The Renewable Fuels Association is making a major push this week to see American-made, lower-carbon ethanol supported as a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s visits this week to the Minnesota State Fair and the Farm Progress Show in Illinois provide the backdrop for RFA’s efforts, starting with a full-page advertisement in Monday’s St. Paul Pioneer Press welcoming him to “Ethanol Country.”

“Just last month, President Biden said: ‘Mark my words: In the next 20 years, farmers are going to be providing 95% of all the sustainable airline fuel,’” the ad states. “We agree. U.S. farmers and ethanol producers are up to the challenge … and we’re ready to deliver low-carbon aviation fuel. But to ensure sustainable aviation fuels really take off, we’ll need your continued help and support. Government standards for sustainable aviation fuel must be guided by sound science and current data, not outdated European schemes that disqualify America’s farmers from fulfilling the President’s vision.”

“Our efforts have been focused on, let’s use the best available science, let’s use the most current and scientifically robust modeling tools, and specifically we’re talking about the Department of Energy’s GREET model, to serve as the basis for evaluating different fuels when it comes to their eligibility for the SAF tax credit,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper at the Farm Progress Show on Tuesday where RFA’s 2022 Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) is on display to demonstrate that ethanol (E85) and electricity can jointly power vehicles.

Cooper talks about why it is so important to get the modeling for SAF right in this interview.
2023 Farm Progress Show interview with RFA CEO Geoff Cooper 5:45