EPA rules for ethanol producers

EPA rules for ethanol producers



   
April 2007 -   The federal government 
said today that it will permit corn milling facilities that 
make ethanol for fuel to emit more than double the amount of 
air pollutants previously allowed. The new rule is expected to 
increase the amount of ethanol available for fuel. 
The final rule issued today by the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, EPA, treats facilities producing ethanol 
for human consumption, industrial use or fuel equally under 
Clean Air Act permitting requirements.
Until today, corn milling plants that make ethanol for use as 
a fuel additive have only been allowed to emit 100 tons of 
polluting emissions per year, while plants that make ethanol 
for human consumption have been permitted to emit 250 tons per 
year. 
The new EPA rule allows all ethanol producers using corn or 
other carbohydrate feedstocks to emit 250 tons of air 
pollutants per year. The farmer-owned East Kansas Agri-Energy ethanol plant near 
Garnett, Kansas produced its first gallon in June 2005. 
Previously, the agency had classified drymill ethanol plants 
as "chemical process plants" and had subjected them to the 100 
ton per year threshold that applies to other chemical process 
plants. 
The decision will not impact existing state and federal air 
quality standards and existing emission control technologies 
will continue to be required. 
The American Coalition for Ethanol, ACE, the nation's largest 
ethanol association, applauded the rule change. ACE Executive 
Vice President Brian Jennings said, "Correcting this 
procedural inconsistency is a necessary and just step as the 
U.S. ethanol industry continues to ramp up its production of 
renewable fuel for America." 
Currently there are 118 ethanol production facilities in the 
United States and 76 more under construction, according to 
ACE. Dozenvironment news more are in various stages of planning. 
By the end of 2006, the total ethanol production capacity 
reached nearly 5.5 billion gallons. 
"Today's ruling by the EPA is a major step forward for the 
homegrown production of one of America's cleanest renewable 
fuels - ethanol," said Senator John Thune, a South Dakota 
Republican who sent a letter to the EPA, supported by 32 
members of Congress, which called for the reclassification of 
ethanol production. 
Senator John Thune of South Dakota 
"This decision will result in greater, more efficient ethanol 
production, which will lower fuel costs for consumers and 
reduce automobile pollution and America's dependence on 
foreign oil. In addition, ethanol production emits 20 percent 
less greenhouse gasses than petroleum production, which 
ultimately means less pollution on a per-gallon basis when 
people fill up their vehicles using ethanol blended gasoline," 
said Thune. 
Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol, drinking alcohol or 
grain alcohol, is the alcohol found in liquors. It is also 
used for human consumption as a solvent in dissolving 
medicines, food flavorings and colorings that do not dissolve 
easily in water. 
Examples of industrial uses of ethanol would include ethanol 
used in perfumes, aftershaves and for cleaners. 
The vast majority of ethanol produced in the United States is 
used for fuel. It is blended with gasoline to increase the 
fuel blend's octane or to produce a cleaner burning fuel. 
A primary difference between production of industrial or fuel 
ethanol and ethanol for human consumption is that a small 
amount of gasoline or solvent is added to the fuel ethanol to 
make it undrinkable and the process does not generally use 
food-grade equipment. Otherwise, the processes are generally 
similar. For that reason, the EPA says it has decided to treat 
all ethanol manufacturers equally with regard to air pollution 
emissions. 
United Wisconsin Grain Producers ethanol plant located in 
Friesland, Wisconsin, 
Ethanol manufacturers will get another break under the new EPA 
air pollution rule. 
Pollutants released to the air other than those from stacks or 
vents are called fugitive emissions. They can be due to 
equipment leaks, evaporative processes, and windblown 
disturbances. 
Before today's rule, fuel and industrial ethanol facilities 
were required to include fugitive emissions of criteria 
pollutants in their emissions threshold totals. 
Today's rule eliminates that requirement at fuel and 
industrial ethanol plants where the ethanol is produced by 
processing carbohydrate feedstock through a natural 
fermentation process. 
The six criteria pollutants are particulate matter, ground 
level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, 
and lead. These pollutants can harm human health and the 
environment, and cause property damage. 
Jennings said, "Ethanol is a clean fuel made through a clean 
process. Ethanol projects must undergo a rigorous permitting 
process to environment newsure compliance with all state and federal air 
quality standards. U.S. ethanol producers operate using the 
best available state-of-the-art technologies to control 
emissions within the limits set by law and will continue to do 
so in the future." 
Ethanol can also be made from other products such as grain 
sorghum, wheat, barley, sugar cane or beets, cheese whey, and 
potatoes. 
Cellulosic feedstocks such as municipal waste or recycled 
products, rice hulls, sugarcane bagasse, small diameter trees, 
wood chips, and switchgrass may also be used to produce 
ethanol. These cellulosic feedstocks and the process used to 
convert them to ethanol are close to being commercialized. 

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