Ethanol Groups to Biden: Biofuels Can Reduce GHG Emissions Now

August 06, 2021

Print This Article Share it With Friends

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) President Biden on Aug. 5 signed an executive order that sets a target to make half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 zero-emissions vehicles. Representatives of the ethanol industry, however, say biofuels can make meaningful greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions now.

...

Zero-emissions vehicles targeted by the executive order include battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, and fuel cell electric vehicles. The executive order also kicks off the development of long-term fuel efficiency and emissions standards.

Members of the U.S. ethanol industry have issued statements in response to Biden’s action, calling on the administration to expand its focus, and recognize the GHG reduction potential of renewable fuels.

The American Coalition for Ethanol cited data showing that electric vehicles alone cannot reach GHG reduction goals. Clean fuels are also needed. “Pledges to make more electric vehicles in the future will do little to reduce GHG emissions until and unless the way we generate electricity in the U.S. undergoes expensive and prolonged changes,” said Brian Jennings, CEO of ACE. “The environmental impacts, technical hurdles, and supply chain roadblocks for critical minerals needed for EV batteries also need to be understood and remedied before EVs could make meaningful reductions in GHGs.

“Meanwhile, nearly 100 percent of all U.S. light-duty vehicles on the road today use liquid fuels. Scientists indicate corn ethanol is already 50 percent cleaner than gasoline,” he added. “If we want to get serious about tackling climate change sooner rather than later, government officials and automakers ought to be taking steps right now to help ensure motorists have greater access to low-carbon alternatives to gasoline such as E15 and E85. Each increased gallon of ethanol used in the U.S. today reduces GHGs and the Administration can take steps today through the Renewable Fuel Standard to push more ethanol into the marketplace.

“Earlier this year the Rhodium Group released a compelling report indicating even under the most aggressive sales projections, EVs alone will not accomplish the goal of President Biden and Congress to reach net-zero emissions by 2050,” Jennings continued. “Rhodium explained that increased reliance of clean fuels (and efficiency standards) will be needed to close the emissions gap. Ethanol is available right now as a clean and low cost fuel.”

The Renewable Fuels Association said ethanol is available now and can jump-start decarbonization efforts. “We agree with the Biden administration that action needs to be taken now to begin aggressively reducing GHG emissions from transportation,” said Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of the RFA. “But decarbonizing our nation’s fuels and vehicles is going to take an all-of-the-above approach that stimulates growth in all available low-carbon technologies. The overarching goal should be to reach net-zero emissions as quickly as possible without dictating the pathway to get there or putting all our eggs into one technology basket. We believe any plan to decarbonize the transportation sector should recognize the massive opportunity for low-carbon liquid fuels like ethanol to reduce GHG emissions from internal combustion engines in the near term.

“Even if half of new vehicles sold in 2030 are electric, four out of every five cars on the road that year will still have internal combustion engines that require liquid fuels,” Cooper added. “Renewable fuels like ethanol offer a solution that is available right here, right now at a low cost to jump-start decarbonization efforts. In fact, a recent analysis from the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory shows that today’s ethanol reduces GHG emissions by more than half compared to gasoline. And last month, RFA’s ethanol producer members pledged to President Biden that we would ensure ethanol achieves a net-zero carbon footprint, on average, by 2050 or sooner. We are already well on the way to net-zero with ethanol and we encourage the Biden administration to embrace and promote renewable fuels as an important component of the nation’s decarbonization strategy.” READ MORE

BIOFUELS INDUSTRY SAYS EXECUTIVE ORDER ON VEHICLES FALLS SHORT OF CLIMATE GOALS (Brownfield Ag News)

Proposed EPA vehicle emissions standards fail to address biofuels (Ethanol Producer Magazine)

Biofuels industry seeks inclusion of ethanol in carbon reduction plans (Radio Iowa)

Closing the Transportation Emissions Gap with Clean Fuels (Rhodium Group)

