EPA at FEW

The Environmental Protection Agency handed out Energy Star awards to two Midwest ethanol plants at the Fuel Ethanol Workshop in St. Louis, recognizing their efforts to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions that equal the amount of pollution from nearly 6,000 cars a year.

During the FEW General Session, John Askew, EPA Region 7 Administrator, presented the awards to Macon Municipal Utilities in Macon, Missouri and Adkins Energy, LLC in Lena, Illinois. The two plants were honored for using Combined Heat and Power (CHP) to reduce energy usage.

“CHP technology is a cost-effective way to provide both steam and power for ethanol production,” said Askew. “By utilizing CHP systems, ethanol facilities can reduce production costs by achieving approximately 15 percent reduction of energy.” The systems can use a variety of fuels - natural gas, coal, biomass - and improve the overall environmental benefits of greenhouse gases associated with ethanol production.

Prior to presenting the awards, Askew addressed the general session on a variety of topics, including the Renewable Fuels Standard, air and water quality regulations, and the partnership between EPA and agriculture to find solutions to environmental challenges.

You can listen to Askew’s remarks here: EPA Speech (15 min MP3)