The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) this week launched a grassroots advocacy campaign to encourage the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to provide a level playing field for biofuels such as ethanol. The organization is calling on corn growers and advocates to make their voices heard by submitting comments to the agency.
The campaign comes after NHTSA proposed hiking the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard, referred to as the CAFE standard, which regulates how much fuel a vehicle consumes per mile. The agency’s current proposal would move the fleet average for small cars and light trucks from 44 to 58 miles per gallon by 2032.
NCGA leaders said the proposed standard ignores solutions that are available now.
“The proposal sets an unattainable goal and a concerning precedent,” said NCGA President Tom Haag. “As a result, auto manufacturers will be forced to overlook viable solutions, such as high-octane biofuels like corn ethanol, as they rush to meet these standards. This would significantly minimize the role biofuels play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving consumers money at the pump.”
Haag says this proposed rule largely mirrors the recent tailpipe emissions proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency and it is important to have a strong showing from those who understand the role biofuels can play in emissions reduction.
NHTSA will hold a hearing later this week where it will accept public comments on the proposed standard. The comment period closes October 16, 2023.