Biden’s clean cars plan doesn’t mention biofuels (Farm Progress)

Carbon intensity of corn ethanol in the United States: state of the science (Enviromental Research Letters)

Rumors of the Demise of Cars Have Been Greatly Exaggerated (Bloomberg/Times Live)

Biofuels Industry Seeks Inclusion of Ethanol in Carbon Plans (Wisconsin Ag Connection)

Biden's Electric Vehicle Goal Could Affect Auto, Ethanol Manufacturing In Indiana (WFYI)

Excerpt from Ethanol Producer Magazine: The U.S. EPA on Aug. 5 released a proposed rule to set light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards through 2026. Despite calls from government officials and industry trade groups, the rule does not address biofuels or a high-octane standard.

The proposed rule aims to revise the SAFE Vehicles Rule finalized by the Trump administration in March 2020. That rule replaced CAFE and GHG emissions standards put in place by the Obama administration. President Biden directed the EPA EPA and U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to revise the existing CAFE and GHG emission standards through an executive order issued in January 2021.

“Today, EPA takes a major step forward in delivering on President Biden’s ambitious agenda to address the climate crisis and create good paying, union jobs,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. “These robust standards are underpinned by sound science and technical expertise, encouraging the development of technology and innovation that will drive America forward into a clean energy future. We are excited about building on the partnerships with states, cities, industry, labor, and NGO stakeholders to realize this vision together.”

The proposed rule would set a industry-wide target of 171 grams of CO2 per mile, or a 52 miles per gallon (mpg) equivalent, for model year 2026 passenger cars and light trucks. That is more stringent than the 205 grams of CO2 per mile, or 43.3 mpg, standard put in place by the current SAFE rule. A previous rule put in place in 2012 would have set the standards at 177 grams of CO2 per mile, or 50.1 mpg.

In July, the Governors Biofuels’ Coalition, members of the High Octane Low Carbon Alliance, and nearly two dozen ag and biofuels groups urged the EPA to propose a higher octane gasoline standard as part of its rulemaking. The proposed rule issued by the agency, however, does not address octane or the potential for biobased fuels to reduce GHG emissions.

Growth Energy issued a statement on Aug. 5 stressing the need for vehicle emissions standards to include biofuels. “In order for the proposed CAFE standards to effectively address climate change, this rule needs to include a pathway to increase the use of low-carbon, sustainable biofuels like ethanol in our nation’s fuel supply,” said Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy. “We will be providing the Biden Administration a pathway forward that allows biofuels like ethanol to help us meet our climate goals. READ MORE

Excerpt from Radio Iowa: Iowa Renewable Fuels Association executive director Monte Shaw refers to those kind of goals as aspirational.

“They aren’t all going to be purely EVs — electric vehicles,” Shaw said last weekend on “Iowa Press” on Iowa PBS. “Some of them will be what are called hybrid, where they still do have a liquid-powered engine and no one you talk to thinks it can happen that fast.”

Shaw suggested a vehicle in Iowa that’s burning gas with 85% ethanol today likely has a lower carbon footprint than an electric vehicle, because 25% of the electricity in Iowa is generated from coal.

“The corn plant sucks carbon out of the air,” Shaw said. “An EV doesn’t do that so we actually have a pathway where in the next 10 years we think we can get…actually net negative carbon fuel.”

Kelly Niewenhaus, a farmer from Primghar who is on the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, said the other obstacle is there’s no nationwide grid to support electric vehicles.

“We’ve got the infrastructure today for more biofuels and to clean up our environment today and lower our greenhouse gas emissions and be the solution for climate change, so why not do that?” Niewenhaus asked.

And Niewenhaus, who was also a guest on last week’s “Iowa Press” program, said another market for ethanol is jet fuel. Batteries are still so heavy it’s unlikely electric airplanes will replace fossil fuel-powered aircraft anytime soon. READ MORE