Ethanol Can Shrink Colorado's Carbon Footprint

February 16, 2021

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by Dan Sanders (Colorado Politics) Our state published the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap on Jan. 14. The Colorado Energy Office touted the plan as being, “the most ambitious and substantive planning process Colorado has ever undertaken on climate leadership, pollution reduction and a clean energy transition.” While this may be true, the Polis administration’s plan lacks specifics and overlooks a readily available, homegrown, renewable source of energy — one that is scientifically proven to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by almost half.

Biofuels are scarcely mentioned as a solution in the plan, which begs the question: Why not? The lack of attention given to ethanol as a solution to achieving net-zero emissions is disappointing. We can and should do better.

Ethanol (E15 gasoline) is a cleaner, healthier, and more affordable liquid fuel that is readily available and used in Colorado for years to improve air quality. Grain corn is grown locally and used to produce ethanol at one of three plants in state and sent directly to the rack in Denver for distribution. By replacing toxic additives in our fuel, ethanol dramatically reduces tailpipe emissions making our air cleaner.

Why Ethanol Needs to Be Part of The Plan

Considering a majority of vehicles in the transportation sector will continue to be powered by liquid fuels for many years to come, biofuels like ethanol are a key solution to being able to decarbonize today’s motor vehicles right now.

Ethanol is the here-and-now option. Gas stations across Colorado offer E15 for cars, SUVs and light-duty trucks 2001 and newer and a higher blend of ethanol, E85 for flex-fuel vehicles. Retailers don’t need to add charging stations, they can use their current pump setup for higher blends of ethanol.
Biofuels have a proven track record of being safe for engines and the environment. Americans have driven over 16 billion miles on E15 gas, which was subject to the most extensive EPA testing in motor fuel history. In 2019, ethanol use helped remove 54.1 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions — the equivalent of 11.5 million cars from the road.
E15 and other biofuels cost 3-10 cents less per gallon than regular gasoline.

New technology and economic incentives are not needed. Can they help? Yes, however for maximum long-term benefit, we need to break down the barriers to higher blends like E15, E30, and flex fuels like E85. The science and technology around growing grain corn and producing ethanol has evolved substantially — so should the recognition and credibility of today’s biofuels. READ MORE