Iowa Senate passes resolution calling for federal support of RFS

Source: By Erin Voegele, Ethanol Producer Magazine • Posted: Friday, April 22, 2016

On April 20, the Iowa Senate adopted a resolution calling on the U.S. Congress, U.S. EPA, President Obama and the next president of the United States to continue to support the renewable fuels standard (RFS) through 2022 in order to encourage American energy production and to strengthen rural communities.

The resolution calls the RFS one of the simple most successful energy policies in U.S. history and notes the program represents a congressional promise to American biofuel producers, farmers, communities and investors that biofuel blend levels will increase each year.

The resolution also notes that the RFS helps support more than 73,000 jobs within the state, including those in agriculture, biofuel production and associated businesses, which pay $5 billion in wages annually. In addition, an estimated 47 percent of Iowa’s corn supply goes to ethanol production.

Growth Energy noted the resolution serves as a reminder of the benefits of the RFS to the state of Iowa in terms of economic output and the preservation of Iowa’s agricultural way of life. “The RFS has been a tremendously successful bipartisan policy that’s worked to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by producing our own clean American fuel and in leading the innovation of 21st century solutions to our energy needs,” said Tom Buis, co-chair of Growth Energy. “We need to keep this momentum going and I commend the Iowa Senate for passing this resolution.”

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