15002 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 54 / Friday, March 20, 2015 / Notices 

1See 75 FR 14670. 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[EPA–HQ–OAR–2015–0091; FRL–9924–65– 

OAR] 

Notice of Opportunity To Comment on 

an Analysis of the Greenhouse Gas 

Emissions Attributable to Production 

and Transport of Pennycress (Thlaspi 

Arvense) Oil for Use in Biofuel 

Production 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In this Notice, the 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

is inviting comment on its analysis of 

the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 

attributable to the production and 

transport of Thlaspi arvense 

(‘‘pennycress’’) oil feedstock for use in 

making biofuels such as biodiesel, 

renewable diesel, and jet fuel. This 

notice explains EPA’s analysis of the 

production and transport components of 

the lifecycle GHG emissions of biofuel 

made from pennycress oil, and 

describes how EPA may apply this 

analysis in the future to determine 

whether biofuels produced from 

pennycress oil meet the necessary GHG 

reductions required for qualification as 

renewable fuel under the Renewable 

Fuel Standard program. Based on this 

analysis, we anticipate that biofuels 

produced from pennycress oil could 

qualify as biomass-based diesel or 

advanced biofuel if typical fuel 

production process technologies are 

used. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before April 20, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

identified by Docket ID No. EPA–HQ– 

OAR–2015–0091, by one of the 

following methods: 

• http://www.regulations.gov. Follow 

the on-line instructions for submitting 

comments. 

• Email: a-and-r-docket@epa.gov, 

Attention Air and Radiation Docket ID 

No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2015–0091. 

• Mail: Air and Radiation Docket, 

Docket No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2015–0091, 

Environmental Protection Agency, Mail 

code: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. 

NW., Washington, DC 20460. 

• Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center, 

EPA/DC, EPA WJC West, Room 3334, 

1301 Constitution Ave. NW., 

Washington, DC 20460, Attention Air 

and Radiation Docket, ID No. EPA–HQ– 

OAR–2015–0091. Such deliveries are 

only accepted during the Docket’s 

normal hours of operation, and special 

arrangements should be made for 

deliveries of boxed information. 

Instructions: Direct your comments to 

Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OAR–2015– 

0091. EPA’s policy is that all comments 

received will be included in the public 

docket without change and may be 

made available online at 

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information provided, unless 

the comment includes information 

claimed to be Confidential Business 

Information (CBI) or other information 

whose disclosure is restricted by statute. 

Do not submit information that you 

consider to be CBI or otherwise 

protected through www.regulations.gov 

or email. The www.regulations.gov Web 

site is an ‘‘anonymous access’’ system, 

which means EPA will not know your 

identity or contact information unless 

you provide it in the body of your 

comment. If you send an email 

comment directly to EPA without going 

through www.regulations.gov, your 

email address will be automatically 

captured and included as part of the 

comment that is placed in the public 

docket and made available on the 

Internet. If you submit an electronic 

comment, EPA recommends that you 

include your name and other contact 

information in the body of your 

comment and with any disk or CD–ROM 

you submit. If EPA cannot read your 

comment due to technical difficulties 

and cannot contact you for clarification, 

EPA may not be able to consider your 

comment. Electronic files should avoid 

the use of special characters, any form 

of encryption, and be free of any defects 

or viruses. For additional information 

about EPA’s public docket visit the EPA 

Docket Center homepage at http://

www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm. 

Docket: All documents in the docket 

are listed in the www.regulations.gov 

index. Although listed in the index, 

some information is not publicly 

available, e.g., CBI or other information 

for which disclosure is restricted by 

statute. Certain other material, such as 

copyrighted material, will be publicly 

available only in hard copy. Publicly 

available docket materials are available 

either electronically in 

www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at 

the Air and Radiation Docket, EPA/DC, 

EPA WJC West, Room 3334, 1301 

Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, 

DC. The Public Reading Room is open 

from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, excluding legal 

holidays. The telephone number for the 

Public Reading Room is (202) 566–1744, 

and the telephone number for the Air 

and Radiation Docket is (202) 566–1742. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jon 

Monger, Office of Transportation and 

Air Quality, Mail Code: 6406J, U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 

Pennsylvania Avenue NW., 20460; 

telephone number: (202) 564–0628; fax 

number: (202) 564–1686; email address: 

monger.jon@epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

notice is organized as follows: 

