The month of September has been declared as Renewable Fuels Awareness month in Nebraska by Governor Dave Heineman. Renewable Fuels Month aims to celebrate Nebraska’s renewable fuels industry and its positive contributions to Nebraska and our citizens.
The proclamation was coordinated through the Nebraska Corn Board and Nebraska Soybean Board. The two organizations will celebrate the proclamation with a campaign geared at educating Nebraskans about renewable fuels through a four-part series of news releases to be published during September.
“Nebraska is the Golden Triangle. We grow the corn and soybeans, raise the livestock and produce the renewable fuels,” said Gov. Heineman. “Renewable fuels provide many benefits to our state including developing rural communities, creating jobs, providing a locally produced homegrown fuel for consumers, and more.”
In Nebraska, ethanol is blended with nearly 90% of all fuel and this number continues to increase each year. There are over 180,000 flex fuel vehicles in the state and one in ten Nebraska motorists drives a flex fuel vehicle.
Last year, renewable fuels reduced the nation’s need for imported oil by over 462 million barrels of crude oil - and 1.1 billion gallons of imported petroleum diesel. Biodiesel was named America’s first Advanced Biofuel and has continuously exceeded the production benchmarks set forth by the EPA.
One of the co-products from ethanol production is distillers grains, which plays a key role in the Nebraska agricultural economy. “We are fortunate in Nebraska that livestock producers can use distillers grains co-products from ethanol production as a high-value feed,” said Tim Scheer, a farmer from St. Paul and chair of the Nebraska Corn Board. “Only the starch portion of the kernel is used to make ethanol. The protein, fiber, and fat portions still remain for the livestock.”
Terry Horky, a farmer from Sargent, Nebraska and chair of the Domestic Marketing committee for the Nebraska Soybean Board said as Nebraska farmers head out to harvest this year’s crops, over half will be fueling their equipment with a soy biodiesel blend.
“Farmers use renewable fuels like soy biodiesel because of the many benefits it has for engines,” said Horky. “But also because soy biodiesel is a renewable fuel produced by farmers right here in America.”
The four-part series to be released by the Corn and Soybean Boards during September will focus on: renewable, homegrown energy that can be used in food, fuel and feed; providing a consumer choice that is better for your engines and the environment; the “Golden Triangle”; and blend choices and where consumers can fill up with renewable fuels.
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