The Nebraska Ethanol Board will meet in Grand Island, Nebraska, at 11:00 a.m. Friday, Sept. 1. The meeting will be at the Riverside Golf Club Clubhouse (2820 Riverside Drive) in the Grand North Ballroom. The agenda is as follows:

1. Call Meeting to Order
2. Approval of Agenda
3. Approval of June 9, 2023, Board Meeting Minutes
4. Public Opportunity for Questions, Comments or Concerns
5. Husker Motorsports Presentation
6. Budget Report
7. Fuel Retailer Update
8. Nebraska Corn Board Update
9. Renewable Fuels Nebraska Update
10. Working Lunch
11. Travel Reports and Authorization
12. Technical & Research Updates
13. Marketing Programs
14. Dues & Subscriptions
15. NEB-hosted Conferences & Events
16. State and Federal Legislation
17. Ethanol Plant Reports
18. Chair’s Report
19. Executive Director’s Report
20. Next Meeting Date
21. Personnel
22. Adjourn

This agenda contains all items to come before the Board except those items of an emergency nature.

Nebraska Ethanol Board meetings are open to the public and also published on the public calendar.

The Nebraska Ethanol Board works to ensure strong public policy and consumer support for biofuels. Since 1971, the independent state agency has designed and managed programs to expand production, market access, worker safety and technology innovation, including recruitment of producers interested in developing conventional ethanol, as well as bio-products from the ethanol platform. For more information, visit www.ethanol.nebraska.gov.

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LINCOLN, NEB – This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced plans to accept $450 million in grant applications for the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP). The funding, which comes from designation within the Inflation Reduction Act, will have application windows that run quarterly from July 1, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2024. Approximately $90 million will be made available each quarter to fueling stations, stores and facilities who implement higher ethanol blends such as E15 and higher, and biodiesel blends greater than 5 percent, such as B20.

According to USDA, awards to successful applicants will be in the form of cost-share grants for up to 75 percent of total eligible project costs, but not to exceed $5 million, whichever is less. Full program instructions and details, including changes made to improve HBIIP, can be found at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/energy-programs/higher-blends-infrastructure-incentive-program.

“Investing in infrastructure just makes sense for a retailer to keep their equipment up-to-date,” said Reid Wagner, executive director for the Nebraska Ethanol Board (NEB). “Grant assistance, especially in conjunction with modified tax credits from the recently passed E15 Access Standard in Nebraska (LB562), makes these investments economical. These funds are a great opportunity for all retailers to invest in higher blends of ethanol like E15 and E30 to provide a healthier fuel choice to all our Nebraska communities. We appreciate the USDA re-opening this program and helping support our mission of making ethanol more widely available.”

The purpose of the HBIIP is to significantly increase the sales and use of higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel by expanding the infrastructure for renewable fuels derived from U.S. agricultural products. The program is also intended to encourage a more comprehensive approach to market higher blends by sharing the costs related to building out biofuel-related infrastructure.

NEB compiled resources to make the application process easier, including a brief titled Infrastructure Compatibility with Higher Blends of Ethanol. Access this tool on the agency website at here. Applicants may reach out to the NEB office with any questions at 402-471-2941.

Lincoln, Nebraska – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued the final set rule of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The rule sets renewable volume obligations (RVOs) for the next three calendar years. The total renewable fuel RVOs in the final rule are 20.94 billion gallons for 2023, 21.54 billion gallons for 2024, and 22.33 billion gallons for 2025. The conventional renewable fuel RVO, which includes corn ethanol, is set at 15 billion gallons for 2023, 2024, and 2025 each year. Overall, the RVOs in the final rule include lower volumes for advanced, cellulosic, and conventional biofuels and higher volumes for biomass-based diesel than the originally proposed rule published Dec. 30, 2022.

“While we are encouraged that EPA continues to call for higher volumes of renewable fuels year over year, we are disappointed that the final RVOs are significantly lower than originally proposed for conventional and cellulosic biofuels,” said Reid Wagner, executive director of the Nebraska Ethanol Board (NEB). “Our current ethanol infrastructure has the capacity today to easily meet the originally-proposed 15.25 billion gallon conventional biofuel requirement, and a growing number of ethanol producers are deploying technologies for processing corn kernel fiber into ethanol, which will contribute significant volumes of cellulosic biofuel soon. Ensuring adequate RVOs aids in market development as the ethanol industry works to expand access to its products. By sidelining these low-carbon biofuels options, EPA is effectively leaving tools in the box that could be used to accomplish their decarbonization goals.”

