work toward that goal, while continuing to protect the integrity of the RFS

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