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NCGA Continues to Promote Ethanol as Vital Part of Energy Plan (7-10-01)
It seems everywhere
we turn these days, we're hearing about how we're not only running low
on finite supplies of oil, but how additional drilling is damaging the
environment.
This is why ethanol
should be a key component of a rational, sustainable national energy
policy, said Boyd Smith, a farmer from York, Neb., and vice chairman
of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Customer & Business
Development Action Team.
"Ethanol provides
energy security because it is a homegrown resource made from an abundantly
available, easily renewable commodity: corn," he said. "By
supporting ethanol, NCGA is representing the nation's corn growers as
well those who are concerned about the environment. Ethanol opens another
market for corn and provides a safer, cleaner alternative to petroleum."
The NCGA has been
instrumental in national ethanol promotion -- most notably the recent
successful push to encourage the Bush administration to deny California's
request for an oxygenate waiver. Largely because of efforts by corn
growers throughout the nation, President Bush denied the waiver and
now, California will be required to use ethanol to maintain the oxygen
requirement in their reformulated gasoline. NCGA's technical analysis
- which provided the factual data to help secure that victory - resulted
from the cooperation between state corn grower checkoff boards and NCGA.
The returns on that investment were apparent in that decision.
More and more, ethanol
use is becoming mainstream. In May, an industry record was broken when
U.S. ethanol plants produced 108,000 barrels per day en route to an
expected total production of 1.8 billion gallons this year.
"We are working
to meet the demands created by the expansion of this market," said
Smith. "We're also working to meet our objective of tripling the
ethanol market over the next 10 years by supporting legislative and
regulatory actions that will meet this goal."
For more information
on the NCGA's stance on ethanol, visit the ethanol section of its website
at http://www.ncga.com/ethanol/main/index.htm.
Last
reviewed July 10, 2001
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