Thune sees less ethanol competition from Brazil

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Worries that Brazil may threaten the United States’ ethanol industry appear to be fading, U.S. Sen. John Thune said after a trade mission to Brazil, Chile and Argentina.

Brazil’s commitment decades ago to an ethanol industry fueled by sugar cane leaves the country pretty much energy independent because of its renewable fuels and oil production, said Thune.

Thune said Brazilian government and trade officials told him that their interest in exporting ethanol to the United States has diminished.

They seem content to have a domestic market and to export to countries other than the United States, he said.

AP