EPA: Giant Reed and Napier Grass Qualify as Cellulosic Biofuel Feedstock

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States has ruled that biofuels derived from giant reed (Arundo donax) and napier grass (Pannisetum purpureum) qualify as cellulosic renewable fuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program.

The EPA has issued a Supplemental Final Rule containing an analysis of lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with renewable fuels produced from the two grasses. The EPA found that they met the lifecycle GHG emissions reduction requirement for cellulosic biofuels (60 percent) set by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

Comments from scientists and environmentalists, however, have raised the risk of these crops behaving as invasive species and requiring remediation activities that may cause additional GHG emissions. To minimize this risk, the EPA is adopting additional registration, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements. For example, EPA is requiring that renewable fuel producers demonstrate that the growth of giant reed or napier grass will not pose a significant likelihood of spreading beyond the planting area or that such a risk will be minimized through an EPA-approved Risk Mitigation Plan.