Ethanol Today Magazine - Advocacy in Action

Advocacy in Action

Sign up to participate in ACE’s second annual DC Fly-In

The American Coalition for Ethanol is pleased to announce plans for its second annual “Biofuels Beltway March,” to be held in Washington, DC on March 22-23. Grassroots ethanol supporters are encouraged to travel to the nation’s capital to join ACE in meeting with key Members of Congress and Administration officials who have authority over the policy issues that matter most to us.

For more information or to sign up for the event, please contact Shannon Gustafson at [email protected] or 605-334-3381.

The advancement of America’s ethanol industry depends on your proactive approach to important issues such as the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC), EPA’s consideration of E15 for all vehicles, and movement toward more FFVs and blender pumps. There is no better way to communicate the importance of these issues than through face-to-face meetings with leaders on Capitol Hill – your participation will bring a personal voice and real-life experience with ethanol to our leaders in DC. Please consider joining ACE in this effort!

Lamberty promotes blender pumps for Arizona airport clean fuels project

Ron Lamberty, Vice President / Market Development for ACE, recently met with Triple A transportation about the possibility of using blender pumps to supply cabs and other vehicles with clean ethanol blends at the Phoenix airport.

The information he provided to them through the “Blend Your Own Ethanol” campaign provided pricing models, a list of available financial incentives, and illustrated steps in the process of making ethanol blends available. To learn more about BYO, visit www.byoethanol.com.

ET goes digital in a new online format

Ethanol Today is still available as the print edition most familiar to the industry, but we’ve added a new format for those who wish to receive it electronically. Beginning in 2010, each issue of ET will be available in a fully integrated digital format that has several nice features:

· Page through the magazine with your mouse

· Share articles with friends via e-mail

· Zoom, print, or search by keyword

· Click on ads and website addresses to learn more

The new digital edition is available in two locations online: go to Ethanol.org and click “Ethanol Today” on the right-hand menu, or go to Ethanoltoday.com and click on the large ET cover image on the left-hand side. Look for a redesign of the ET.com site coming soon.

A Digital Sponsorship is available to a company that would like to be featured on a cover wrap in the digital edition, plus on the inside front cover advertisement. Contact Lacey Dixon ( [email protected] , 605-334-3381) for more details.

ACE staff meet new members at the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting

In early January, ACE participated as an exhibitor at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2010 annual meeting in Seattle. More than 5,000 farmers from across the U.S. attended the 91^st annual event. Farm Bureau is the nation’s largest agriculture association representing more than 6.2 million farm families nationwide. Shannon Gustafson, ACE’s Director of Strategic Projects, and Kristin Brekke, ET Editor and ACE’s Communications Director, enjoyed meeting with farm families from all parts of the country and answering questions about ethanol, blender pumps, the state of the industry, and the possibility of moving to E15 or higher blends.

Jennings speaks with Minnesota’s corn growers at AgExpo event

On January 11-12, ACE Executive Vice President Brian Jennings attended the Minnesota Corn Growers Association’s MN AgExpo held in Morton. He had the opportunity to speak with ACE members, to hear from the state’s corn growers, and discuss ACE’s efforts to work toward biofuels policies that help grow the marketplace for corn and for ethanol.

ACE seeks feedback from members on social media

ACE values the opinions of our grassroots members, and we hope you will help us strengthen our ethanol presence in the world of social media by taking a brief survey.

The survey is found online at www.tinyurl.com/ACE-social-media-2009 or through a link in the front-page News Feed at Ethanol.org. It takes about 5 minutes to complete.

The survey is meant to gauge people’s familiarity with social media, and specifically ACE’s presence online at Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Ethanol Collective, and more. Your responses to the survey will help us more effectively convey ethanol’s message to the public through these mediums. Thanks for your support!

BYO trade show schedule takes off in February

ACE and the Renewable Fuels Association have a busy spring ahead of them as the two organizations will team up and travel throughout February and March to promote blender pumps and mid-level ethanol blends through the Blend Your Own Ethanol Campaign.

In February, the campaign will be answering blender pump and ethanol questions in Biloxi, Mississippi at the Gulf Coast Food and Fuel Expo, in Las Vegas at the Western Petroleum Marketers Association event, in Branson, Missouri at the Petroleum and Convenience Store Exposition, and in Orlando at the National Ethanol Conference.

Trade shows in March will include the Southeast Petro-Food Marketing Expo in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the Commodity Classic in Anaheim, California, the Nebraska Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association show in La Vista, Nebraska, the Michigan Petroleum Association/Michigan Association of Convenience Stores expo in Grand Rapids, and the Arkansas Oil Marketers Association trade show in Hot Springs.

