Washington, D.C. – Today, the leaders of nine cellulosic ethanol companies released the following letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson in support of the Green Jobs waiver submitted by Growth Energy on March 6. The waiver would increase the amount of ethanol that could be blended with gasoline from 10 percent to up to 15 percent. The letter is as follows:
Dear Administrator Jackson:
As leading U.S. cellulosic biofuel companies, we are writing in strong support of the E15 waiver recently submitted for consideration by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
As with other alternative energy technologies, assurance of a continued and growing market for ethanol is essential to commercializing cost-competitive advanced biofuels. Current ethanol producers have hit a regulatory cap, producing more ethanol than can be used under current restrictions. Removing the regulatory cap will ensure the product market necessary to encourage continued investment in the commercialization of advanced biofuels.
Ethanol offers a practical solution to fuel our country’s environmental sustainability, economic growth and energy independence. As we invest in the near term deployment of advanced biofuels, grain-based ethanol production is an important foundation upon which scientists and producers have begun to build. As we move from making ethanol from corn, to also producing it from agricultural waste, wood chips and other biomass materials, ethanol will continue to be a sustainable and effective energy solution for the U.S. and the world.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, advanced biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol, promise to reduce GHG emissions by 86 percent relative to gasoline. The U.S. Departments of Energy and Agriculture found that 1.3 billion tons of U.S. biomass feedstock is potentially available for the production of biofuels – more than enough biomass to meet the new renewable fuel standard (RFS) mandated by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Further, a recent study by Sandia National Laboratories and General Motors found that plant and forestry waste and dedicated energy crops could sustainably replace nearly a third of gasoline use by the year 2030. Biomass feedstock used for fuel production is available all over the country, which means there is the potential for green-collar job expansion into regions that do not yet produce ethanol.
Thank you for considering this recommendation. We urge you to carefully examine this waiver submission and look forward to working with you to advance the use of biofuels to achieve a more affordable, cleaner and secure energy future for our nation.
Sincerely,
William Roe
Chief Executive Officer, Coskata
Bruce W. Ferguson
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Edenspace Systems Corporation
Dave Vander Griend
Chief Executive Officer, ICM
Dr. Sean Simpson
Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, LanzaTech Inc.
Jeff Broin
Chief Executive Officer, POET
William Frey
President & Chief Executive Officer, Qteros, Inc.
David Aldous
Chief Executive Officer, Range Fuels
Daniel J. Bird
Human Resources and Information Technology Manager
Red Shield Acquisition LLC
Jim Imbler
President and Chief Executive Officer, ZeaChem
About Growth Energy
Growth Energy is a group committed to the promise of agriculture and growing America’s economy through cleaner, greener energy. Growth Energy members recognize America needs a new ethanol approach. Through smart policy reform and a proactive grassroots campaign, Growth Energy promotes reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding the use of ethanol in gasoline, decreasing our dependence on foreign oil, and creating American jobs at home. More information can be found at GrowthEnergy.org.