NOPA welcomes LCFS Sustainability Guardrails protocols from CARB

The National Oilseed Processors Association welcomed July 15 the release of the latest “FAQ” guidance from the California Air Resources Board.

This release provides the first example of an acceptable compliance pathway under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard Sustainability Guardrails, an important step toward providing regulatory certainty and market access for the biomass-based diesel value chain while supporting domestic feedstock production and American farmers. 

“California has continued to lower their tailpipe and carbon emissions through the expanded use of soy-based biofuels,” said Devin Mogler, the president and CEO of NOPA. “We have worked collaboratively with CARB over the past year to find a practical, science-based approach for the soy and biomass-based diesel value chain to meet the guardrails that recognizes the realities of agricultural production and commodity markets while maintaining the integrity of California’s sustainability objectives. We appreciate CARB’s collaborative engagement with NOPA and our partner stakeholders throughout this process to provide the certainty needed to support continued investment in low-carbon biofuels derived from American feedstock.” 

The updated guidance provides farmers, processors and refiners within the soy and biomass-based diesel value chain with a workable compliance framework that ensures soybean oil can continue to be utilized to produce advanced biofuels.

The approach provides a practical means of demonstrating compliance with Sustainability Guardrails requirements while continuing to uphold the LCFS’s robust environmental and sustainability standards that have achieved unprecedented emissions reductions.

Oilseed-derived feedstocks, including soybean oil, play a critical role in reducing greenhouse-gas emissions in California and beyond.

Thanks to this guidance, soy-derived feedstocks can continue contributing to the state’s climate goals while creating economic opportunities throughout the American agricultural economy. 

NOPA said it looks forward to continuing its engagement with CARB and industry partners as implementation moves forward and remains committed to advancing policies that support California’s climate objectives, strengthen domestic supply chains and create lasting opportunities for American farmers and rural communities.