Growth Energy, Pacific Ethanol speak out on ethanol tax credit
In Washington, as BIO, the Advanced Biofuels Association and the Algal Biomass Organization joined forces to seek unity in the biofuels policy debate, a number of other voices were raised as the din over the ethanol blender tax credit (VEETC), loan guarantees, EPA legislation and more reached fever pitch.
Among the voices in a crowd resembling Grand Central Station at rush hour, include:
Tom Buis, CEO, Growth Energy: “Anyone who blames ethanol for pain at the pump simply hasn’t looked at the market, where ethanol is historically cheaper than gasoline. In fact, ethanol is the cheapest motor fuel on the planet. Meanwhile, oil prices are climbing drastically, threatening the still fragile American economy, because our nation relies so heavily on gasoline distilled from foreign oil. American-produced, renewable ethanol improves our national security and our nation’s economy.
Neil Koehler, CEO of Pacific Ethanol: “For weeks, we as a nation have watched as chaos has spread across the Middle East, and we have also watched as it costs more and more to fill up our cars. America should have broken from its dependence on oil in the 1970s during the OPEC Oil Crisis. What oil companies and the oil lobby are trying to keep under the rug and swirling in misinformation is the fact that there is an alternative, there is a solution and it has been here for a while. “Does America really think Big Oil is happy that ethanol makes up 10% of every gallon of gas?” asks Koehler. “How do you think they would react if it was increased to 20% or 30%? “
Following a vote by the House Energy and Commerce Committee to weaken the EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gases, Dan Lashof, Climate Center Director of the Natural Resources Defense Counsel and Advisor to the Project on Climate Science, said: “This is a stunning rebuke to the National Academy of Sciences, scientists at the EPA, and leading scientific institutions around the world,” He added, “This bill – a brazen overreach by some Republicans eager to carry out the agenda of fossil fuel interests — is an attempt to have Congress micromanage regulatory issues that are best left to scientific experts.”
Category: Policy
