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SENATORS' LETTER TO VP CHENEY ADVOCATES A KEY ROLE FOR RENEWABLE FUELS
IN
ENERGY POLICY
May
16 , 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Contact:
David Uchic, uchic@dc.ncga.com;
202/628-7001
Mimi
Ricketts, Director of Marketing Communications, 636/733-9004, ext.112
WASHINGTON (May
16, 2001) -- The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA)
applauds Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Tim Johnson (D-SD) for sending
a
letter to Vice President Dick Cheney today asserting their strong support
for renewable fuels such as ethanol in national energy policy. Hagel
and
Johnson led the effort to advance a prominent role for ethanol in U.S.
energy policy, and they were joined by 16 additional senators who signed
the
letter to Cheney.
The letter seeks
establishment of a federal renewable fuels requirement for
motor fuels that would replace 3 percent of the energy used in such
fuels by
2011. Meeting that requirement with ethanol would require annual production
of 9 billion gallons, which would exceed NCGA’s goal of tripling
the U.S.
ethanol industry during the next decade.
A renewable fuels
requirement would also achieve the displacement of about
500,000 to 600,000 barrels of crude oil each day, which promotes the
energy
security this nation seeks and that ethanol producers pledged. Corn-derived
ethanol delivers energy security because it is a domestically produced,
renewable fuel source that is immune to manipulation by foreign governments
and cartels.
The letter states,
“Increasing the production and use of ethanol and
biodiesel will promote a number of energy, environmental and economic
public
policy goals. First, it will decrease the need for imported petroleum
products, reduce the stress on our refineries and reduce consumer gasoline
costs. Second, it will help improve air quality across the country by
reducing carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon, nitrogen oxide and toxic emissions.
Third, the increased demand for grain used in the production of ethanol
and
biodiesel will provide an important economic stimulus to rural America.
Finally, because ethanol and biodiesel are produced from renewable
resources, they are the most efficient means of reducing greenhouse
gas
emissions from motor fuels in the near term.”
The senators concluded
their letter by noting, “Mr. Vice President, we look
forward to working with you over the next several months to develop
a
comprehensive energy policy that promotes domestic energy production
from
all of this country’s vast natural resources, including the largely
untapped
energy produced by America’s farmers.”
Sens. Hagel and
Johnson serve on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Committee, which will write any energy legislation.
For the letter in
its entirety, visit the NCGA web site.
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