WASHINGTON, D.C.—Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuel trade association, issued the following statement after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a rule regarding reallocation, and how it will account for gallons lost due to small refinery exemptions (SREs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). 

“With this proposal, EPA acknowledges how important biofuels like ethanol are to the rural economy,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “We commend the Trump EPA for being the first-ever EPA to propose a way to ensure past-year SRE gallons don’t compromise renewable fuel demand. Full reallocation of exempt gallons is a surefire way to drive income to America’s rural communities. We look forward to providing detailed comments on how EPA can align the final rulemaking with the President’s energy dominance agenda while maintaining the integrity of the RFS and delivering the greatest possible benefit to American agriculture.”  

Learn more about the RFS here.

The post Growth Energy Statement on EPA Reallocation Proposal  appeared first on Growth Energy.

Each year, Growth Energy recognizes the leading congressional staffers who have gone above and beyond to assist and actively engage with the Growth Energy team and our members on a variety of issues that impact the biofuels industry. Growth Energy proudly announced this year’s winners of the Outstanding Congressional Staff awards at the 2025 Growth Energy Biofuels Summit (GEBS) this September.

“Every single one of these recipients have dedicated their own time to a number of legislative issues that impact the biofuels industry,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “They are among the best and the brightest on Capitol Hill when it comes to biofuels, and we are proud to recognize all their hard work this past year.”

Learn more about this year’s winners below.

 

Winner – Trenton Hoekstra, Legislative Assistant to Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa)

Trenton Hoekstra is a Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), handling the senator’s agriculture, nutrition, trade, and biofuels portfolio. In his current role, he is the senator’s first call when it comes to biofuel policy, and therefore one of the most influential staffers in the Seante on our issues. Trenton grew up on his family’s corn, soybean, and hog farm in northwest Iowa, and is a graduate of the University of South Dakota.

 

 

Winner – Thomas Liepold, Professional Staff Member for Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)

Thomas Liepold is a Professional Staff member for Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) on the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry where he works on energy and rural development issues. He began working for Senator Klobuchar in 2016 and has worked on a range of issues from trade, crop insurance, livestock and biofuels. Thomas grew up on his family’s farm in Heron Lake, Minnesota. Thomas earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture marketing and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Minnesota.

 

Winner – Abby Goins, Legislative Assistant to Representative Adrian Smith (R-Neb.)

Abby Goins is a Legislative Assistant for Congressman Adrian Smith (Neb.-03), a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Trade. Abby advises Congressman Smith on trade, agriculture, and energy policy. Prior to this role, she spent three years in Congressman Tracey Mann’s (Kan.-01) office. Abby is from Oswego, Kansas and is a graduate of Kansas State University, where she studied Agricultural Economics and Global Food Systems Leadership.

 

Winner – Yusuf Nekzad, Legislative Director for Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.)

Yusuf Nekzad serves as Legislative Director for Rep. Nikki Budzinski (Ill.-13). Congresswoman Budzinski is a member of the House Agriculture Committee, Co-Chair of the Congressional Biofuels Caucus, and Vice Chair for Policy of the New Democrat Coalition. A known expert on the Hill for energy policy, Yusuf previously served as Legislative Affairs Coordinator for the Department of Energy’s Office of Infrastructure and as a Senior Policy Advisor to former Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois.

 

Congratulations to all of our Outstanding Congressional Staff award winners! Thank you for all your hard work, leadership, and partnership over the years.

The post Meet the 2025 Outstanding Congressional Staff Award Winners appeared first on Growth Energy.

Some people taking Ozempic, Wegovy, or Mounjaro notice that food suddenly tastes sweeter or saltier, and this subtle shift in flavor perception appears tied to reduced appetite and stronger feelings of fullness. In a study of more than 400 patients, roughly one in five experienced heightened taste sensitivity, and many reported being less hungry and more easily satisfied.

People taking semaglutide report far fewer obsessive thoughts about food, with cravings dropping sharply and mental health improving. This new research hints the drug may offer freedom from the constant distraction of food noise.

QROCODILE has set record-breaking sensitivity in the search for dark matter, detecting signals at energy levels once thought impossible. These results may be just the first step toward finally capturing direct evidence of the universe’s hidden mass.

Eating more like the Mediterranean—rich in vegetables, legumes, fruits, and olive oil—may do more than just support heart health. A new King’s College London study suggests it also protects against gum disease by lowering inflammation markers in the blood.

Preschoolers with ADHD are often given medication right after diagnosis, against medical guidelines that recommend starting with behavioral therapy. Limited access to therapy and physician pressures drive early prescribing, despite risks and reduced effectiveness in young children.

Scientists at UC San Diego have identified a new drug, ION224, that could transform the treatment of MASH, a dangerous form of fatty liver disease tied to obesity and diabetes. By blocking a key liver enzyme, the drug reduces fat and inflammation, halting the root causes of liver damage. In a year-long clinical trial, patients showed major improvements without serious side effects, offering hope to millions affected worldwide.

Per capita CO2 emissions from primary energy consumption decreased in every state from 2005 to 2023, according to recently released data in our State Energy Data System. Total energy-related CO2 emissions in the United States fell 20% over that time, and the population grew by 14%, leading to a 30% decrease in per capita CO2 emissions.

David’s Notes

1. 😰 Climate Week NYC is next week and I am cruising into full panic-attack mode. I have two pods to record this week and then I am conducting no less than five, yes, five interviews on stage over the course of the three days I will be in NYC. Seven interviews in two weeks? Cool cool cool. A sane thing to do to oneself.