I. Introduction 

II. Analysis of GHG Emissions Associated 

With Use of Pennycress Oil as a Biofuel 

Feedstock 

A. Feedstock Production, Land 

Availability, and Projected Volumes 

1. Background 

2. Volume Potential 

3. Indirect Impacts 

4. Crop Inputs 

5. Potential Invasiveness 

6. Crushing and Oil Extraction 

B. Feedstock Distribution 

C. Summary of Agricultural Sector GHG 

Emissions 

D. Fuel Production and Distribution 

III. Summary 

I. Introduction 

As part of changes to the Renewable 

Fuel Standard (RFS) program 

regulations published on March 26, 

2010 1 (the ‘‘March 2010 rule’’), EPA 

specified the types of renewable fuels 

eligible to participate in the RFS 

program through approved fuel 

pathways. Table 1 to 40 CFR 80.1426 of 

the RFS regulations lists three critical 

components of an approved fuel 

pathway: (1) Fuel type; (2) feedstock; 

and (3) production process. Fuel 

produced pursuant to each specific 

combination of the three components, or 

fuel pathway, is designated in Table 1 

to 40 CFR 80.1426 as eligible for 

purposes of the Clean Air Act’s (CAA) 

requirements for greenhouse gas (GHG) 

reductions to qualify as renewable fuel 

or one of three subsets of renewable fuel 

(biomass-based diesel, cellulosic 

biofuel, or advanced biofuel). EPA may 

also independently approve additional 

fuel pathways not currently listed in 

Table 1 to 40 CFR 80.1426 for 

participation in the RFS program, or a 

third-party may petition for EPA to 

evaluate a new fuel pathway in 

accordance with 40 CFR 80.1416. 

EPA’s lifecycle analyses are used to 

assess the overall GHG impacts of a fuel 

throughout each stage of its production 

and use. The results of these analyses, 

considering uncertainty and the weight 

of available evidence, are used to 

determine whether a fuel meets the 

necessary GHG reductions required 

under the CAA for it to be considered 

renewable fuel or one of the subsets of 

renewable fuel. Lifecycle analysis 

includes an assessment of emissions 

related to the full fuel lifecycle, 

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 54 / Friday, March 20, 2015 / Notices 15003 

2 78 FR 14190. 

3Pennycress Resource Network, http://

www.wiu.edu/pennycress/agronomics/. Accessed 

February 19, 2015. 4Fan, J. et al. (2013) ‘‘A life cycle assessment of 

pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.)—derived jet fuel 

and diesel.’’ Biomass and Bioenergy, 55:87–100. 5Moser, B.R., et al. (2009) ‘‘Production and 

evaluation of biodiesel from field pennycress 

(Thlaspi arvense L.) oil.’’ Energy and Fuels, 

23:4149–4155. 

6Moser, B.R., et al. (2009) ‘‘Production and 

evaluation of biodiesel from field pennycress 

(Thlaspi arvense L.) oil.’’ Energy and Fuels, 

23:4149–4155. 

7USDA Economic Research Service, ‘‘Crambe, 

industrial rapeseed, and tung provide valuable 

oils,’’ September 1996. Available at: http://

www.ers.usda.gov/ersDownloadHandler.ashx?file=/

media/933430/ius6c_002.pdf. Accessed July 8, 

2014. 

8 Vaughn, S.F., et al. (2005) ‘‘Biofumigant 

compounds released by field pennycress (Thlaspi 

arvense) seedmeal.’’ Journal of Chemical Ecology, 

31(1):167–177. 

9Moser, B.R., et al. (2009) ‘‘Production and 

evaluation of biodiesel from field pennycress 

(Thlaspi arvense L.) oil.’’ Energy and Fuels, 

23:4149–4155. 

10Christiansen, J. and C. Taylor, ‘‘Cover crops 

improve soil health, help farmers weather drought.’’ 

USDA National Resources Conservation Service. 

Available at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/ 

nrcs/detail/national/home/

?cid=STELPRDB1083051. Accessed January 26, 

2015. 

11Evangelista, R.L. et al. (2012) ‘‘Extraction of 

pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) seed oil by full 

pressing.’’ Industrial Crops and Products, 37:76–81; 

Moser, B.R. et al. (2009) ‘‘Composition and physical 

properties of cress (Lepidium sativum L.) and field 

pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) oils.’’ Industrial 

Crops and Products 30:199–205; Moser, B.R., et al. 

(2009) ‘‘Production and evaluation of biodiesel from 

field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) oil.’’ Energy 

and Fuels, 23:4149–4155. 

12Moser, B.R., et al. (2009) ‘‘Production and 

evaluation of biodiesel from field pennycress 

(Thlaspi arvense L.) oil.’’ Energy and Fuels, 

23:4149–4155. 

including feedstock production, 

feedstock transportation, fuel 

production, fuel transportation and 

distribution, and tailpipe emissions. Per 

the CAA definition of lifecycle GHG 

emissions, EPA’s lifecycle analyses also 

include an assessment of significant 

indirect emissions, such as indirect 

emissions from land use changes, 

agricultural sector impacts, and 

production of co-products from biofuel 

production. 

Pursuant to 40 CFR 80.1416, EPA 

received a petition from Arvens 

Technology, Inc., with contents claimed 

as confidential business information 

(CBI), requesting that EPA evaluate the 

lifecycle GHG emissions for biofuels 

produced using Thlaspi arvense 

(‘‘pennycress’’) oil, and that EPA 

provide a determination of the 

renewable fuel categories, if any, for 

which such biofuels may be eligible. As 

an initial step in this process, EPA has 

conducted an evaluation of the GHG 

emissions associated with the 

production and transport of pennycress 

when it is used as a biofuel feedstock, 

and is seeking public comment on the 

methodology and results of this 

evaluation. 

