IRFA elects officers, executive committee for 2017

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association announced Dec. 14 its board of directors, officers and executive committee for 2017, elected at its Dec. 8 annual meeting. Each producer-member has a seat on the board and votes on officers. New officers will serve a one-year term during the 2017 calendar year.

The 2017 IRFA board of directors officers are Eamonn Byrne, president (Lakeview Plymouth Energy); Steve Bleyl, vice president (Green Plains); Bill Howell, treasurer (Poet Biorefining-Coon Rapids); Derek Winkel, secretary (Renewable Energy Group); and Monte Shaw, executive director (nonvoting).

The IRFA executive committee is comprised of the IRFA officers and other members as elected by the board. Elected to join the IRFA officers on the executive committee for 2017 are Tom Brooks, past-president (Western Dubuque Biodiesel); Craig Willis, at-large (Archer Daniels Midland); and Rick Schwarck, at-large (Absolute Energy).

“We are grateful for the leadership of Tom Brooks this year and we look forward to confronting the challenges and opportunities in 2017,” said newly elected President Eamonn Byrne. “We intend to work with President-elect Donald Trump’s administration to implement a robust renewable fuel standard (RFS) that ensures greater consumer choice at the pump. Here in Iowa, we will be working to extend the Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program, the very successful public-private cost share grants that have been instrumental in making higher ethanol and biodiesel blends more accessible to more Iowans.”

Iowa is the nation’s leader in renewable fuels production. Iowa has 43 ethanol refineries capable of producing 4 billion gallons annually, including nearly 55 million gallons of annual cellulosic ethanol production capacity. In addition, Iowa has 12 biodiesel facilities with the capacity to produce more than 315 million gallons annually.