News

Work continues on developing a low carbon, high octane fuel standard

The corn ethanol industry is dealing with some major challenges right now. But that hasn’t stopped industry leaders from looking to the future.

Mark Palmer, director of renewable fuels with the National Corn Growers Association, says they continue to work on legislation to establish a federal low carbon, high octane fuel standard for automobiles.

“Working with Congress to find a pathway forward to come up with a minimum octane standard with some sort of carbon metric is what we believe to be the next step,” Palmer says.

A low carbon, high octane standard would allow for sales of higher ethanol blends—20 percent or higher. Palmer calls it “the new frontier” for ethanol. 

“I think it’s the future of fuels–and it’s something, especially now, that I think our growers can really get excited about,” he says. “I think there’s no time like right now to do that, given the circumstances that everybody’s staring at.”

Palmer says they hope to have legislation introduced in the House by late summer or early fall.