A leader with the National Corn Growers Association today expressed serious concerns to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials regarding the limitations of the agency’s proposed vehicle emissions standards and highlighted how the agency could take greater advantage of higher ethanol blends as it finalizes standards for cars and light trucks.
The testimony came during a public hearing to review EPA’s proposed Multi-Pollutant Emission Standards for model years 2027-2032. NCGA Chairman Chris Edgington expressed frustration that EPA has only looked at one solution, electric vehicles, for lowering greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions.
“Unfortunately, EPA’s proposed multi-pollutant standards consider only one solution,” he said. “EPA’s proposal limits the ability of clean, low-carbon ethanol to contribute greater emission reductions and support affordable options.”
Edgington encouraged EPA to address the serious limitations of its proposal and work with NCGA to level the playing field and advance the needed rulemaking to improve fuel standards.
“Clean, high-octane fuel from mid-level ethanol blends, used as a system with advanced engines, offers an essential pathway for achieving significant greenhouse gas and complementary criteria emission reductions from model year 2027 and later vehicles,” said Edgington. “It also offers substantial public health and environmental justice benefits by reducing particulate matter emissions from gasoline.”
