At the 2023 Fuel Ethanol Workshop in Omaha today, Renewable Fuels Association Vice President for Strategy and Innovation Tad Hepner presented the findings a survey of U.S. ethanol producers and a new white paper that shows the industry to be on track toward its net-zero-carbon goal, with facilities producing ethanol that is up to 55 percent less carbon intensive than gasoline, on average.

In July 2021, RFA’s producer members unanimously committed to ensuring that, by 2023, ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by at least 70 percent, on average, when compared directly to gasoline, and reach net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 or sooner. A report released at the 2022 National Ethanol Conference identified a workable pathway to that goal. Earlier this year, RFA surveyed its member producers and received responses from nearly all RFA member biorefinery facilities, representing a wide variety of sizes, plants with annual production capacities ranging from 35 to 150 million gallons. These responses came from biorefineries operating in 12 different states, both inside and outside the Corn Belt.
Hepner also noted that all the survey facilities reported adopting at least one tracked carbon-reduction technology in recent years, and most have adopted more than one of these technologies and practices. These plants have seen a 12 percent reduction in average carbon intensity since 2015/16 and nearly two-thirds of the plants have an approved Efficient Producer Pathway under the Renewable Fuel Standard.