Sam sent confirmation emails to the vast majority of paid subscribers who requested free tickets to one of the two Canary events. Apologies to the handful of subscribers who were excluded — we had more requests than tickets. You’ll be on the shortlist next time I’m in NYC!

Have no fear: some or all of these New York interviews will end up on the feed as pods.

2. ⚡️🗼〰️🗼⚡️Three years ago I spoke with Lauren Azar about MISO’s admirable long-range transmission planning.

Now, as punishment for its good deeds, MISO is being sued by a bunch of jerkwad states, many of which aren't involved and wouldn't host any of the power lines anyway. Republicans being Republicans, I’m afraid. I may pod on this later, depending how the lawsuit goes.

3. 📖 Let us pause to give praise to Wikipedia, one of the few platforms left on the internet that has largely avoided enshittification. Of course, the jerkwads are attacking it too, but it has remained stubbornly resilient — check out this fascinating Verge story for the details. Perhaps there’s something other platforms and institutions can learn! Anyway, (sign up as a paid subscriber to Volts and also) donate to Wikipedia.

4. 🍅 The Volts household has been struggling with a substantial tomato surplus. The picture below is a single day’s harvest! Leah Stokes sent me a very tasty recipe for tomato confit to preserve them for the rainy days ahead. What’s your garden’s bumper crop this year?

5. ✅ Community comment(s) of the month via Ed & Fred regarding climate communication. I agree that people can tire of the constant “brought to you by climate change” drumbeat no matter how true it is, which is why it’s important to point to local, successful climate projects like Samuel Jackson does in the ad that Fred mentioned.

Monthly Thread — How It Works

This is your monthly opportunity to share! Use the comments section in this community thread to:

• CLIMATE JOBS & OPPORTUNITIES: Share climate jobs/opportunities

• SHARE WORK, ASK FOR HELP, FIND COLLABORATORS: Share your climate-related work, ask for help, or find collaborators

• CLIMATE EVENTS & MEETUPS: Share climate-related events and meetups

• EVERYTHING ELSE: Discuss David’s Notes or anything else climate-related

• QUESTIONS: Ask a question to the community or for an upcoming bonus episode (anyone can ask a question but bonus episodes are a paid-sub-only perk). Don’t be afraid to answer one another’s questions!

🚨 To keep organized, please only “REPLY” directly under one of Sam’s headline comments. Anything inappropriate, spammy, etc may be deleted. Be nice! Check out our Community Guidelines.

NASA’s Perseverance rover has delivered its most compelling clue yet in the search for life on Mars. A rock sample called “Sapphire Canyon,” taken from the Bright Angel formation in Jezero Crater, shows unusual mineral patterns known as “leopard spots” that may have formed through microbial activity. While non-biological processes could also explain the find, scientists say the chemical fingerprints look strikingly similar to those left behind by microbes on Earth.

Behind the dusty clouds of the Cigar Galaxy lies a dazzling powerhouse of star formation, where stars are being born ten times faster than in the Milky Way. Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have uncovered massive super star clusters in its core, each glowing with hundreds of thousands of stars and shining brighter than typical clusters. These observations reveal not only the galaxy’s extraordinary pace of star creation but also provide a rare look into how such enormous clusters develop and evolve.

Researchers from the University of Waterloo discovered that measuring long-term stress through children’s hair samples can reveal early signs of mental health risks in those living with chronic physical illnesses. Children with persistently high cortisol were more likely to struggle with anxiety, depression, and behavioral challenges, while those whose stress markers declined showed fewer problems.

Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have cracked open the secrets of plant stem cells, mapping key genetic regulators in maize and Arabidopsis. By using single-cell RNA sequencing, they created a gene expression atlas that identifies rare stem cell regulators, links them to crop size and productivity, and offers a new roadmap for breeding resilient, high-yield plants.

Volcanic eruptions on the remote island of Nishinoshima repeatedly wipe the land clean, giving scientists a rare chance to study life’s earliest stages. Researchers traced the genetic origins of an extinct purslane population to nearby Chichijima but found striking quirks—evidence of a founder’s effect and genetic drift. These discoveries shed light on how plants recolonize harsh environments and how ecosystems evolve from scratch.

A groundbreaking project is piecing together Leonardo da Vinci’s genetic profile by tracing his lineage across 21 generations and comparing DNA from living descendants with remains in a Da Vinci family tomb. If successful, the effort could reveal new insights into Leonardo’s health, creativity, and even help confirm the authenticity of his works.

On remote islands of Papua New Guinea, people carry a story that ties us all back to our deepest roots. Although their striking appearance once puzzled scientists, new genetic evidence shows they share a common ancestry with other Asians, shaped by isolation, adaptation, and even interbreeding with mysterious Denisovans. Yet, their unique history — marked by survival bottlenecks and separation from farming-driven booms — leaves open questions about the earliest migrations out of Africa and whether their lineage holds traces of a forgotten branch of humanity.

A 28-day trial showed that pterostilbene cream improved wrinkles, skin firmness, collagen, and pore size far better than a control emulsion. The results highlight pterostilbene as a promising natural ingredient for next-generation anti-aging skincare.

Scientists are unraveling the mysteries of "steam worlds"—exoplanets known as sub-Neptunes that are rich in water but orbit so close to their stars that their surfaces are shrouded in thick atmospheres of vapor. Using advanced models, researchers at UC Santa Cruz are now mapping how water behaves under extreme pressures and temperatures, offering insights into exotic phases like supercritical fluids and superionic ice.

A sweeping global study reveals that nearly half of people with diabetes don’t even know they have it, with young adults being the most overlooked. While most diagnosed patients receive treatment, less than half achieve proper blood sugar control, leaving only about one in five with well-managed diabetes.