Tom Vilsack comes down hard on the Senate’s decision

In Washington, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, in a conference call with Adam Monroe, president of Novozymes North America, came down hard on the Senate Armed Services Committee’s decision to block the Pentagon from using 2013 funding to buy alternate fuels that are more expensive than conventional fuels. “It’s beyond me why we wouldn’t help this industry that will create higher farm income, more jobs in rural America, reduce the costs for consumers, satisfy commercial airlines … and make our military less reliant on a foreign supply of energy,” Vilsack said. “Government has a role to work in partnership with the private sector to provide incentives, to provide the right tax policy, to provide assistance to get these industries up and going.”

More on the story.