Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Geoff Cooper this week addressed the biggest crowd for the National Ethanol Conference since before 2020, stressing the importance of partnerships and the need for critical questions to be answered soon.
The theme of this year’s NEC is “Powered by Partnerships” and Cooper reflected on the ethanol industry’s many victories and advancements over the past 50 years and noted that “None of those successes would have been possible without the industry’s valuable partnerships and ability to work together with a diverse group of stakeholders.”
However, he noted that several critical policy decisions expected in next three to six months “will shape the future course of the ethanol industry for years—and perhaps decades—to come.”
Specifically, Cooper addressed looming questions about the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and clean fuel production tax credits, year-round E15, light-duty vehicle tailpipe GHG standards, and other important policy issues.
Commenting on the Biden administration’s soon-to-be-released SAF carbon footprint model, Cooper said, “The modified GREET model will either help open the door for U.S. agriculture and ethanol producers to participate in the SAF market, or it will lock out the highest-volume, lowest-cost feedstocks and assure the failure of the administration’s ambitious SAF goals.”
On EPA’s tailpipe GHG standards, Cooper noted that the agency’s proposal “…would force automakers to dramatically increase the production of battery electric vehicles and strongly discourage them from pursuing other technologies that could achieve the same—or even better—environmental performance at a lower cost to American consumers.”
As EPA prepares to finalize its tailpipe regulation, Cooper said RFA continues to call for a level playing field. “If given the same opportunity and a fair regulatory framework, we are confident that higher ethanol blends—and the vehicles designed to use them—can play an instrumental role in affordable decarbonization of the nation’s auto fleet,” he said.
Cooper also highlighted the importance of year-round E15. “Not only does E15 slash harmful tailpipe pollution, reduce carbon emissions, and lower pump prices, but it gives ethanol a chance for modest growth in an otherwise declining gasoline market,” he said. “It helps us hold the line on demand as other new markets—like aviation, maritime, and heavy-duty—are emerging.”
Listen to Cooper’s remarks here:
NEC24 RFA CEO Geoff Cooper address 32:15