EPA expects to consider comments 

received and then use the information to 

evaluate petitions received pursuant to 

40 CFR 80.1416 that propose to use 

pennycress oil as a feedstock for the 

production of biofuel, and that seek an 

EPA determination regarding whether 

such biofuels qualify as renewable fuel 

under the RFS program. In evaluating 

such petitions, EPA will consider the 

GHG emissions associated with 

petitioners’ biofuel production 

processes, as well as emissions 

associated with the transport and use of 

the finished biofuel, in addition to the 

GHG emissions associated with the 

production and transport of pennycress 

feedstock in determining whether 

petitioners’ proposed biofuel production 

pathway satisfies CAA renewable fuel 

lifecycle GHG reduction requirements. 

II. Analysis of GHG Emissions 

Associated With Use of Pennycress Oil 

as a Biofuel Feedstock 

EPA has evaluated the lifecycle GHG 

impacts of using pennycress oil as a 

biofuel feedstock, based on information 

provided in the petition and other data 

gathered by EPA. For these analyses, we 

used a similar approach to that used for 

camelina oil in a rule published on 

March 5, 2013 2 (the ‘‘March 2013 

rule’’). In that rulemaking, EPA 

determined that several renewable fuel 

pathways using camelina oil feedstock 

meet the required 50% lifecycle GHG 

reduction threshold under the RFS for 

biomass-based diesel and advanced 

biofuel because the GHG emissions 

performance of camelina-based fuels is 

at least as good as that modeled for fuels 

made from soybean oil. 

EPA believes that new agricultural 

sector modeling is not needed to 

evaluate the lifecycle GHG impacts of 

using pennycress oil as a biofuel 

feedstock for purposes of making GHG 

reduction threshold determinations for 

the RFS program. This is in part because 

of the similarities of pennycress oil to 

soybean oil and camelina oil, and 

because pennycress is not expected to 

have significant land use change 

impacts. Instead of performing new 

agricultural sector modeling, EPA relied 

upon the soybean oil analysis 

conducted for the March 2010 rule to 

assess the relative GHG impacts of 

growing and transporting pennycress oil 

for use as a biofuel feedstock. We have 

looked at every component of the 

agricultural sector GHG emissions from 

pennycress oil production, including 

land use change, crop inputs, crushing 

and oil extraction, and feedstock 

distribution. For each component, we 

believe that the GHG emissions are less 

than or equal to the emissions from that 

component of soybean oil production. 

Based on this analysis (described 

below), we propose to evaluate the 

agricultural sector GHG emissions 

impacts of using pennycress oil in 

responding to petitions received 

pursuant to 40 CFR 80.1416 by 

assuming that GHG emissions are 

similar to those associated with the use 

of soybean oil for biofuel production. 

We invite comment on this proposed 

approach. 

A. Feedstock Production 

1. Background 

Pennycress is an oilseed crop of the 

flowering mustard plant family 

Brassicaceae. Pennycress is native to 

Eurasia and has been in North America 

for approximately 200 years. It is 

widespread throughout temperate 

regions, and can grow in cropland, 

fallow land, and along roadsides, among 

other places.3 It is a winter annual that 

flowers in spring.4 The fertilized flowers 

produce seedpods, with each plant 

producing up to 15,000 seeds. These 

seeds have a high oil content.5

Pennycress oil is not edible, and 

currently has no commercial markets, 

but it has many potential uses. 

Pennycress oil has high concentrations 

of erucic acid,6 which could make it 

useful for industrial purposes such as 

lubricants and textiles softeners.7 In 

addition, pennycress seed meal has 

been investigated for use as a 

biofumigant.8 There is currently interest 

in developing pennycress for use as a 

biofuel crop because it can be grown in 

the winter between seasons for other 

major crops such as soybeans and corn, 

requires little inputs, and has a high oil 

content.9 In addition, growing 

pennycress can help preserve soil 

quality and water quality by reducing 

runoff and erosion.10 Because of the 

interest in pennycress as a biofuel crop, 

pennycress growth and fuel production 

are areas of active research at the United 

States Department of Agriculture 

(USDA), Western Illinois University, 

and in private industry.11

2. Volume Potential 

Based on information currently 

available, pennycress is expected to be 

primarily planted in the U.S. as a 

rotation crop with corn and soybeans,12

on acres that would otherwise remain 

fallow (see Table 1). Current research 

indicates that planting pennycress in 

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15004 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 54 / Friday, March 20, 2015 / Notices 

13Phippen, W.B. et al. (2010) ‘‘Planting date, 

herbicide, and soybean rotation studies with field 

pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.)’’ Association for 

the Advancement of Industrial Crops Annual 

Meeting, Fort Collins, CO. September 19–22, 2010. 

