July 14, 2020
BY American Coalition for Ethanol
A flex fuel retailer panel will be part of the general session lineup again this year at the American Coalition for Ethanol 33rd annual conference on the afternoon of Aug. 25 in Omaha, Nebraska, co-located with the Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo. ACE Senior Vice President Ron Lamberty will moderate a discussion between returning panelist Randy Gard, chief operating officer of Bosselman Enterprises, owner of the Nebraska-based Pump & Pantry convenience store chain, and first-time panelist Jake Comer, fuel pricing manager of Casey’s General Stores.
Coming off of the second summer of year-round access to E15, waiting for the USDA to award grants under its Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program, and recovering from the drop in fuel and in-store demand during the global health pandemic, the ACE conference in August will provide these retailers with a timely platform to speak on a number of issues.
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“Even with this year’s abbreviated agenda, we’re bringing back the retailer panel because it offers content unique to the FEW and allows attendees the opportunity to hear firsthand from fuel marketers about how our industry can help them sell more of the product we produce. That will be more critical than ever, faced with the nosedive in ethanol demand brought on by COVID-19,” Lamberty said. “Randy and Jake will be able to speak to the success of adding E15 and higher ethanol blends at a growing number of Pump & Pantry’s and Casey’s c-store locations. Throw COVID-19 into the mix and USDA getting ready to award HBIIP funds, and as usual, we’ll have plenty of topics to discuss.”
“Casey’s is relatively new to E15, but we’ve moved swiftly with more than 250 stores offering Unleaded88 today,” Comer said. “I’m excited to share our journey with attendees of the ACE conference and discuss what we’ve learned about successfully marketing the product.”
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“We recognized the value proposition E15 and E85 offered us to increase gallons, customer count, and average customer spend at our locations early on,” Gard said. “Following my remarks last year on stage with President Trump when he publicly announced E15 year-round, we’ve continued to grow our sales volume of E15 and flex fuel. Last year, we sold over 6 million gallons, compared to 600,000 gallons in 2016, which shows if you put the fuels in place and price them right, the customers will come, and I look forward to sharing more on these efforts from the ACE conference stage.”
The U.S. Energy Information Administration maintained its forecast for 2025 and 2026 biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production in its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, released July 8.
XCF Global Inc. on July 10 shared its strategic plan to invest close to $1 billion in developing a network of SAF production facilities, expanding its U.S. footprint, and advancing its international growth strategy.
U.S. fuel ethanol capacity fell slightly in April, while biodiesel and renewable diesel capacity held steady, according to data released by the U.S. EIA on June 30. Feedstock consumption was down when compared to the previous month.
XCF Global Inc. on July 8 provided a production update on its flagship New Rise Reno facility, underscoring that the plant has successfully produced SAF, renewable diesel, and renewable naphtha during its initial ramp-up.
The U.S. EPA on July 8 hosted virtual public hearing to gather input on the agency’s recently released proposed rule to set 2026 and 2027 RFS RVOs. Members of the biofuel industry were among those to offer testimony during the event.