In its announcement that finalized the regulations for the implementation of the renewable fuel standard (RFS2), the EPA said that it was designating sugar cane ethanol as an advanced biofuel that lowers greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more than 50 percent. The EPA said that ethanol made from sugar cane is a low carbon renewable fuel, which can contribute significantly to the reduction of GHG emissions.  

EPA affirmed that sugar cane ethanol meets the “other advanced” category in the RFS2, although with a GHG reduction level that exceeds the requirement for all categories, too. Specifically, the EPA’s calculations showed that sugar cane ethanol from Brazil can reduce GHG emissions compared to gasoline by 61 percent, using a 30-year payback for indirect land use change emissions. “EPA’s decision underscores the many environmental benefits of sugar cane ethanol and reaffirms how this low carbon, advanced renewable fuel can help the world mitigate climate change while diversifying America’s energy resources,” said Joel Velasco, chief representative in Washington for the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA). 

Many point to sugar cane ethanol as a good option for diversifying US energy supplies, increasing healthy competition among biofuel manufacturers and improving America’s energy security. They point to Brazil, which has replaced more than one-half of its fuel needs with sugar cane ethanol—making gasoline the alternative fuel in that country and ethanol the standard.