I spoke to a church group a couple of weeks ago and the issue that sparked the most discussion was federal support of the ethanol industry.
They now have more to talk about.
The ethanol industry is ramping up efforts to increase that federal support especially for cellulosic ethanol. Here’s a statement from the trade group Biotechnology Industry Organization which sketches out the looming legislative battle.
“Biofuel producers and biotechnology companies today asked Congressional leaders to help them overcome economic obstacles to obtaining financial backing and bring commercially ready advanced biofuels to the marketplace.”
The group, which represents major ethanol players, submitted a letter to Congressional leaders on Wednesday proposing six principles to guide development of legislation it says is needed to support the development of biofuels.
Here’s the gist of what is being asked:
*Inject more money into building ethanol plants which are having trouble obtaining financing. The support would include federal loans and loan guarantees.
*Ensure that the Renewable Fuel Standard, which mandates a growing amount of ethanol production, is preserved.
* The current federal subsidy for cellulosic ethanol, which is roughly $1 per gallon, should be extended.
*Raise the current legal limit, for most cars, that caps the amount of ethanol at 10 percent in fuel blends. Raising it to 15 or 20 percent would dispose of the ethanol required by the Renewable Fuel Standard.
Twofour
Why would we ask government to support Ethanol production? Rather than use government dollars to support alternative fuels to go in our present day vehicle engines why not spend that money on developing an alternative type of vehicle power, preferably something economical.