The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) is one of the participants in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Smart Sectors program launched this week to provide a platform for collaboration with regulated sectors to help the agency develop forward-thinking ways to improve environmental outcomes.

“The Smart Sectors program is designed to effectively engage business partners throughout the regulatory process,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “When industries and regulators better understand each other, the economy, public, and the environment all benefit.”

Smart Sectors is partnering with trade associations from 13 industry sectors selected for their environmental and economic impacts. ACE represents biofuels under the oil and gas sector as the only ethanol industry association representative invited to partner in the launch.

“We’re grateful Administrator Pruitt invited ACE to participate in this Smart Sectors program given the timely and critical ethanol issues currently under consideration at EPA,” said Brian Jennings, ACE Executive Vice President. “We will take advantage of this opportunity to work with EPA to ensure that RFS implementation grows demand for biofuels, to continue pushing for RVP relief for E15 and higher ethanol blends, and to position high-octane fuel as a solution to fuel economy and emissions standards.”

Organizations chosen to represent the agricultural industry in the program are the American Farm Bureau Federation and CropLife America.