WASHINGTON, D.C.—Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today issued new vehicle fuel economy standards:
“This is yet another missed opportunity by NHTSA to recognize the importance of high-octane, low-carbon bioethanol blends in meeting the administration’s climate goals. Using high-octane midlevel bioethanol blends in conjunction with future engine technology holds tremendous potential for increasing vehicle efficiency and ultimately reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon intensity of American bioethanol continues to go down, making it more and more useful as a decarbonization tool for on-road applications. Investing in biofuels now will not only decrease carbon emissions from the cars on the road today, but set the stage for greater carbon reductions years from now. The President himself said that ‘you can’t get to net zero without biofuels’ but this final rule will make it harder for American biofuels to live up to their potential.
“Ultimately, as we’ve said before, this proposal unfortunately ignores the potential of bioethanol to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We will continue to build the market for American bioethanol and grow the biofuels sector into an even more critical part of America’s low-carbon economy.”