Ethanol

Ethanol is environmentally friendly, renewable, safe and it contributes to our energy independence.

Using ethanol reduces harmful auto emissions and reduces our dependence on foreign oil and expensive domestic crude oil.

One bushel of field corn yields 2.8 gallons of fuel ethanol and 17.5 pounds of high protein dried distillers grain for livestock feed.

• 15.7 billion gallons of ethanol reduced the need for crude oil imports by 514 million barrels.
• Consumers save 22 cents on every gallon of gas thanks to the Renewable Fuel Standard. That’s a savings of nearly $5 every time you fill up, or $250 per American family every year.
• Ethanol use reduces carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen and other pollutants.
• The Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS, reduced motor fuel GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions by nearly 600 metric tons in 2019.
• The 600 million metric tons of GHG reduction achieved under the RFS is equivalent to the GHG savings that would result from removing roughly half of the nation’s automobiles from the road for a full year or shutting down 154 coal-fired power plants for a year, according to EPA.

Economic Impact of Ethanol

Ethanol production adds value to U.S. agricultural products and brings billions of dollars into the nation’s economy each year.

• In 2022,
  • Ethanol production supported more than 420,000 American jobs.
  • Ethanol production created nearly $35 billion in household income and more than $57 billion in Gross Domestic Product.
  • Ethanol production accounted for nearly 30,000 jobs in South Dakota in 2022. What’s more, ethanol production created over $2.4 billion in area household incomes and more than $4.4 billion in corn production.
    

Learn more about ethanol through the Renewable Fuels Association.