In the coming decades, American agriculture could lead the low-carbon revolution in the United States thanks to technologies available today, including carbon capture and storage (CCS). By reducing the industry’s carbon intensity, American farmers and ranchers will continue supporting the U.S. rural economy while gaining access to new, reliable markets for the commodities produced. For example, low-carbon next-generation biofuels could be used as a feedstock for higher fuel blends or enter a new premium market in the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuels.
However, ongoing efforts from opponents to discredit the technology could delay further the deployment of CCS at large, hindering the U.S. rural economy, but also access to affordable and reliable energy for Americans. Claims that carbon capture is unproven and unsafe have flooded the public conversation, arguing our resources would be better spent elsewhere. This has left both policymakers and consumers confused about the potential benefits of using CCS and the federal government’s support to bolster the technology. However, as a farmer with decades of experience in the biofuels space, I believe we cannot afford to let the opportunity to reinvigorate U.S. farming slip away.
In fact, American agriculture has already helped reduce U.S. emissions for years. The industry is responsible for producing a significant amount of transportation fuels, including ethanol, which is derived from various plants and crops — most often corn. To meet federal requirements set in the 1990 Clean Air Act, as well as the Renewable Fuel Standard in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, gasoline in the United States is blended with 10% ethanol. This blending reduces lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions: A joint study from Harvard University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory showed that corn-based ethanol, when compared to traditional gasolines, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 40% to 50%.
The production of ethanol paired with CCS is a natural opportunity to push emission reductions further. When the crop is harvested and converted to ethanol, the fermentation process releases CO2. Rather than letting this gas be released, companies can capture and compress it into a liquid form. From that point, the liquefied CO2 can be directly injected into underground reservoirs onsite or transported safely through pipelines to a permanent storage destination.
When coupled with CCS, ethanol’s greenhouse gas advantage is enhanced. In fact, recent research indicates ethanol could be a net-zero fuel by as soon as 2030. It’s little surprise, then, that CCS is a solution that American farmers and ranchers are already embracing.
In Colorado, Carbon America is developing two CCS facilities to capture and store up to 95% of carbon emissions from two ethanol plants. A CO2 pipeline in North Dakota will include a 680-mile pipeline to transport up to 8 million metric tons of carbon per year from 12 ethanol plants. Other companies are investing billions in CCS, thanks to new federal incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Critically, these investments in CCS will support more jobs in rural communities. In 2021, the Renewable Fuels Association reported ethanol production directly supported 73,000 jobs and generated $52.1 billion of GDP in the U.S, with the Midwest accounting for over 90% of domestic ethanol production.
- Carbon Capture No Substitute for Emissions Cuts To Fight Climate Change: Report
- Climate Change Could Slightly Juice Plants’ Ability To Store Carbon
- Biden’s Carbon Capture Funding Actually Incentivizes More Emissions and Higher Costs
- There’s No Incentive for Fossil Fuel Companies to Change. Tax Carbon Pollution to Change That
- Canada’s Record Wildfires Are Responsible for a Quarter of Global Carbon Emissions This Year
- Tax Carbon or Cost of Climate Fixes Will Be ‘Unsustainable,’ IMF Warns
At the end of the day, we all rely on a stable energy supply. Biofuels like ethanol reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support jobs and make us less dependent on foreign exports. CCS could allow us to not only continue to deliver those benefits but seek to expand them.
It is becoming increasingly clear that CCS and biofuels will be a part of the future energy landscape. American farmers and ranchers are rising to the challenge of further decarbonizing operations, while increasing the transportation fuels that our economy continues to rely on.
That sounds like a winning formula to me.
Tom Buis is CEO of the American Carbon Alliance, an alliance of supporters of the carbon capture industry.
- By Sheldon H. Jacobson, Ph.D. and Dr. Janet JokelaOpinionGive Yourself a New Year Gift: Visit the Dentist
- By Armstrong WilliamsOpinionWhat Ordinary Americans Want
- By Alan BrownsteinOpinionWhen Should Universities Take a Stand on Public Policy or Normative Issues?
- By W. Mark ValentineOpinionAmerican Drones Are a ‘Force Multiplier’ for US Security and Safety
- By Richard J. ShinderOpinionWhat Can We Do About American Culture, Frozen in Place?
- By Keith NaughtonOpinionIs Trump Building His Own ‘Unenthusiasm Gap’?
- By Amy ChenOpinionSimplicity: How to Reverse the Awful Airline User Experience
- By Stephanie MartzOpinionAddressing Workforce Shortages Starts With Immigration Reforms
- By Harlan UllmanOpinionToday’s Crises, Here and Abroad, Echo the Disasters of the Past
- By Eric R. MandelOpinionShould the US Try to Halt Israel’s War Against Hamas?
- By Austin Sarat and Dennis AftergutOpinionHow to Continue Securing the Truth About January 6
- By Patrick M. CroninOpinionWhat to Make of Kim Jong Un’s Latest Threats of War
