House Ag Committee Continues Biofuel Support

Today the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) sent a letter to House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson and Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte thanking the Committee for its commitment to bring bipartisan legislation before the U.S. House of Representatives in the “Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007� (H.R. 2419).  The Act recognizes the important role of agriculture in the continued research and development, education and investment in our nation’s biofuels industry.

RFA President Bob Dinneen sent the following letter: 

“The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) thanks the House Agriculture Committee for its commitment to bring bipartisan legislation, the “Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007� (H.R. 2419), before the U.S. House of Representatives that recognizes the important role of agriculture in the continued research and development, education and investment in our nation’s biofuels industry.  Much of the growth of the U.S. ethanol industry to date has been supported by farmers and rural
America investing their hard-earned dollars in local biorefineries.  For the American farmer, the ethanol industry provides the opportunity to enjoy some of the value added to their commodity by further processing.  The programs included in the Energy Title of H.R. 2419 will greatly contribute to ensuring
America’s future energy security. 

Congress has a significant opportunity to advance the development and deployment of bioenergy, renewable energy and cellulosic ethanol technologies in the Farm Bill.  The House Agriculture Committee has crafted an Energy Title in H.R. 2419 focused on revitalizing rural communities, creating economic opportunity and good paying jobs for American workers, and expanding the role of U.S. agriculture in our movement to greater energy self-reliance.  The programs included in the Energy Title will promote Federal procurement of biobased products, provide loan guarantees for biorefineries and biofuels production facilities, expand research to better utilize ethanol co-products such as distillers grains, study the feasibility of a dedicated ethanol pipeline, and continue the Bioenergy Program to incentivize cellulosic and biomass feedstocks for ethanol production and energy production of ethanol plants. 

The RFA thanks the Committee for recognizing the potential of biofuels and providing the agriculture community, through H.R. 2419’s Energy Title, a pathway that will provide a more stable and sustainable energy future for all Americans.  The RFA applauds the Committee for their work on this carefully balanced legislation, and we look forward to working with you as H.R. 2419 comes to the floor of the House of Representatives later this week.