LINCOLN — In response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule to amend the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) and greenhouse gas emission standards, the Nebraska Ethanol Board joined with industry partners to submit comments highlighting ethanol as an ideal octane choice in fuel.
“Auto manufacturers need higher-octane fuel options to get superior fuel economy, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and lower prices for consumers,” said Sarah Caswell, Nebraska Ethanol Board administrator. “Ethanol is high octane, low carbon and the safest component in gasoline today. Ethanol is the clear choice for a healthier environment.”
Mid-level ethanol blends have proven to provide a low-carbon, low-cost source of octane and industry partners provided specific recommendations on what regulatory barriers to address. This rule has the potential to eliminate major roadblocks for increased ethanol demand, Caswell noted.
The comments to the EPA focused on several key points, all centered on the role high-octane fuels can play in meeting the policy objectives of the proposed rule and identifying clean-burning, low-carbon, low-cost ethanol as a means of doing so. Industry partners provided detailed information on the health and economic benefits of an ethanol-based, high-octane program and some of the specific regulatory obstacles that EPA can remove.
Partner organizations signing on the comments included: Environmental and Energy Study Institute, Governors Biofuel Coalition, Urban Air Initiative, National Farmers Union, Farmers Union Enterprise, and Farmers Union chapters in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. View the full comments here.
The Nebraska Ethanol Board works to ensure strong public policy and consumer support for biofuels. Since 1971, the independent state agency has designed and managed programs to expand production, market access, worker safety and technology innovation, including recruitment of producers interested in developing conventional ethanol, as well as bio-products from the ethanol platform. For more information, visit www.ethanol.nebraska.gov.
— Nebraska Ethanol Board
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