Members of Congress and representatives from a variety of organizations held a media event Wednesday morning in support of an increased Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) in the Energy Bill.
House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is in full support of the RFS.
“The speaker understands that this is critical for this industry,” Peterson said. “She gets it and she understands what the problem is and she understands why this needs to be done.”
Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) described his conversion to being an ethanol supporter. “As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee for many years I voted against the ethanol mandate,” Engel said. “I changed my position 180 degrees, and I changed my position because it’s good for America.”
All of the speakers noted the importance of the RFS to cellulosic ethanol development, which is still in its infancy. In the meantime, Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) said, “Conventional corn ethanol is the bridge we need to move forward.”
It was a long press conference, which got underway late, and the lawmakers had to leave by the time the supporting organizations got to give their statements. National Corn Growers Association President Ken McCauley “batted cleanup” and wrapped up the event.
“We looked into our crystal ball and actually saw that we could do 15 billion gallons of ethanol from corn and still have enough left to provide food, feed, fuel and exports to feed the rest of the world,” McCauley said.
With less than three weeks left for the 110th Congress, the Energy Bill is suddenly back in action and groups are mobilizing on both sides over the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
With a vote in the House expected on Wednesday, House Ag Committee members are planning a morning press conference in support of increasing the RFS. Committee chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) and Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) will host the press conference which will include representatives from the American Farm Bureau, National Farmers Union, National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, National Grain Sorghum Producers, National Association of Wheat Growers, Renewable Fuels Association, National Biodiesel Board and the New Fuels Alliance.
That would be the people you would expect to support the RFS. Others who will be showing support for the RFS include AMVETS, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the Truman National Security Project.
Meanwhile, petroleum companies have joined forces with livestock producers to protest higher corn-based ethanol targets in the RFS. The American Farmland Trust has sent a letter to Congress opposing the Senate RFS and the proposed RFS amendment to the Farm Bill in the Senate on the basis of conservation concerns.
As if that were not enough, the White House is objecting to the RFS language and there are indications the president may veto the bill even if it does get passed.
The RFS under discussion would require 36 billion gallons of ethanol and other biofuels to be produced by 2022, with more than 20 billion of that to come from sources other than corn. The RFS for corn ethanol would be increased to 15 billion gallons.
While we’re on the subject of video clips from the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting here’s my final one with NCGA Chairman Ken McCauley. With the Senate back in session and expected to consider new energy legislation I thought it was timely to provide his perspective on where things stand.
Ken says he’s really optimistic about getting new energy legislation, especially a new Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). He thinks that the price of oil is sending a strong message that we need a renewable fuel source. That’s creating a sense of urgency on Capitol Hill that may move things forward quickly. He says that corn growers want to do their part in helping America become energy independent.
Here’s another installment of our Corn Commentary videos that were recorded at the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasting Convention. In this one I interview NCGA CEO Rick Tolman and University of Missouri ag economist Dr. Ron Plain. They point out that our corn growers have produced to meet demand for both needs of our corn. It’s also interesting to note that higher corn prices haven’t really impacted food prices much. In fact, it’s really things like transportation costs that have driven food prices up.
As they point out, no one is starving anywhere because of biofuel production. The fact is our corn production has a lot of opportunity to grow due to demand and new technologies and that’s good for our farmers, our economy and our country. So that’s the word on this “renewable fuel” issue!
Members of Congress and representatives from a variety of organizations held a media event Wednesday morning in support of an increased Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) in the Energy Bill.
Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) described his conversion to being an ethanol supporter. “As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee for many years I voted against the ethanol mandate,” Engel said. “I changed my position 180 degrees, and I changed my position because it’s good for America.”
All of the speakers noted the importance of the RFS to cellulosic ethanol development, which is still in its infancy. In the meantime, Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) said, “Conventional corn ethanol is the bridge we need to move forward.”
It was a long press conference, which got underway late, and the lawmakers had to leave by the time the supporting organizations got to give their statements. National Corn Growers Association President Ken McCauley “batted cleanup” and wrapped up the event.