North American biofuels are wrestling with uncertainty due to tariff talks

An energy expert tells Reuters he expects the North American biofuels industry to contract if the uncertainty of tariffs continues to drag on.

Paul Niznik is the Director of Energy at Capstone LLC, he says that while he expects the industry to contract, it will not disappear entirely. He says that tariff unknowns have left little room for prices to catch up, but tariffs are not the industry’s only concerns.

A lack of 45Z tax credit guidance continues to impact the industry.

Brazil’s ethanol industry also faces some tough choices as tariffs loom.

To avoid reciprocal duties from teh U.S., Brazil would have to lower its 18% duty on American ethanol, and while ithis would allow Brazil to keep the U.S. as a key export market, opening itself up to U.S. ethanol would hurt its local industry.

Brazil shipped nearly 300 million liters of ethanol to the U.S. last year.

Related Stories
Sen. Deb Fischer, of Nebraska, mentioned that Congress pushing through year-round E15 sales will do more to help commodity growers than more farm aid, which is currently a reality.
Sen. Moran joins us to discuss the farm aid package and the financial reality faced by row crop farmers in his home state of Kansas.
Grain farms still have strong balance sheets, but another stretch of low profits will force hard cost cuts, especially on high-rent, highly leveraged operations.
The new rule removes prevented-plant buy-up coverage, prompting strong objections from farm groups concerned about added risk exposure.
Tight Credit, Strong Yields Define Early December Agriculture
Lawmakers and experts react to the Administration’s long-awaited announcement of “bridge” aid to stabilize farms and offset 2025 losses until expanded safety-net programs begin in 2026.