Poster. Available at: http://www.wiu.edu/

pennycress/current-experiments/

Planting%20Date%202010.pdf. 14Correspondence with Terry Isbell of USDA 

Agricultural Research Service (ARS). 15 2014 soybean acreage from USDA, National 

Agricultural Statistics Service, http://

usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/

viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1000. 

16Arvens Technology, Inc., ‘‘About Pennycress.’’ 

Available at: http://arvenstech.com/about.html. 

Accessed February 23, 2015. 

17Petition from Arvens Technology, Inc., June 

2012. 18 Isbell, T. and S. Chermak (2010). ‘‘Thlaspi 

arvense (Pennycress) germination, development and 

yield potential.’’ Advancement of Industrial Crops 

Annual Meeting, Fort Collins, CO. September 19– 

22, 2010. Abstract, p. 29. Available at: http://

www.aaic.org/10program.htm. 

19For biodiesel produced from soybean oil, 7.6 

pounds of oil are also needed for one gallon of 

biodiesel. According to the petition, 0.28 lbs of 

pennycress oil can be extracted from a pound of 

seed. A similar value of 0.29 lbs oil per pound of 

seed is used by: Fan, J. et al. (2013) ‘‘A life cycle 

assessment of pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.)— 

derived jet fuel and diesel.’’ Biomass and 

Bioenergy, 55:87–100. 

20Correspondence with Terry Isbell of USDA 

ARS. 

21 Different amounts of feedstock oil are needed 

to produce a gallon of different types of fuel 

(biodiesel, renewable diesel, and renewable jet 

fuel). For simplicity, we only estimated the 

potential biodiesel production here, which requires 

the least amount of feedstock oil per gallon of fuel. 

22Petition from Arvens Technology, Inc., June 

2012. 

23USDA Economic Research Service, Commodity 

Costs and Returns. Available at: http://

www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/commodity-costsand-returns.aspx. Accessed June 12, 2014. 

lieu of fallowing would not decrease the 

next soybean yield.13 Since substituting 

fallow land with pennycress production 

would not typically displace another 

crop, EPA does not believe new acres 

would need to be brought into 

agricultural use to increase pennycress 

production. 

Pennycress is currently cultivated on 

approximately 1,000 acres of land in the 

U.S., in Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, and 

Indiana.14 EPA anticipates that these 

states are most likely to have large scale 

increases in pennycress production in 

the short term, because pennycress is 

already cultivated there. Also, these 

states have high soybean acreage and 

the appropriate climate for pennycress 

to be cultivated as a winter crop before 

soybean planting. Based on USDA data 

on soybean acreage in 2014, pennycress 

could be cultivated on 31 million acres 

in these states.15 However, industry is 

also considering cultivating pennycress 

in other Midwest corn-belt states, and 

according to their estimates, 40 million 

acres could be cultivated.16 Industry 

projects that by 2022, approximately 2 

million of these available acres will be 

used for pennycress production.17

Based on our calculations of the 

potential biodiesel production from 

pennycress, as described below, we do 

not anticipate demand for pennycress 

oil to be greater than can be satisfied by 

available fallow acres. 

Average yields of 1,000–2,000 pounds 

of pennycress seed per acre have been 

achieved on test plots,18 and are in line 

with expected yields of other oilseeds 

such as canola/rapeseed. Based on a 

mid-range yield of 1,500 pounds per 

acre and current acreage (1,000 acres), 

approximately 55,000 gallons of 

pennycress-based biodiesel could be 

produced from existing pennycress 

acres (assuming 0.28 pounds of 

pennycress oil can be extracted from a 

pound of seed, and 7.6 pounds of oil 

produces 1 gallon of biodiesel).19 Yield 

improvements of pennycress are 

expected to approach the yield growth 

rates of other oilseed crops over the next 

decade, as experience with growing 

pennycress improves cultivation 

practices and the application of existing 

technologies are more widely adopted.20

Assuming a yield growth rate of 2% per 

year, starting with a yield of 1,500 

pounds per acre, yields would be 1,800 

pounds per acre by 2022. Based on this 

yield and the industry’s projection of 2 

million acres of pennycress in 2022, 

approximately 133 million gallons (MG) 

of pennycress-based biodiesel could be 

produced.21 If investment in new seed 

technology allows yields to increase to 

levels projected by industry (4,000 

pounds per acre), significantly more 

pennycress-based renewable fuels could 

be produced.22 For the purposes of this 

analysis, we took a conservative 

approach in terms of lifecycle GHG 

impacts of crop production by assuming 

the lower yield estimate of 1,800 

pounds per acre. 

