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| NCGA Public
Policy Action Team member David Gillen met with Sen. John Thune
(R-SD) in the South Dakota Corn Growers Association offices last
week to discuss the RFS and energy legislation. Gillen, who is
SDCGA president, said it’s critical to understand how important
the RFS is both nationally and on a state level. |
Gillen
Discusses RFS with Sen. Thune (03-25-05)
National Corn Growers Association
(NCGA) Public Policy Action Team member David Gillen met with Sen.
John Thune (R-SD) in Sioux Falls, S.D., Monday to explore future strategy
for the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) and the energy bill moving
through Congress.
Thune met with Gillen,
who is president of the South Dakota Corn Growers Association (SDCGA),
and other SDCGA agricultural leaders.
“It’s good
to listen and talk with the people who are on the front lines of the
debate and make sure that the things we are doing in Washington and
Congress are consistent with the kinds of policies that need to be
in place for the industry to do well in the future,” said Thune
during his meeting. “I’ve said it before and I mean it
sincerely, we have to increase the usage of renewable fuels in this
country.”
The meeting came after
Thune’s 6-billion-gallon ethanol bill passed the Senate Environment
and Public Works Committee last week. Also last week, Sens. Dick Lugar
(R-Ind.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) spearheaded the introduction of bipartisan
legislation to establish an improved RFS agreement. The bill would
require the use of 4 billion gallons of renewable fuels, such as ethanol
and biodiesel, in 2006, increasing to 8 billion gallons by 2012. Nineteen
additional Senators cosponsored the Lugar/Harkin bill, including Thune
and South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson.
“The NCGA and SDCGA
are very excited about the 8-billion-gallon bill recently introduced
in Congress,” Gillen said. “It’s critical to understand
just how important the RFS is on a national level and to states such
as South Dakota. We’re using 30 to 40 percent of our corn into
ethanol. So we want to make sure South Dakota is well represented
in this issue.”
With gas prices exceeding
$2 per gallon, Thune said the United States is moving toward an energy
crisis, which provides the incentive to pass an energy bill to bring
relief at the gas pump.
“We need to make
sure we are utilizing those resources that we have at our disposal
to help ease the energy crisis in this country and to lessen our dependence
on foreign sources of oil,” said Thune. “So I hope this
energy policy includes expanded use of renewable fuels; a renewable
fuels standard; tax credits to provide incentives for the industry
to move forward; incentives for conservation so that people will be
more conscious in buying fuel-efficient vehicles or using efficient
types of fuels and encouraging manufacturers to make sure they are
capturing fuel efficiency. But also, we need to increase supply in
this country.”
Last reviewed
March 25, 2005