Contact: Emma Koehler
515-252-6249

JOHNSTON, IOWA – Today Navigator CO2 Ventures announced the cancellation of their proposed Heartland Greenway Project that was set to span across the Midwest. The project would have connected ethanol plants across several states and transported CO2 to underground sequestration sites, meeting goals for a low carbon future and boosting agriculture markets. In response to this announcement, Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw made the following statement:

“IRFA support CCS projects as the best way to align ethanol production with the increasing demand for low carbon fuels both at home and abroad. CCS is the essential key to unlocking the 100-billion-gallon sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) market for agriculture, in the long term. If realized, the SAF market would trigger the largest rural economic boom since the introduction of corn hybrids. It is not an overstatement to say that decisions made over the next few months will likely place agriculture on one of two paths. One would lead to 1990s stagnation as corn production exceeds demand, and the other opens new market opportunities larger than anything we’ve ever seen before. IRFA will fight for a prosperous farming future.

“Over the last year, we have been disappointed with the amount of disinformation that has been spread among the public and the regulators across multiple states. That does not happen by accident. Rather, it is being pushed by groups who oppose modern agriculture and whose stated mission is to destroy farming as we know it. While we respect Navigator’s decision, IRFA will continue to support multiple other CCS projects and we expect ultimate success.”

The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association represents the state’s liquid renewable fuels industry and works to foster its growth. Iowa is the nation’s leader in renewable fuels production with 42 ethanol refineries capable of producing 4.5 billion gallons annually – including 34 million gallons of annual cellulosic ethanol production capacity – and 11 biodiesel facilities with the capacity to produce 410 million gallons annually. For more information, visit the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association website at: www.IowaRFA.org.

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