Schmid Engages In Ethanol Policy Discussions In Paris

Last week, U.S. Grains Council (USGC) Multilateral Ethanol Policy Manager Linda Schmid attended the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) Fuels Workshop in Paris to engage in discussions on the challenges and areas that call for greater policy attention to energy production and demand.

The IEA, composed of 32 member countries, 13 association countries and four accession countries, provides authoritative analysis, data, policy recommendations and solutions to ensure energy security. The IEA is an autonomous inter-governmental organization within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

“The Council’s presence at these major international events signals to our global counterparts that the U.S. biofuels industry is ready and willing to supply the world with affordable, renewable energy for transportation, industry and home uses like clean cooking,” Schmid said.

The workshop attracted stakeholders from Brazil, Canada, the European Union (EU), Italy, Japan and the U.S. including private-sector leaders, international organizations and government officials and subject matter experts in biofuels, biogases, hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels.

Schmid spoke to fellow attendees about the barriers to increasing demand for bioethanol in the transportation and industrial sectors and potential policy incentives to facilitate bioethanol production, use and cross border flows.

Outside the conference, Schmid met with the U.S. Mission to the OECD, the Clean Energy Ministérial Secrétariat and with IEA representatives about the Council’s mission and goals in advancing the benefits of bioethanol in low and medium-income economies.

Doug Berven, vice president of corporate affairs at POET, a USGC member, was also in attendance to advocate for biofuels’ financial, environmental and human health benefits on behalf of the U.S. ethanol industry. Lindsay Fitzgerald, executive vice president of corporate affairs at Gevo, another Council member, addressed the role of carbon counting in the evaluation of lifecycle emissions in transportation fuels.

“Attendees recognized bioethanol as instrumental in delivering agricultural diversification, market stability and employment while providing clean air benefits and decarbonization of transport,” Schmid said. “The Council will continue to emphasize these bioethanol benefits at upcoming international events including the G7, G20 and COP30 meetings that will consider the energy security interests of the global south.”

Learn more about the Council’s work in ethanol here.