Ethanol leader encouraged by updated Next Generation Fuels Act

News

Ethanol leader encouraged by updated Next Generation Fuels Act

A second attempt at legislation that would require using more low-carbon high-octane fuels is getting praise from the ethanol industry.

Geoff Cooper with the Renewable Fuels Association says, “We’re very pleased and very excited to see this legislation being introduced.” Cooper tells Brownfield this version of the Next Generation Fuels Act is different than 2020, by removing regulatory and technical roadblocks that are keeping higher-level blends of ethanol from expanding.  “It actually raises the threshold for carbon performance, and you know, raises the bar for the greenhouse gas emissions reductions that would be required under this bill. It also makes an adjustment to the octane standard.”

Cooper says if the bill becomes law, it both helps reach future low carbon goals and it would prevent the ongoing battles over blending obligations and the Renewable Fuels Standard. “It does provide the sort of certainty long-range, and again, sort of the roadmap toward more fuel-efficient and lower carbon vehicles, and again, there’s broad agreement from a wide variety of stakeholders that that’s where we need to be headed.”

The bill was re-introduced Thursday by Illinois Representative Cheri Bustos and has bipartisan support.  Cooper says it is great to see someone in Congress stepping forward with the vision about the next chapter in renewable fuels policy and how America gets to lower carbon more efficient fuels.

Geoff Cooper with the Renewable Fuels Association discusses the latest version of the Next Generation Fuels Act with Brownfield’s Larry Lee

.