The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) has announced that its 12th annual Washington, D.C. Fly-in and Government Affairs Summit will take place April 2-3.
Event registration and sponsorship opportunities are available at ethanol.org/events/fly-in.
“Our priorities will include defending the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) from refinery waivers, influencing proposals from EPA and USDA to support the sale of E15 and higher blends, and encouraging Congress to introduce legislation to increase ethanol use through a Low Carbon Octane Standard (LCOS), which capitalizes on the ability for higher blends of ethanol to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and helps automakers comply with fuel economy standards,” said Brian Jennings, ACE CEO. “Given the election year and congressional focus on climate change legislation, ACE’s 2020 fly-in will build upon the work we initiated in 2019 to proactively position ethanol as part of the solution to reduce GHG emissions. We encourage ethanol supporters to mark their calendars for the ACE fly-in and prepare to go on offense in D.C. on April 2 and 3.”
For more than a decade, nearly 300 people representing 30 states have participated in ACE fly-ins, meeting with members of Congress and top administration officials. Past participants include ethanol company investors and management; corn farmers; scientists; and fuel marketers and gas station owners.
“The ACE fly-in strikes a balance between Hill visits with ethanol champions and with Members of Congress who live outside the Corn Belt,” said Shannon Gustafson, ACE Senior Director of Operations and Programming. “Our event is designed to provide each participant with a valuable experience; from those who have never been to D.C., to those who’ve joined us for every fly-in. We strategically develop Hill visit teams to leverage each attendee’s strengths and arrange meetings in a way to make sure your voice is heard. Without the ACE fly-in, it becomes easier for staffers and Members of Congress to depersonalize our issues.”
Following a recent victory in the Tenth Circuit Court over EPA’s unlawful use of Small Refinery Exemptions, fly-in participants will urge EPA officials and members of Congress to restore sanity to the way the RFS is implemented.
Attendees will also engage EPA about an upcoming proposal to streamline market barriers to E15 and USDA on the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program for E15 and higher blends.
Finally, attendees will discuss the need for new legislation in Congress to increase ethanol use based on its low carbon and high octane attributes.
The meetings will take place at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill. For more information about the event, please contact Shannon Gustafson at [email protected].
