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Nebraska Corn Board welcomes EPA's action on ethanol
The Nebraska Corn Board is happy with the EPA’s proposed rule for advanced biofuels—especially the EPA’s acknowledgement that corn-based ethanol does indeed have a positiveimpact on greenhouse gas emissions compared to regular gasoline.
In its proposed rulemaking for the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007—called EISA for short—EPA requires that future ethanol production must meet a reduction of 20 percent in greenhouse gas emissionscompared to gasoline. Kelly Brunkhorst of the Corn Board says that figure is already at 16 percent—which includes the EPA’s estimate for indirect land use changes.
“Even when you take that into account, we are very close to the 20 percent mandate that’s requiredwithin EISA,” Brunkhorst says, “and with new technologies coming on, and the increased efficiencies of the plants, we believe that we’ll be able to match that.”
Brunkhorst was also pleased with the formation of a Biofuels Interagency Working Group by PresidentObama. He says the working group has several important tasks ahead of it—”to come together and really look at the biofuels issues and promote the usage of biofuels in today’s economy—and make sure to solidify its importance within our economy.”
The working groupincludes EPA and the departments of Agriculture and Energy.
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