Late last month, President Biden rolled out his $2 trillion infrastructure package that he calls the American Jobs Plan. A statement from the President says that not only will it improve the infrastructure in parts of the country, but it will also put Americans to work to get it done. However, biofuel groups believe the package overlooks the need to expand access to low-carbon biofuels like corn ethanol.

Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor says it’s disappointing that the president’s plan only calls for more renewable energy research after Biden campaigned on promoting biofuels.

“This was, most assuredly, a missed opportunity by the administration to harness the emissions-reductions benefits that biofuels can deliver today,” said Skor.

Troy Bredenkamp of the Renewable Fuels Association echoed Skor’s statement and hopes this draft can be improved upon.

“While there’s little in there for biofuels in this first draft, certainly, from our perspective, it is just that, a first draft,” Bredenkamp said. “And so, we certainly see an opportunity, and we will be making our points to the administration and congressional policymakers that ethanol and other biofuels are certainly decarbonizing the transportation sector.”

Bredenkamp adds decades of ethanol research has already been conducted.

“We have researchers from Harvard and Tufts University recently publish a report that showed that conventional ethanol made with conventional corn today had a 46 percent smaller carbon footprint than conventional gasoline.”

RFA-conducted research found that during the 13 years of the Renewable Fuel Standard, ethanol and other biofuels reduced the nation’s carbon emissions by nearly one billion metric tons, equal to taking more than 180 million cars off of roads.

Story courtesy of the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network