Higher Octane Fuel Standard Would Benefit Drivers, Farmers, Rural Communities, and the Environment

Jul 21, 2021

As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updates its greenhouse gas emissions standards for passenger vehicles and light duty trucks, a coalition of farm, biofuels, and environmental organizations is urging the administration to propose a higher octane fuel standard.

In a letter sent today to President Joe Biden, the group – which includes National Farmers Union (NFU) and several of its state divisions – also requested that EPA open a comment period on the role that high octane low carbon (HOLC) fuels can play in advancing the administration’s “climate, environmental justice, public health, economic revitalization, and energy security objectives.” They noted that the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI), which manufactures 99 percent of affected vehicles, also supports a transition to HOLC fuels.

NFU President Rob Larew expanded on the coalition’s priorities in a statement:

“High octane, low carbon fuels, including higher-level blends of ethanol, hold so much potential – and we should be doing everything we can to realize that potential. These fuels improve vehicle and fuel efficiency, which in turn can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, conserve oil, and strengthen energy security.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.