Finalized 2022 ethanol-blending requirements are positive
The Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) is pleased by today’s announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the implied corn ethanol-blending requirement for refineries and oil importers is 15 billion gallons for the current year.
Each year, under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the EPA is required to set a blending requirement for corn ethanol, a figure called the Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO).
The EPA proposed the 15-billion-gallon requirement for 2022 this past December. MCGA is pleased to see that amount maintained in the final announcement. Corn ethanol is a homegrown, lower-cost and cleaner-burning fuel that reduces harmful emissions and provides significant benefits to rural communities.
“We thank the Biden administration for taking this common-sense step to maintain robust RVOs for 2022,” MCGA President Bryan Biegler said. “With gas prices at all-time highs, ethanol is a great solution to help alleviate costs at the pump for consumers while improving air quality for everyone.”
Also on Friday, the EPA announced finalized RVOs for 2020 and 2021 of 12.5 billion gallons and 13.8 billion gallons, respectively. In December, the EPA proposed a retroactive cut to the 2020 RVOs of 2.5 billion gallons for corn ethanol — down from the previously finalized amount of 15 billion gallons. For 2021, the agency proposed RVOs of 13.3 billion gallons for corn ethanol. The new amount tracks with renewable fuel consumption for the year.
MCGA remains disappointed by the EPA’s unprecedented decision to reopen the previously finalized 2020 RVOs. To ensure consumer access to cleaner-burning fuels like ethanol, it’s critical that the agency maintain robust RVO figures, and any cuts to previously finalized figures are unproductive. At least the finalized numbers for 2022 demonstrate the EPA is aiming to get Renewable Fuel Standard implementation back on track.
“We look forward to working with the EPA and other state and federal agencies to ensure that cleaner-burning ethanol is available to consumers in Minnesota and across the U.S,” Biegler said. “Ethanol is a great solution for clean air and consumers nationwide, and we look forward to continue advancing this fuel in the year to come.”
To learn more about ethanol, and to find a station offering higher ethanol blends near you, visit betterfuel.org.
