Brazil’s UNICA welcomes US announcements on greenhouse gas emissions, says indirect impacts will be minimal for Brazilian sugarcane

In Brazil, the  Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) welcomed the White House announcement that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published proposed rules to implement the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

The US EPA stated that, based on initial analysis of recent researchers, even including indirect land use effects, sugarcane ethanol produced in Brazil would produce a 64% lifecycle GHG emissions reduction compared to gasoline.

“Sugarcane ethanol has a verifiable reduction in greenhouse gases of 90% compared to gasoline, which makes it an ‘Advanced Biofuel’ under RFS guidelines,” said UNICA President & CEO Marcos Jank. UNICA Chief Representative in North America Joel Velasco added: “As evidenced by the recent debate over the Low Carbon Fuel Standard in California, biofuels are greatly penalized by these preliminary calculations [of indirect land use impact]. We are certain that when the EPA considers the best available data and research, these indirect land use effects from sugarcane cultivation in Brazil will be marginal at best.”

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