ACE endorses Biofuels Benchmarking to demonstrate efficiencies

We are pleased to announce that ACE is endorsing the Biofuels Benchmarking program that Christianson & Associates, PLLP (C&A) currently provides to the ethanol industry. ACE is building a relationship with C&A in order to provide us with industry data that will allow us and others to more persuasively advocate on behalf of the ethanol industry. The more accurate, up-to-date data will allow us to better fight for ethanol’s interests and explain the growing efficiencies of the industry.

C&A makes a special offer available to ACE members – a reduction in the pricing by 00 for the first year’s annual subscription fee. To take advantage of this special offer, please let C&A know your ethanol plant is an ACE member when you contact them. Visit the “Biofuels Services” section at www.christiansoncpa.com to learn more. Information is also found on www.ethanol.org under “Ethanol Facilities” and under “Brochures & Publications.”

New advertising opportunities in Ethanol Today

ACE has released its 2010 media kit files for Ethanol Today magazine. The upcoming year will feature 10 exciting issues that explore industry topics that impact your company, business, and community. The magazine is committed to proactively addressing the latest issues in public policy, market development, and outreach.

Whether you’re a loyal advertiser in Ethanol Today or looking forward to reaching out to the grassroots voices of the ACE community, now is the time to dive into advertising on one of the industry’s most trusted resources for ethanol news. Visit www.ethanoltoday.com to learn more about advertising special packages, rates, sizes, and new ways to reach the ethanol audience in print and online.

Your advertising contact is Lacey Dixon, at [email protected] or 605-334-3381.

Letters to the Editor

ACE members are taking action to combat misinformation and raise awareness about ethanol and its benefits. Thanks to these members for their efforts on ethanol’s behalf. This letter to the editor points out the role of toxic auto emissions in birth defects and how clean fuels like ethanol are a no-brainer.

Dear Editor:

“Follow the money” political realities play an unconscionable role as auto emissions increase birth defects dramatically. Cigarette smoke’s mutagenic impacts on fetuses are well known, yet our medical community gives a pass to auto emissions’ nearly identical toxics by merely “suspecting” environmental causes: for our ever increasing numbers of low birth weight babies, for California’s seven fold autism increase, for ten percent of our children having serious birth defects surface by age five, and for being tied with Malta for second-worst infant-mortality rate among developed nations. Can anyone even estimate the number of abortions or later occurring cancers caused by auto emissions’ mutagenic attacks on embryo DNA?

At least the Chinese government confessed that auto and coal emissions caused their birth defects to soar. “ Despite the evidence, European governments are blocking debate on measures to counter health dangers from petroleum emissions,” writes a French reporter. U.S. politicians’ “follow the money” unconscionable political behaviors also partner with oil interests to mask petroleum’s links to birth defects/cancers.

Because petroleum emissions are nearly identical to cigarette smoke and smog problems worsen every year, it should not surprise anyone that birth defect numbers are soaring. Science revealed long ago that incomplete combustion of complex hydrocarbons like cigarettes, wood, gasoline, etc. produces nearly identical combustion products including benzene and other carcinogens-mutagens. Swedish lab analysis found air toxics inside autos during traffic and air toxics inside cigarette smoke filled rooms are “strikingly similar” – duh.

EPA estimates gasoline emissions alone are responsible for 90 percent of U.S. air pollution’s health risks: Surprised? Cap and trade legislation that does not “follow the money” will first support safer fuels and conservation technologies to slash gasoline’s marketshare and its maiming of our children. Safer propane, natural gas, electricity, and blender pumps for ethanol do not produce emissions similar to cigarette smoke.

- Orrie Swayze

Wilmot, South Dakota farmer

ACE member Lee Saberson of Endress+Hauser in Greenwood, Indiana wrote to Al Gore and his staff to correct misinformation about ethanol’s energy balance.

Dear Al Gore and staff:

I heard Al's comments from Miami on C-Span over the weekend about his books. He is a great proponent of the Earth and its problems, but he made one glaring error about ethanol – first-generation corn ethanol – saying that it was a “disappointment” because of its Net Energy Balance being negative. That is completely incorrect! The net energy balance is above 100%. It has been reported lately that it is positive by over 67 percent.

Here is a paper on it from the American Coalition for Ethanol website:

http://www.ethanol.org/index.php?id=93&parentid=25

I am surprised that he did not seem to have this issue correct.

Regards,

Lee Saberson

Industry Manager, Renewable Energy, Americas

Endress+Hauser