Washington, D.C. – Following the decision by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, to pull his proposed amendment barring Environmental Protection Agency funds from being used to limit U.S.-biofuels production through controversial Indirect Land Use Changes measurements, Growth Energy Chief Executive Officer Tom Buis issued the following statement:
“The Environmental Protection Agency threatened to derail implementation of the Renewable Fuels Standard if the amendment passed. We do not agree with their legal analysis, and we’ll continue to advocate the right policy – a policy rooted in logic and fact. To that end, we greatly appreciate Senator Harkin’s effort to get the EPA administrator to admit there is uncertainty about Indirect Land Use – something we’ve said all along. The current proposal to measure emissions from international Indirect Land Use Change was never debated in Congress, it is not accepted science, and ultimately requires long-term study before becoming the standard by which an entire industry is regulated. Domestic ethanol is the only alternative to foreign oil that creates U.S. jobs, cuts greenhouse gas emissions, and reinforces our national, economic and energy security.”
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About Growth Energy.
Growth Energy is a group committed to the promise of agriculture and growing America’s economy through cleaner, greener energy. Growth Energy members recognize America needs a new ethanol approach. Through smart policy reform and a proactive grassroots campaign, Growth energy promotes reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding the use of ethanol in gasoline, decreasing our dependence on foreign oil, and creating American jobs at home. More information can be found at GrowthEnergy.org.