ORLANDO, FL — Today, Growth Energy, the largest trade association representing the producers and supporters of the ethanol industry, held the first panel at their seventh annual Executive Leadership Conference in Orlando, Fla. The panel was entitled, “Don’t Get Stuck in the Gears – Eliminating Market Barriers to Ethanol.”
There is no shortage of obstacles hindering the sale of ethanol. The uncertainty surrounding the Renewable Fuel Standard, consistently shifting legal challenges on the state and federal levels and the Reid Vapor Pressure debate are all barriers to the widespread adoption of higher blends of ethanol, such as E15.
Discussion focused on the important actions the policy, legal and regulatory teams must take so the industry can overcome these hurdles. Growth Energy’s efforts are clear – to usher in the widespread availability of renewable fuels so that consumers have an unrestricted choice of renewable fuels when they go to fill up at the pump.
The panel was moderated by Mitch Miller, CEO of Carbon Green BioEnergy, and panelists included Chris Bliley, Director of Regulatory Affairs at Growth Energy, John Fuher, Director of Government Affairs at Growth Energy, Kristy Moore, founder and Principle of KM Consulting, Shailesh Sahay, Regulatory Counsel at POET, and Amy Davis of Government Affairs at Novozymes.
During the discussion, Amy Davis noted that, “In many ways the challenges of today are not that much different than the past – the RFS fight is a battle about market share.”
Kristy Moore added that as we are pushing hard to get E15 treated equally, we are having to ward off some significant attacks. Moore said, “We are working to help define our fuels, not restrict them. E15 is the most studied fuel in decades. We’ve got huge markets like Texas and Florida that are moving E15 into the marketplace with zero issues.”
The panel concluded by noting the importance of engaging lawmakers, influencers and stakeholders to build the support necessary to remove the obstacles to ensure widespread adoption of higher blends.
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