Biofuel makers say they can boost Washington’s climate goals and farmers

Biofuel makers say they can boost Washington’s climate goals and farmers

Published 3:15 pm Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Lawmakers have mandated a 45% reduction in emissions by 2038

Biofuel makers are trying to impress upon the Washington Department of Ecology how their products can help the state meet its climate goals and, in some cases, benefit farmers.

Bayer Crop Science, ethanol giant POET and Neste are among the companies weighing in as the state raises its low-carbon fuel standard.

Bayer touts oilseeds as feedstock for low-carbon fuels. POET promotes corn ethanol as reliable. Finnish company Neste, the world’s largest producer of renewable diesel, says its goal is to supply products to achieve Washington’s climate aspirations.

“We are in the business of combating climate change by producing effective climate solutions,” the company said in recent comments to Ecology.

Washington lawmakers adopted the low-carbon fuel standard to reduce greenhouse gases released in producing transportation fuels.

Originally, lawmakers mandated a 20% reduction by 2038. Last year, they moved the goal to 45%. The higher bar presumably will increase demand for biofuels.

The program is still in its early days, requiring only a 7% reduction this year in carbon emissions. In 2024, the standard cut emissions by 2.8 million tons and added less than a penny to the cost of fuel, according to Ecology.

The department has not studied how ramping up the standard to 45% over the next dozen years will affect pump prices, Ecology spokesman Andrew Wineke said.

Along with raising the standard, Ecology will revise the “carbon intensity” score of alternative fuels. The score estimates greenhouse gases emitted by growing, harvesting and refining a particular biofuel. A fuel with a low score has more value.

Currently, corn ethanol is by far the most commonly blended in alternative fuel, followed by soybean oil renewable diesel. Other alternative fuels include canola renewable diesel and biomethane from dairies.

POET, based in Sioux Falls, S.D., said farmers should get credit for “climate-smart agriculture” that reduces carbon emissions from growing corn for ethanol.

“Bioethanol is, and will certainly remain, the most consistent low-carbon fuel alternative available in Washington for the foreseeable future,” according to POET.

Bayer told Ecology that it is investing heavily in camelina, winter canola and domesticated pennycress as feedstock for biofuels. Camelina and winter canola are grown in the Northwest, while domesticated pennycress is a winter cover crop planted in the Midwest corn best.

“Unlike traditional cover crops, which can be expensive to plant and maintain without providing a direct return, intermediate oilseeds create real economic value as they can be harvested and sold as an additional cash crop,” according to Bayer.

The state’s low-carbon fuel standard is more important than ever because Congress eliminated laws subsidizing and mandating purchases of electric vehicles, according to environmental groups.

Environmental groups are skeptical that biofuels are the answer, however. Crop-based biofuels prevent land from reverting to native grasslands, according to Earthjustice.

Ecology should promote electric vehicles and limit biofuels, the environmental law firm argues.

POET said ethanol provides a more realistic way to cut carbon emissions. “Internal combustion engine vehicles relying on liquid fuels will remain in the state’s transportation fuel mix for decades to come.”