RFS Supporters Rally in DC

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 - which meant many of the media who were there also left. But, those who did stick around heard first from the unusual suspects in the lineup of those supporting the RFS. They were the AMVETS, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the Truman National Security Project.

RFA President Bob Dinneen was among the “usual suspects” supporting the standard - biofuels and agricultural organizations. He congratulated the media that remained for the press conference after more than an hour, “Now you get to write that ‘dog bites man’ story that you’ve been waiting to write because the Renewable Fuels Association supports this bill.”

Dinneen pointed out the diversity of the people speaking on behalf of the RFS in terms of geography, with lawmakers from Washington State to New York and Massachusetts to Florida. “They’re reflecting all of America today,” he said. “Seventy-four percent of Americans want to see us doing as much as we possibly can to reduce our dependence on imported oil and to promote renewables like ethanol and biodiesel and others that will be developed.”

“This bill is about stimulating the second generation of ethanol production. It’s about assuring that cellulosic production can be commercialized effectively.”

A vote on the Energy Bill could come as early as this afternoon in the House.

Listen to Bob’s statement here: Bob Dinneen (2:30 min mp3)