Federal Register #2026-13092

USDA Finalizes Technical Guidelines for Carbon Intensity of Biofuel Feedstock Crops

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), through its Office of Energy and Environmental Policy (OEEP) within the Office of the Chief Economist, has finalized technical guidelines for quantifying, reporting, and verifying the carbon intensity (CI) of agricultural crops used as biofuel feedstocks. - Government Buyer: - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Office of Energy and Environmental Policy (OEEP), Office of the Chief Economist (OCE) - Products/Commodities Addressed: - Field corn - Soybeans - Sorghum - Spring canola - No specific OEMs or commercial vendors are named, as this is a regulatory guideline, not a procurement. - Key Requirements and Notable Details: - Establishes a comprehensive framework for field-level CI quantification using the USDA Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator (FDCIC) - Requires annual calculation of CI scores for each crop and management unit - Mandates detailed recordkeeping and reporting for at least five years - Introduces third-party verification and audit standards to ensure data integrity and prevent double counting in sustainability markets - Supports reduced-CI crop production through science-based practices such as nutrient management, no-till/reduced till, cover crops, nitrification inhibitors, and manure application - Applies to farm producers, aggregators, and biofuel refiners participating in sustainability certification systems - No products or services are being procured; this is a regulatory update impacting agricultural and biofuel supply chains.

Description

This final rule revises technical guidelines for quantifying, reporting, and verifying the carbon intensity of agricultural commodity crops used in biofuel production relative to a national average established by a prior interim rule. It includes guidelines for implementation, reporting, verification, and quantification of carbon intensity at the field scale and a framework for tracking emissions throughout the supply chain. The rule updates previous guidelines to incorporate comments and address executive actions, providing a framework for farm producers to quantify net emissions changes and report emissions data throughout the supply chain. The rule is effective July 29, 2026, and aims to support reduced carbon intensity biofuels production.

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