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RFA welcomes review of ethanol’s GHG emissions

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) says a federal review of how the EPA is determining the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of biofuels will provide a clearer picture of the climate benefits of ethanol.

RFA’s comments are in response to a notice posted by the EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) that it intends to investigate how the agency is measuring the lifecycle impacts of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS).

RFA president and CEO Bob Dinneen says his group welcomes the review. For several years, Dinneen says, RFA has been asking the EPA to update its analysis of the RFS’ impacts on GHG emissions. He says lifecycle analyses conducted by the Department of Energy and others since the final RFS rule was implemented have shown that grain ethanol produced today reduces GHG emissions by 30 percent compared to fossil fuels. “Even when hypothetical land use emissions are taken into account,” Dinneen says.

According to Dinneen, the EPA recently approved nearly 50 petitions from grain ethanol producers for its efficient producer program.  “Each petition required careful lifecycle analysis based on actual production data,” he says. “These results show that the RFS is doing what it was intended to do, and is a potent weapon in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

In order to qualify for usage mandates under the RFS, as established by the 2007 energy law, corn ethanol must reduce GHG emissions by at least 20 percent.