Scene on Radio Guest Episode: Drilled: Carbon Cowboys
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May 13, 2026 
Felipe Sabrina, reporter with The Intercept Brazil who co-reports this season and hosts the Portuguese version, guides listeners through Bruce Rastetter's carbon and ethanol ventures. The conversation covers Summit's carbon-capture pitch and Midwest pipeline plans. It also explores Brazil's agribusiness boomtowns, local philanthropy ties, and how U.S. ethanol interests expanded into Mato Grosso.
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Carbon Capture Used To Greenwash Ethanol
- Carbon capture was repackaged as a climate solution for ethanol by capturing CO2 from corn ethanol facilities and claiming storage and sale made it green.
- Amy Westervelt highlights Summit's pitch to Brazilian officials showing captured CO2 and omitting that much would be used for enhanced oil recovery, not climate benefit.
Ethanol's Hidden Environmental Costs
- Corn ethanol's lifecycle emissions and land use make its footprint similar to gasoline, not a clear climate win.
- Amy notes ethanol needs ~30x more land than solar and heavy agrochemical inputs, yet policy (e.g., IRA) created new markets contingent on CCS.
Policy Shift Created A Carbon Market For Ethanol
- The Inflation Reduction Act created a revenue path for ethanol via sustainable aviation fuel credits, but only if producers adopt carbon capture.
- That policy shift incentivized companies like Summit to push pipelines and CCS to keep ethanol markets alive.