Today, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Biofuels Caucus Co-Chairs reintroduced the Adopt GREET Act, which would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update its outdated lifecycle modeling for ethanol and biodiesel, specifically by adopting the latest Argonne National Lab’s Greenhouse Gas and Regulated Emissions and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) Model. American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings issued the following statement:
“We appreciate Reps. Johnson, Craig, Smith and Pocan for leading the reintroduction of legislation, which will ensure the global gold-standard modeling tool for lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions will be used to properly value corn ethanol’s carbon footprint when establishing future regulations impacting biofuels. Enactment of this bipartisan bill will ensure ethanol plays a significant role in decarbonizing the transportation sector.
“ACE is focused on helping farmers and ethanol producers maximize their low carbon investments, and while no model can fully replicate real-world activities, GREET is equipped with the best available science on lifecycle GHG emissions of transportation fuels and technologies because the assumptions and estimates used in GREET are under constant peer review and updates to the model occur annually.”
Johnson introduced this bill with fellow Biofuels Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Angie Craig (D-MN), Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Adrian Smith (R-NE). The Senate companion, S. 3055, is led by Senators Thune (R-SD.) and Klobuchar (D-MN).
BACKGROUND:
In 2014, ACE began consulting with the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and ACE’s engagement has resulted in several refinements that better account for farmers’ evolving practices and more accurately quantify corn ethanol’s carbon intensity.
ACE’s 2018 white paper “The Case for Properly Valuing the Low Carbon Benefits of Corn Ethanol,” illustrates how lifecycle modeling needs to better reflect modern-day farming practices and ethanol production technologies and why increasing ethanol use is part of the solution to further reduce GHG emissions.
In 2020, ACE also helped lead a group of diverse stakeholders to develop a framework encouraging new low carbon fuel markets in the Midwest, including a recommendation that the latest GREET model be used to conduct lifecycle assessments.
All this work informed ACE’s collaboration on the RCPP project, which will compensate farmers for adopting climate-smart agricultural practices that sequester carbon, reduce GHG emissions, and improve soil health.