Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) joined Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) in urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update its greenhouse gas (GHG) modeling for biofuels and adopt the Argonne National Lab’s Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model. These long-overdue updates would permit consistent comparison between petroleum-based fuels, natural gas systems, electric generation and renewable fuels.
“We ask that EPA utilize the GREET Model as the baseline GHG determination for biofuels so that stakeholders may have the opportunity to readily compare the GHG intensity of competing energy sources and policymakers may have a fuller picture of how to decarbonize the energy and transportation sectors,” the senators wrote. “The GREET Model has been among the most widely utilized sources of GHG data, underpinning research that finds corn ethanol can currently achieve 46 percent lower lifecycle carbon intensity than gasoline. This environmental benefit will only increase as biorefining and fuel technologies improve, the agriculture sector advances operational efficiencies and produces higher yields of renewable feedstock per acre, and as biofuel operations are paired with carbon capture projects.”
The letter was also signed by Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.).
Last year, Grassley also joined Thune and Klobuchar to introduce the Adopt Greet Act, which would require the EPA to update its greenhouse gas modeling for ethanol and biodiesel. Their bill would hold EPA accountable by requiring it to update its modeling every five years or report to Congress to affirm its modeling is current or otherwise explain why no updates were made.
Grassley has repeatedly touted the important role biofuels can play in reducing emissions, including in speeches on the Senate floor and in meeting requests to the White House. He has criticized President Biden for embracing oil while completely ignoring clean-burning biofuels.
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