The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to classify sorghum-derived ethanol as an advanced biofuel.  Thus, it would qualify for the 21-billion-gallon mandate set for 2022, rather than the 15 billion gallons of conventional biofuels mandate for 2015.

EPA issued last month a Notice of Data Availability to release its lifecycle green-house gas (GHG) analysis of grain sorghum used as a feedstock to produce ethanol under the Renewable Fuel Standard program.  EPA said the analysis shows that grain sorghum, when used to make ethanol at facilities that use natural gas, will meet the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions reduction threshold of 20 percent required by the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 for conventional renewable fuel.  When grain sorghum is used to make ethanol at facilities that use biogas digesters in combination with combined heat and power technology, it will meet the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions reduction threshold of 50 percent required by EISA for advanced renewable fuel.  The Federal Register notice can be viewed here.