3. Indirect Impacts 

Unlike commodity crops that are 

tracked by USDA, pennycress does not 

have a well-established, internationally 

traded market that would be 

significantly affected by an increase in 

pennycress-based biofuels. Based on 

information provided in the petition 

itself, from USDA, and in the scientific 

literature, returns on pennycress are 

expected to be approximately $120 per 

acre, given average yields of 1,800 

pounds per acre and a contract price of 

$0.15 per pound (See Table 2). For 

comparison purposes, the USDA 

estimates of corn and soybean returns, 

including operating costs but not 

overhead costs such as hired labor, were 

between $206 and $440 per acre in 

2013.23 Over time, advancements in 

seed technology, improvements in 

planting and harvesting techniques, and 

changes in input usage could 

significantly increase future pennycress 

yields and returns, but it is unlikely the 

returns to farmers from pennycress will 

ever compete with the returns from 

corn, soybeans or other widely traded 

commodity crops. In addition, because 

pennycress is expected to be grown on 


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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 54 / Friday, March 20, 2015 / Notices 15005 

24Based on information from Arvens Technology, 

Inc., USDA, scientific literature, and EPA 

calculations. 25 Diesel and gasoline are used for planting and 

harvesting pennycress. These values assume that no 

irrigation is needed. 26Moser, B.R., et al. (2009) ‘‘Production and 

evaluation of biodiesel from field pennycress 

(Thlaspi arvense L.) oil.’’ Energy and Fuels, 

23:4149–4155. 27 50 lb N/acre from: Rukavina, H. et al. (2011) 

‘‘The effect of nitrogen rate on field pennycress seed 

yield and oil content.’’ Association for the 

Advancement of Industrial Crops 23rd Annual 

Meeting, Fargo, ND. September 11–14, 2011. Poster. 

Available at: http://www.wiu.edu/pennycress/

current-experiments/Nitrogen%202011.pdf. 

28Correspondence with Win Phippin, Western 

Illinois University. 

29Arvens Technology, Inc.; Correspondence with 

USDA. For more information, see ‘‘Pennycress data 

and calculations—for docket’’ on Docket EPA–HQ– 

OAR–2015–0091. 

30Petition from Arvens Technology, Inc., June 

2012. A similar value of 0.29 lbs oil per pound of 

seed is used by: Fan, J. et al. (2013) ‘‘A life cycle 

assessment of pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.)— 

derived jet fuel and diesel.’’ Biomass and 

Bioenergy, 55:87–100. 

31For more details on the greenhouse gas 

emissions associated with agricultural inputs, see 

‘‘Pennycress data and calculations—for docket’’ on 

Docket EPA–HQ–OAR–2015–0091. 

fallow land, it will not impact other 

commodities through land competition. 

For these reasons, EPA has determined 

that, unlike a crop such as soybeans, 

production of pennycress-based biofuels 

is not expected to have a significant 

impact on other agricultural commodity 

markets and consequently would not 

result in significant indirect impacts, 

including indirect land use changes. 

TABLE 2—PENNYCRESS COSTS AND RETURNS, PER ACRE 20

2022 Pennycress 

(1,800 lbs/acre) 

Inputs 

Seed: 

Pennycress seed (cost: $1/lb) .......................................................................................................................................... $13.00 (13 lbs/ac). 

Fertilizer: 

Nitrogen Fertilizer (cost: $1/lb) ......................................................................................................................................... $50.00. 

Phosphate Fertilizer (cost: $1/lb) ..................................................................................................................................... $20.00. 

Potassium Fertilizer (cost: $1/lb) ...................................................................................................................................... $20.00. 

Sub-Total ................................................................................................................................................................... $103.00. 

Logistics: 

Planting Trip ..................................................................................................................................................................... $10.00. 

Harvest & Hauling ............................................................................................................................................................ $36.00. 

Total Cost .................................................................................................................................................................. $149.00. 

Yields (lbs/acre) ....................................................................................................................................................................... 1,800. 

Price (per lb) ............................................................................................................................................................................ $0.15. 

Total Revenue ......................................................................................................................................................................... $270.00. 

Returns .................................................................................................................................................................................... $121. 

Although we expect most pennycress 

used as a renewable fuel feedstock for 

the RFS program would be grown in the 

U.S. and Canada, we expect that 

pennycress grown in other countries 

would also not have a significant impact 

on other agricultural commodity 

markets and would therefore not result 

in significant indirect GHG emissions. 

4. Crop Inputs 

As part of our analysis of the GHG 

impacts from growing pennycress, we 

compared crop inputs for pennycress to 

those for soybeans. Inputs compared 

include nitrogen fertilizer, phosphorus 

fertilizer, potassium fertilizer, herbicide, 

pesticide, diesel, and gasoline.25 We 

also looked at the N2O emissions from 

both the nitrogen fertilizer inputs and 

the crop residues associated with 

pennycress. 

