The Renewable Fuels Association has joined the Ag Bioeconomy Coalition, a group founded earlier this year to advance federal policy initiatives that “foster growth toward an economy based on innovative bio-based products derived from agricultural commodities, including ethanol and other renewable fuels.”

“With smart policy and targeted investment, the U.S. agriculture and bio-manufacturing sectors can provide practical solutions to today’s most pressing challenges, including energy market volatility, climate change, food insecurity, and underdevelopment in rural areas,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “RFA is pleased to join with other leaders in the bioeconomy to advocate for policies that seize on the enormous potential of bio-manufacturing to help solve these complex problems and improve the quality of life for all Americans.”

Other coalition members include American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, Corn Refiners Association, Growth Energy, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, National Corn Growers Association, and National Hemp Association and Plant Based Products Council.

Cooper notes that ethanol is poised to play a leading role in the energy transition, both as a transportation fuel and as a building block for advanced bio-products and chemicals. According to USDA, biobased products already displace approximately 9.4 million barrels of oil annually and have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 12.7 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents per year. These GHG benefits will grow in the future, as the carbon footprint of ethanol and other bioproducts continues to shrink. In 2021, RFA’s producer members unanimously pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner.