The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has finalized new technical guidelines designed to help farmers quantify and document greenhouse gas emission reductions associated with regenerative agricultural practices used to grow biofuel feedstocks.
Alongside the final guidelines, USDA also released an updated version of its Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator, a tool that allows farmers to estimate the carbon intensity benefits of approved farming practices. The calculator is intended to improve consistency in measuring emissions reductions and provide a standardized approach for tracking those benefits through the biofuel supply chain.
The final guidelines reflect feedback received from farmers, biofuel producers, and other industry stakeholders during the public comment process. Among the most significant updates is increased flexibility for producers, allowing participation in multiple conservation and sustainability programs while ensuring that the associated carbon intensity reductions remain tied to the feedstock and are not counted more than once. USDA also made several improvements to simplify the calculator and enhance its usability.
Currently, the calculator supports field corn, soybeans, sorghum, and spring canola as eligible feedstocks. While stakeholders advocated for the inclusion of additional crops and conservation practices, USDA indicated that some pathways require further research before they can be incorporated into the program.
The finalized guidelines are expected to play an important role in implementation of the federal 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit. Once integrated into the Department of Energy’s 45Z lifecycle emissions model and accompanied by additional Treasury guidance, the calculator will allow biofuel producers to account for qualifying on-farm emission reductions when determining the carbon intensity of eligible fuels.
The release represents another step toward recognizing the role that regenerative agriculture can play in reducing the carbon footprint of biofuels while providing farmers with additional opportunities to demonstrate the environmental value of sustainable production practices.