RFA celebrates 40th anniversary and 10 years of ethanol safety training leadership

In Washington, D.C, the Renewable Fuels Association hit two big milestones in 2021 – 40 years of ethanol industry leadership as a trade group focused on growing the U.S. ethanol industry and 10 years of leading a national ethanol safety program that has reached thousands of first responders, rail shippers, ethanol plant workers and others.

Through various publications and activities, RFA will celebrate its 40th anniversary all year long in 2021. The association will look back on the milestones of an industry that grew from just a handful of small plants in a few Corn Belt states to more than 200 sophisticated, high-tech biorefineries nationwide. Today’s ethanol industry supports almost 350,000 jobs and contributes more than $40 billion to the nation’s economy each year, a far cry from its humble beginnings.

All tallied, RFA has hosted 328 training events reaching more than 13,000 attendees since December 2010. Its ethanol Emergency Response Seminars and Webinars have reached over 8,000 people, while “Train the Trainer” programs and the Online Ethanol Emergency Response Course have reached more than 4,000. In-person training has been held in 49 states; Hawaii is the only state where no training has yet been conducted. RFA has also trained attendees in 26 countries on five continents.

Now, RFA is currently working to update eight training module videos and an additional learning management platform, to be completed by spring 2021. In addition, a full slate of online training seminars has been scheduled for 2021. Visit www.EthanolResponse.com for more information.

For more information on RFA’s safety initiatives, contact RFA Director of Technical Services Missy Ruff at [email protected].