Current literature suggests that only 

minimal fertilizer inputs are needed to 

grow pennycress.26 Information from 

USDA and other sources suggests that 

approximately 50 lbs per acre nitrogen 

fertilizer may be required for successful 

pennycress cultivation, although 

information from the petitioner 

indicates that no additional nitrogen 

fertilizer would be needed.27 Some 

current trials have not required the 

addition of phosphorus or potassium 

fertilizer since these nutrients have been 

available in the soil after corn 

plantings.28 However, it is possible that 

when pennycress is produced at a 

commercial scale, some amount of 

phosphorus and potassium might be 

added to replace the phosphorus or 

potassium that is removed from the soil. 

Therefore, Table 3 shows a range of 

potential input assumptions for 

pennycress production,29 compared to 

the FASOM agricultural input 

assumptions for soybeans, which were 

used in our assessment of soybeans for 

the March 2010 rule. From the March 

2010 rule, we used soybean projected 

yields for 2022 of 1,500 to 3,000 lbs of 

seed per acre. For pennycress, we used 

projected 2022 yields of 1,800 lbs of 

seed per acre. 

Pennycress has a higher percentage of 

oil per pound of seed than soybeans. 

Soybeans are approximately 18% oil by 

mass, therefore crushing one pound of 

soybeans yields 0.18 pounds of oil. In 

comparison, pennycress seeds can 

contain up to 34% oil, and mechanical 

crushing extracts approximately 28% 

oil.30 The difference in oil yield was 

taken into account when calculating the 

emissions per ton of feedstock oil 

included in Table 3. As shown in Table 

3, GHG emissions associated with 

agricultural inputs for pennycress and 

soybeans are similar when factoring in 

variations in oil yields per acre and 

fertilizer, herbicide, pesticide, and 

petroleum use.31

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15006 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 54 / Friday, March 20, 2015 / Notices 

32The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 

Change (IPCC) equations for N2O emissions were 

updated since our earlier analysis of soybeans. We 

use the updated equations here. 33USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service. ‘‘Weed risk assessment for Thlaspi arvense 

L. (Brassicaceae)—Field pennycress,’’ 

[Forthcoming]. 34USDA (2014). ‘‘Federal Noxious Weed List.’’ 

Available at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_

health/plant_pest_info/weeds/downloads/

weedlist.pdf. 35USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (2014). 

‘‘State Noxious-Weed Seed Requirements 

Recognized in the Administration of the Federal 

Seed Act.’’ Available at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/ 

AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5090172. 

Producers interested in growing pennycress in these 

states should consult with the appropriate federal, 

state, and local authorities. 36USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service. ‘‘Weed risk assessment for Thlaspi arvense 

L. (Brassicaceae)—Field pennycress,’’ 

[Forthcoming]. Traits that contributed to this result 

are that pennycress is a prolific seed producer, 

forms a persistent seed bank, can cause yield losses 

of field crops, and is poisonous to livestock. 

5. Potential Invasiveness 

Pennycress has naturalized in all of 

the continental United States,33 and is 

not listed on the federal noxious weed 

list.34 However, nine states currently 

have pennycress listed on a restricted 

weed list, indicating limitations on the 

use of the plant in those states.35 A 

weed risk assessment by USDA found 

that pennycress has a high risk of 

invasiveness, and a high probability of 

impacting production systems such as 

agriculture, nurseries, forest plantations, 

and orchards.36 However, unlike some 

other biofuel feedstocks evaluated under 

the RFS program for invasiveness, 

USDA found no evidence of pennycress 

causing impacts in natural systems or 

anthropogenic systems such as cities, 

suburbs, or roadways. Based on the 

potential risk to production systems, 

and in consultation with USDA, the use 

of pennycress as a biofuel feedstock 

raises concerns about its threat of 

invasiveness and whether its production 

could require remediation activities that 

would cause additional GHG emissions. 

Therefore, similar to EPA’s actions with 

respect to other biofuel feedstocks found 

to present invasiveness risks, EPA 

anticipates that any petition approvals 

for renewable fuel pathways involving 

the use of pennycress oil as feedstock 

will include requirements associated 

with mitigating risks associated with 

invasiveness. Because pennycress does 

not pose as great an invasiveness risk as 

Arundo donax or Pennisetum 

purpureum, EPA believes that 

monitoring and reporting requirements 

similar to those for Arundo donax and 

Pennisetum purpureum would be 

appropriate, but does not expect to 

apply all of the Risk Management Plan 

(RMP) requirements that exist for those 

feedstocks. We would expect to impose 

monitoring and reporting requirements 

similar to 40 CFR 80.1450 

(b)(1)(x)(A)(1)(i), (ii), (iii), and (v) and 

80.1450 (b)(1)(x)(A)(3), (4), (5), and (7). 

In addition, a letter documenting the 

feedstock grower’s compliance with all 

of the relevant federal, state, regional, 

and local requirements related to 

invasive species would be required. 

With these requirements in place, we 

would assume that there are no GHG 

emissions associated with potential 

invasiveness when pennycress is used 

as a biofuel feedstock. EPA is taking 

comment on the invasiveness concerns 

of pennycress and the appropriateness 

of the referenced requirements in 

mitigating those concerns. 

