RIN Academy 2014 offers critical information on RINs, RFS program

RIN Academy 2014 is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 16, at the Embassy Suites Des Moines from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The day-long conference is designed to help unravel the complex world of the renewable identification numbers (RINs), an environmental derivative of the EPA’s renewable fuel standard (RFS). RINs are critical to the profitability of renewable fuel production in America.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey will deliver the keynote for the event, highlighting Iowa’s leadership in renewable fuel production. In addition to being the largest producer of ethanol and biodiesel, Iowa is home to three of America’s first cellulosic ethanol plants. The conference will also host more than 20 distinguished panelists and speakers, including representatives from the EPA, business leaders, academics, and policymakers.

“As leaders in the renewable fuels industry, EcoEngineers looks forward to bringing everyone together and facilitating substantive discussions around the newest legislation concerning the renewable fuels standard,” said Shashi Menon, managing partner at EcoEngineers. “This year, we’re adding biogas as a topic of discussion because we believe that it has the potential to be a huge asset to Iowa and the country. We want to share what we’ve learned.”

Topics to be discussed include:

-Latest developments and upcoming changes to RFS and RIN policy

-State of advanced biofuels industry and opportunities ahead

-How city and county governments can financially benefit from the RFS

-Opportunities in biogas as a new fuel source 

Conference panelists include Robert C. Brown, director of Iowa State’s Bioeconomy Institute; Delayne Johnson of Quad County Corn Processors, which recently produced the first cellulosic ethanol gallons in Iowa from corn; Mike McAdams, president of Advanced Biofuels Association; Sharyn Lie, center director at the U.S. EPA; Steve Ogle, commercial business leader from DuPont; and many others.

EcoEngineers is an independent engineering and software firm, headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. It provides comprehensive compliance management, market data and facility planning services for renewable energy companies operating under North American and European regulations. It has advised more than 200 companies on compliance matters related to U.S. environmental fuel credits (RINS) and registered them with the U.S. EPA to participate in U.S. markets. In 2013 EcoEngineers’ cloud-based software platform managed transactional and compliance data for more than 1 billion RINs. EcoEngineers also offers a biofuel Quality Assurance Program—the first of its kind in the U.S.

For more information and to register for the conference, click here or contact Teresa Zilk.