The final rule also includes a cumulative 550-million-gallon increase in the biomass-based diesel RVO, from the originally proposed rule. “In sectors that are more difficult to electrify, namely heavy-duty transport, renewable diesel and biodiesel will continue to play a key role in decarbonization efforts,” Wagner said. “The final biomass-based diesel RVO is certainly trending in the right direction, but still may not be sufficient to capture the rapid growth in capacity of renewable diesel and biodiesel production.”

The final set rule also did not include provisions related to RINs generated from renewable electricity (eRINs), as it did when it was first proposed.

The Nebraska Ethanol Board works to ensure strong public policy and consumer support for biofuels. Since 1971, the independent state agency has designed and managed programs to expand production, market access, worker safety and technology innovation, including recruitment of producers interested in developing conventional ethanol, as well as bio-products from the ethanol platform. For more information, visit www.ethanol.nebraska.gov.

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LINCOLN, Nebraska – Lawmakers have passed a bill to increase consumer access to E15 in Nebraska. LB562, introduced by State Sen. Myron Dorn, includes requirements for motor fuel retailers in Nebraska to sell E15 from at least 50% of their dispensers starting in 2024 if they build a new motor fuel site or replace more than 80% of the motor fuel storage and dispensing infrastructure at an existing site. Gov. Jim Pillen signed the bill, known as the E15 Access Standard Act, into law today.

“Nine out of 10 fuel retailers in Nebraska will be able to offer E15 without expensive upgrades to their fuel infrastructure and dispensing system,” said Reid Wagner, Nebraska Ethanol Board (NEB) executive director. “The framework created through LB562 offers a pathway to increase access to higher blends while minimizing costs to fuel retailers and maximizing savings for consumers.”

If the statewide ethanol blend rate (the average percentage of ethanol in each gallon of fuel) is below 14% in 2027, the bill requires fuel retailers to offer E15 from at least one dispenser at each retail location. The bill also provides for an increased income tax credit for fuel retailers offering higher blends of ethanol: $0.08 per gallon of E15 sold in 2024, $0.09 per gallon in 2025, $0.08 per gallon in 2026, $0.07 per gallon in 2027, and $0.05 per gallon in 2028.

“This is a great day for Nebraska’s drivers,” NEB Chairman Jan tenBensel said. “Having the option to choose lower‑cost, lower-carbon E15 at fuel stations all around the state is a big win for consumers, farmers, and value-added agriculture.”

E15, a blend of 15% ethanol and gasoline, is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for vehicles model year 2001 and newer. Visit fueledbynebraska.com to learn about which blend of ethanol to use and to find retailers near you.

The Nebraska Ethanol Board works to ensure strong public policy and consumer support for biofuels. Since 1971, the independent state agency has designed and managed programs to expand production, market access, worker safety and technology innovation, including recruitment of producers interested in developing conventional ethanol, as well as bio-products from the ethanol platform. For more information, visit www.ethanol.nebraska.gov.

For Additional High Quality Images Contact:
Jessica Sodeke, Nebraska Ethanol Board
jessica.sodeke@nebraska.gov

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The Nebraska Ethanol Board will meet in Lincoln at 12 p.m. Friday, June 9. The meeting will be at Hyatt Place (600 Q Street) in meeting room one. The agenda is as follows:

1. Call Meeting to Order
2. Approval of Agenda
3. Approval of Feb. 23, 2023, Board Meeting Minutes
4. Public Opportunity for Questions, Comments or Concerns
5. Working Lunch
6. Budget Report & Budget Planning Fiscal Year 2023-24
7. Economic Impact Study Update
8. Fuel Retailer Update
9. Nebraska Corn Board Update
10. Renewable Fuels Nebraska Update
11. Technical & Research Updates
12. Marketing Programs
13. NEB-hosted Conferences & Events
14. Travel Reports and Authorization
15. State and Federal Legislation
16. Ethanol Plant Reports
17. Chair’s Report
18. Executive Director’s Report
19. Next Meeting Date
20. Personnel
21. Executive Session
22. Personnel (Continued)
23. Adjourn

This agenda contains all items to come before the Board except those items of an emergency nature.

Nebraska Ethanol Board meetings are open to the public and also published on the public calendar.

The Nebraska Ethanol Board works to ensure strong public policy and consumer support for biofuels. Since 1971, the independent state agency has designed and managed programs to expand production, market access, worker safety and technology innovation, including recruitment of producers interested in developing conventional ethanol, as well as bio-products from the ethanol platform. For more information, visit www.ethanol.nebraska.gov.

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