6. Crushing and Oil Extraction 

EPA evaluated the seed crushing and 

oil extraction process and compared the 

lifecycle GHG emissions from this stage 

for soybean oil and pennycress oil. EPA 

assumed the processing of pennycress 

would be similar to soybeans, canola, 

and camelina. Because pennycress seeds 

produce more oil per pound than 

soybeans, the GHG emissions associated 

with crushing and oil extraction are 

lower for pennycress than soybeans per 

pound of feedstock oil produced. 

There is not a significant amount of 

industry data on energy used for 

crushing and oil extraction of 

pennycress. Based on data provided in 

the petition submitted, and EPA’s 

standard emissions factors for electricity 

and natural gas, we estimate that the 

GHG emissions from crushing and oil 

extraction are 80 kgCO2e/ton 

pennycress oil. For comparison, in the 

analysis for the March 2010 final rule, 

the lifecycle GHG emissions from 

crushing and oil extraction were 

estimated to be 426 kgCO2e/ton soybean 

oil. As a conservative estimate, we 

propose to assume that the GHG 

emissions related to crushing and oil 

extraction are the same for pennycress 

as for soybeans. 

Similar to soybeans, a press cake is 

also produced when pennycress is 

crushed and the oil is extracted. In our 

modeling of soybean oil for the March 

2010 RFS rule, the FASOM and FAPRI– 

CARD models included the use of the 

soy meal (sometimes referred to as press 

cake) co-product as livestock feed. In 

our modeling, the use of the soy meal 

as livestock feed displaced the need for 

other similar feed products and 

therefore impacted the relative prices 

and production of crop and livestock 

products. These crop and livestock 

impacts were reflected in the land use 

change, livestock and agricultural sector 

GHG emissions impacts estimated for 

biofuels produced from soybean oil. 

Although EPA did not conduct 

modeling to isolate the GHG impacts of 

the soy meal co-product, we believe that 

overall the soy meal co-product lowered 

the GHG emissions associated with 

soybean oil-based biofuels. Similarly, 

we believe that any use of the 

pennycress press cake would provide an 

additional benefit (i.e., lower GHG 

emissions) not reflected in our lifecycle 

GHG emissions analysis of pennycress 

oil. Little is known at this time about 

the possible beneficial use of 

pennycress press cake. Pennycress press 


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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 54 / Friday, March 20, 2015 / Notices 15007 

37Moser, B.R. (2012) ‘‘Biodiesel from alternative 

oilseed feedstock: camelina and field pennycress.’’ 

Biofuels, 3:193–209. 38Fan, J. et al. (2013) ‘‘A life cycle assessment of 

pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.)—derived jet fuel 

and diesel.’’ Biomass and Bioenergy, 55:87–100. 39Moser, B.R. (2012) ‘‘Biodiesel from alternative 

oilseed feedstock: camelina and field pennycress.’’ 

Biofuels, 3:193–209. It is important to note that all 

animal feed products must be approved by the U.S. 

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they 

can be sold in the United States. Nothing in EPA’s 

analysis should be construed as an official federal 

government position regarding the approval or 

disapproval of pennycress press cake as an animal 

feed. Only FDA is authorized to make that 

determination. 

40 Vaughn, S.F., et al. (2005) ‘‘Biofumigant 

compounds released by field pennycress (Thlaspi 

arvense) seedmeal.’’ Journal of Chemical Ecology, 

31(1):167–177. 

41The transesterification process that EPA 

evaluated for the March 2010 RFS rule for biofuel 

derived from soybean oil feedstock is described in 

section 2.4.7.3 (Biodiesel) of the Regulatory Impact 

Analysis for the March 2010 RFS rule (EPA–420– 

R–10–006). The hydrotreating process that EPA 

evaluated for the March 2013 rule for biofuel 

derived from camelina oil feedstock is described in 

section II.A.3.b of the March 2013 rule (78 FR 

14190). 

cake contains glucosinolates, which 

may be toxic to animals in large 

concentrations.37 However, the heat 

produced from crushing pennycress 

seeds may reduce the toxicity of the 

press cake,38 or pennycress press cake 

could be mixed in low amounts with 

other seed meal for use as animal feed.39

Alternatively, pennycress press cake 

could be used as a biofumigant.40 Based 

on our analysis of pennycress oil, which 

does not consider use of the press cake, 

we have found that the agricultural, 

livestock and land use change emissions 

associated with producing pennycress 

oil are less than or equal to the 

corresponding emissions associated 

with producing soybean oil. Therefore, 

any beneficial use of the pennycress 

press cake (e.g., as livestock feed or 

boiler fuel) would only serve to make 

the GHG emissions associated with 

pennycress oil even lower than the 

corresponding emissions for soybean 

oil. 

