Sugarcane Ethanol Passes Critical Test in California Low Carbon Fuel Standard,
Says Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association
California Air Resources Board votes to recognize
sugarcane ethanol's carbon reduction levels
SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Sugarcane ethanol passed a
critical test today as the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved its
long-awaited, first-of-its-kind Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). While the
Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) continues to provide evidence
that sugarcane ethanol's carbon intensity is even lower than initially
calculated by CARB, today's decision means sugarcane ethanol will be in
greater demand in California in the years to come.
"The verifiable 90% greenhouse gas reduction delivered by sugarcane ethanol
provides a source of low carbon fuel that achieves the goals of California's
ambitious regulation, with room to spare," said UNICA President & CEO Marcos
Jank following the vote in Sacramento.
The LCFS is designed to reduce by 10% the carbon intensity of all
transportation fuels used in California by 2020. As part of broader climate
change regulations, CARB is calculating the carbon intensity of all fuels
offered in the state. It has determined that the carbon intensity of gasoline
is about 95 grams of carbon dioxide per megajoule (gCO2/MJ), meaning that
gasoline must reduce its carbon intensity to 86 gCO2/MJ by 2020 to meet the
LCFS.
Additives such as biofuels will help gasoline meet the 10% reduction target,
since many -- sugarcane ethanol included -- offer a much lower carbon
intensity than gasoline. While preliminary CARB calculations indicate that
sugarcane ethanol has a direct carbon intensity of 27 gCO2/MJ, the comments
submitted by UNICA to the Air Resources Board on April 17 point out that the
10-member Board failed to account for basic elements of sugarcane production
and ethanol processing that directly affect that result. These include
expanding mechanization of the cane harvest, increasing cogeneration and
significant, ongoing reduction of pre-harvest field burnings.
"We congratulate California for leading the world in encouraging low carbon
fuels. But any realistic evaluation of carbon emissions from sugarcane farming
in Brazil must reflect the strict policies being implemented and action
already taken to phase out sugarcane burning, increase mechanical harvesting
and expand cogeneration output," said Joel Velasco, UNICA Chief Representative
in North America, who was present at the Board meeting today in Sacramento.
UNICA's April 17 letter, its second submission to CARB on this issue, also
addresses the controversial calculations resulting from so-called indirect
land use change impacts from sugarcane expansion. The letter supports numerous
comments from stakeholders and mentions specifically a letter to CARB by 111
Ph.D. Scientists, stating the science used to determine such impacts is quite
limited, highly uncertain and open to misuse, through selective enforcement of
such impacts. UNICA urges CARB to revisit the methodologies in its land use
change modeling over the coming months.
Under the regulation approved today, CARB will continue to work on
calculations for carbon intensity values. The Board committed to an
investigation, to include input from outside expert groups and be completed by
the end of 2009, to evaluate land use and other indirect effects of all
transportation fuels. For biofuels, the experts group evaluation should
include "productivity of biofuels per acre of land, water use, low carbon
agricultural practices that improve carbon sequestration in soil, and creation
of protein and electricity co-products" among others. Moreover, the Board
decided the results of this investigation and subsequent recommended changes
to the LCFS would be presented to the Board on or before January 1, 2011, when
the LCFS becomes binding. Following that, the Board will review the LCFS
every three years.
According to Velasco, with CARB determined to push forward with indirect land
use calculations, the best available data and research should be considered
before rushing to conclusions. "Indirect land use changes must accurately
represent the dynamics of Brazilian agriculture today. We are confident that a
data driven analysis will conclude that indirect land use change from
sugarcane cultivation in Brazil is marginal at best," he added.
To download UNICA's second letter to the California Air Resources Board,
submitted on April 17, use the link below:
http://www.unica.com.br/download.asp?mmdCode=50F82F75-EA2D-4BB6-8832-B81C15EFFD8E
ABOUT UNICA
The Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) represents the top
producers of sugar and ethanol in the country's South-Central region,
especially the state of Sao Paulo, which accounts for about 50% of the
country's sugarcane harvest and 60% of total ethanol production. UNICA
develops position papers, statistics and specific research in support of
Brazil's sugar, ethanol and bioelectricity sectors. In 2008, Brazil produced
an estimated 565 million metric tons of sugarcane, which yielded 31.3 million
tons of sugar and 25.7 billion liters (6.8 billion gallons) of ethanol.
MORE INFORMATION:
CDN Corporate Communications - Sao Paulo, Brazil
Rosa Webster - (5511) 3643 2707 / rosa.webster@cdn.com.br
Marli Romanini - (5511) 3643 2756 / marli@cdn.com.br
Mariane dos Santos - (5511) 3643 2730 / mariane.santos@cdn.com.br
SOURCE Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA)
Rosa Webster, (5511) 3643 2707, or rosa.webster@cdn.com.br, Marli Romanini,
(5511) 3643 2756, or marli@cdn.com.br, Mariane dos Santos, (5511) 3643 2730,
or mariane.santos@cdn.com.br, all of CDN Corporate Communications, for
Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association
