Japan issues new rule on ethanol
Summary
By Growth Energy, Renewable Fuels Association and U.S. Grains Council | March 31, 2023 Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor, U.S. Grains Council President and CEO Ryan LeGrand, and Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper jointly issued the following statement after Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) finalized a rule that will allow U.S. ethanol producers more access to the Japanese biofuel market: “The U.S. ethanol community applauds the Japanese government for joining other countries in recognizing the role ethanol can play in the global effort to address climate change at the same time it takes steps to decarbonize its transportation sector. Countries around the world are recognizing that biofuels like ethanol are a simple, inexpensive and effective solution they can deploy today to help them lower their carbon emissions and meet their climate goals. We will continue to work closely with Japan and other nations to find more ways for us to collaboratively decrease carbon emissions. The Act, which is reviewed every five years, featured timely and scientific updates regarding the life cycle assessment of U.S. corn-based ethanol. The target volume for Japanese bioethanol consumption remains at 217 million gallons per year at an ethanol blend level of 1.9 percent utilized in the form of ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE).