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Ihnen's
Testimony Underscores NCGA Support for Renewable Fuels Legislation (7-06-01)
"It is time
for us to declare our energy independence" from foreign suppliers
of petroleum and support passage of "The
Renewable Fuels and Energy Security Act of 2001" (S.1006),
according to Hurley, S.D., farmer Darrin Ihnen.
As Vice President
of the South Dakota Corn Growers Association, Ihnen voiced support of
this bill today when he testified at a Senate Energy Committee field
hearing on the bill in Sioux Falls, S.D. Sen. Tim Johnson (R-SD) scheduled
the meeting, and he introduced the bill along with Sen. Chuck Hagel
(R-NE). S. 1006 sets national standards for replacing energy used to
power highway vehicles with renewable energy. Those standards call for
ethanol comprising as much as 3 percent of all highway fuels by 2011
(9 billion gallons of ethanol) and as much as 5 percent by 2016 (16
billion gallons).
Ihnen's testimony
noted "the amount of corn needed to meet the requirements of the
bill grows steadily from about 700 million bushels in 2003 to 1.9 billion
bushels 2011 and almost 2.5 billion bushels in 2016." A dramatic
growth in the ethanol industry helps the United States decrease its
dependence on imported oil, advancing the President's goal of energy
security.
Equally important,
though, are the implications for boosting the economy of rural America.
"We project that S. 1006 will triple corn-based ethanol production
by 2011 and lead to a more-than-four-fold increase in all grain-based
production by 2016," Ihnen testified.
Discussing the collateral
economic benefits delivered by this growth, Ihnen cited a $10 billion
investment in ethanol plants and their equipment alone. "However,
the economic activity generated by this investment by the additional
employment and investment opportunities would be like a Marshall Plan
for rural America. Thus, S. 1006 holds the potential to address our
dependence on foreign oil, and holds the promise of economic independence
for rural America."
Last
reviewed July 6, 2001
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