B. Feedstock Distribution 

EPA’s assessment, based on the 

following reasoning, is that GHG 

emissions from feedstock distribution 

will be the same for pennycress as such 

emissions for soybeans. Because 

pennycress contains more oil per pound 

of seed, as discussed above, the energy 

needed to move the pennycress before 

oil extraction would be lower than 

soybeans per ton of oil produced. To the 

extent that pennycress is grown on more 

disperse fallow land than soybeans and 

would need to be transported further, 

the energy needed to move the 

pennycress could be higher than 

soybeans. Therefore, we believe we may 

assume for purposes of GHG emissions 

assessment that the GHG emissions 

associated with transporting pennycress 

and soybeans to crushing facilities will 

be the same. Pennycress and soybean 

oils are quite similar in terms of density 

and energy content; therefore, we also 

assumed that the GHG emissions from 

transporting the oil from a crushing 

facility to a biofuel production facility 

would be the same for the two different 

feedstocks. 

C. Summary of Agricultural Sector GHG 

Emissions 

Compared to soybean oil, pennycress 

oil has less than or equal GHG 

emissions per ton of oil from crop 

inputs, crushing and oil extraction, and 

direct and indirect land use change. 

Pennycress and soybean oils are also 

likely to have similar GHG emissions 

from feedstock distribution. Therefore, 

we believe that the feedstock production 

and transport portion of the lifecycle 

GHG emissions associated with 

pennycress are likely to be similar to or 

less than the GHG emissions for the 

corresponding portion of the lifecycle 

analysis for soybean oil. EPA’s purpose 

in evaluating petitions under 40 CFR 

80.1416 is not to prepare a precise 

lifecycle GHG emissions analysis of 

every fuel type, but to gather sufficient 

information on which to inform its 

decision of whether proposed biofuels 

qualify under the program in terms of 

lifecycle GHG emissions reduction. 

Based on our comparison of pennycress 

oil to soybean oil, EPA proposes to use, 

in its future evaluations of petitions 

proposing to use pennycress oil as a 

feedstock for biofuel production, an 

estimate of the GHG emissions 

associated with the cultivation and 

transport of pennycress oil that is the 

same as that which we have used for 

soybean oil, on a per ton of oil basis. 

Although EPA could conduct a more 

precise analysis, we do not believe it is 

necessary for purposes of the 

determinations EPA must make in 

responding to petitions. EPA solicits 

comment on this proposed approach. 

D. Fuel Production and Distribution 

Pennycress oil has physical properties 

that are similar to soybean and camelina 

oil, and is suitable for the same 

conversion processes as these 

feedstocks. In addition, the fuel yield 

per pound of oil is expected to be the 

same for each of these feedstocks. After 

reviewing comments received in 

response to this Notice, we will 

combine our evaluation of agricultural 

sector GHG emissions associated with 

the use of pennycress oil feedstock with 

our evaluation of the GHG emissions 

associated with individual producers’ 

production processes and finished fuels 

to determine whether the proposed 

pathways satisfy CAA lifecycle GHG 

emissions reduction requirements for 

RFS-qualifying renewable fuels. Based 

on our evaluation of the lifecycle GHG 

emissions attributable to the production 

and transport of pennycress oil 

feedstock, EPA anticipates that fuel 

produced from pennycress oil feedstock 

through the same transesterification or 

hydrotreating process technologies that 

EPA evaluated for the March 2010 RFS 

rule for biofuel derived from soybean oil 

and the March 2013 RFS rule for biofuel 

derived from camelina oil would qualify 

for biomass-based diesel (D-code 4) 

RINs or advanced (D-code 5) RINs.41

However, EPA will evaluate petitions 

for fuel produced from pennycress oil 

feedstock on a case-by-case basis. 

III. Summary 

EPA invites public comment on its 

analysis of GHG emissions associated 

with the production and transport of 

pennycress oil as a feedstock for biofuel 

production. EPA will consider public 

comments received when evaluating the 

lifecycle GHG emissions of biofuel 

production pathways described in 

petitions received pursuant to 40 CFR 

80.1416 which use pennycress oil as a 

feedstock. 

Dated: March 12, 2015. 

Christopher Grundler, 

Director, Office of Transportation and Air 

Quality. 

[FR Doc. 2015–06444 Filed 3–19–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

FARM CREDIT SYSTEM INSURANCE 

CORPORATION 

Regular Meeting 

AGENCY: Farm Credit System Insurance 

Corporation Board; Farm Credit System 

Insurance Corporation Board. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the 

regular meeting of the Farm Credit 

System Insurance Corporation Board 

(Board). 

DATE AND TIME: The meeting of the Board 

will be held at the offices of the Farm 

Credit Administration in McLean, 

Virginia, on March 26, 2015, from 9:00 

a.m. until such time as the Board 

concludes its business. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dale 

L. Aultman, Secretary to the Farm 

Credit System Insurance Corporation 

Board, (703) 883–4009, TTY (703) 883– 

4056. 

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