The Nebraska Ethanol Board elected new officers during the Jan. 16 board meeting.

Mike Thede of Palmer was elected chairman. Thede represents general farming interests on the board and also serves as President of the Howard County Farm Bureau and sits on the United Soybean Board.

Steve Hanson of Elsie was elected vice chairman. Hanson represents wheat.

Tim Else of Belvidere was elected secretary. Else representatives sorghum.

Outgoing Chairman Jim Jenkins of Callaway was recognized for his contribution to Nebraska’s ethanol industry.

Thede said that he is optimistic about the future of ethanol in light of sales figures and the recently renewed mandate for biofuels.

“2008 was a record setting year for ethanol sales in Nebraska,” Thede said. “In September, 81 percent of all motor fuels sold in Nebraska contained ethanol. E10 blends were selling from four to 10 cents less per gallon than regular gasoline, which saved Nebraska drivers almost $36 million.”

August 7, 2008

The EPA today rejected Texas Governor Rick Perry’s request to waive the Renewable Fuels Standard. The Renewable Fuels Standard is a federal law that requires a certain volume of renewable fuels be blended into fossil fuels.

Perry had written to the EPA asking it to waive the RFS after meeting with Texas poultry and livestock interests who claimed the new federal biofuels policy was affecting their respective sectors. The Texas request called for a national rollback of the RFS to one half of current domestic biofuel use.

Texas had to prove to the EPA that 1) there is severe harm to the U.S. economy, 2) that the harm is directly caused by the implementation of the RFS and 3) reducing the RFS would redress that claimed economic harm. The state’s two-page petition failed all three tests. In its decision, the EPA found that waiving the RFS would only reduce corn prices by as little as 7 cents per bushel.

Nebraska Ethanol Board administrator Todd Sneller lauded the EPA’s decision. We commend the EPA for its diligent review of the facts. It was clear from the outset that the waiver request could not meet the legal test required, and that renewable fuels like ethanol are actually benefiting the economy by lowering fuel prices and stimulating economic activity, Sneller said.

Earlier today the Consumer Federation of America submitted a report to the EPA which found that rolling back the RFS would significantly raise gas and oil prices.

Nebraska Ethanol Board chairman Jim Jenkins said the EPA made the right choice because ethanol provides relief for drivers hit hard by record high gas prices.

Ethanol is lowering gas prices for everyone and increasing economic development in ag states,Jenkins said.

August 5, 2008

A new group is calling for more alternative fuel vehicles. The Flexible Fuel Vehicle Club of America is a group of FFV drivers who want to reduce foreign oil imports and increase domestic sources of energy like ethanol.

Flex Fuel Vehicles can run on any combination of ethanol and gasoline up to 85% ethanol. There are currently over 66,000 Flex Fuel Vehicles and 44 E85 pumps in Nebraska. A list of pump locations is available on the Nebraska Ethanol Board website at http://www.ethanol.nebraska.gov/e85/stations.htm.

Burl Haigwood, club founder and president, helped launch the club with the help of the Nebraska Ethanol Board and the Ethanol Across America Campaign. Haigwood has been involved with the alternative fuels industry for 30 years.

The Flex Fuel Vehicle Club has received support and encouragement from car manufacturers and retailers, the alternative fuels industry, and drivers interested in reducing the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.

“When you consider the environmental costs of greenhouse gasses, the health care costs of pollution and the personal and financial costs of protecting oil resources in the Persian Gulf, the true price of gasoline is much greater than what Americans pay at the pump and far beyond what the country can afford,” said Haigwood.

Todd Sneller, administrator of the Nebraska Ethanol Board, said that ethanol offers drivers a chance to save money during times of record high gas prices.

“E85 can save drivers up to a dollar a gallon in some locations when the ethanol is locally produced and marketed,” said Sneller.

For more information, contact: Burl Haigwood, FFV Club President at 202-441-2400 or

burl.haigwood@flexiblefuelvehicleclub.org, or review the press kit on the FFV Club website at www.flexiblefuelvehicleclub.org.

July 31, 2008

Fuel prices and higher world grain demand are the primary drivers of the increase in food prices, according to a new report released today.

The report, The Impact of Ethanol Production on Food, Feed and Fuel, was produced by Ethanol Across America and co-sponsored by the Nebraska Ethanol Board. The findings confirm a recent study by Purdue University, which found that record high oil prices have caused 75% of the inflation in corn prices.

Ethanol is reducing gas prices. In Nebraska, about 77% of all gasoline sold contains ethanol. E10 is typically 10 cents cheaper than regular and economists have found that ethanol production lowers oil prices by 15% nationwide. Ethanol will save Nebraska motorists more than $70 million at the pump during 2008 according to the Nebraska Ethanol Board.

Ethanol Board Chairman Jim Jenkins said that ethanol generates a resounding economic benefit to Nebraska by lowering gas prices and providing livestock producers with lower-cost feeding alternatives.

As a cattle producer and restaurant owner, I am directly impacted by skyrocketing energy prices. High energy costs hit everyone hard, but Nebraska ethanol is lowering gas prices. Ethanol also provides relief for the livestock producer with high quality, low cost feed in the form of distillers grains, Jenkins said. The Nebraska economy is significantly better off as a result of our $4 billion ethanol industry, which has made our state a net exporter of motor fuels.

Todd Sneller, administrator of the Nebraska Ethanol Board, said the report confirms what he hass seen in other studies: that high energy prices and world demand are the leading factors in higher food prices.

The vast majority of food costs are from processing and transportation, so obviously high energy prices affect food prices much more than the price of corn, Sneller said. Meanwhile ethanol is lowering gas prices for everyone.

The Impact of Ethanol Production on Food, Feed and Fuel is available for download on the Resources page at www.ethanol.nebraska.gov.

July 16, 2008

Dr. Rolando Flores and Dr. Galen Erickson of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will be the featured speakers at the July 18 meeting of the Nebraska Ethanol Board.

Dr. Rolando Flores will discuss corn fractionation and the potential for more production of ethanol and other byproducts using less corn. Flores is professor and head of the Department of Food Science Technology at UN-L.

Galen Erickson will discuss livestock feeding and ethanol co-products. Erickson is an associate professor and beef feedlot extension specialist at the Animal Science Department at UN-L.

The Nebraska Ethanol Board will meet on July 18, 2008 at 8:30 a.m. The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Express, 508 Second Avenue South, Kearney. Special presentations will begin around 10 a.m. Visit http://www.ethanol.nebraska.gov/news/news.htm to download an agenda for Friday’s board meeting.

Established in 1971, the Ethanol Board assists ethanol producers with programs and strategies for marketing ethanol and related co-products. The Board supports organizations and policies that advocate the increased use of ethanol fuels and administers public information, education and ethanol research projects. The Board also assists companies and organizations in the development of ethanol production facilities in Nebraska. For more information, please visit www.ethanol.nebraska.gov.