Washington – Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, released the following statement in response to the study released by the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) examining the impacts of various ethanol policy options.
“The new study published by the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute shows that increasing the amount of ethanol blended into the gasoline supply to 15 percent will have minimal impact on ethanol, corn, and food prices, while helping to increase farm income and providing value to our economy. This study further reinforces that America’s farmers can produce enough corn to meet food and fuel needs without using additional land or disrupting the global food supply.
“In fact, the study shows that there is a ZERO percent change in consumer food expenditures when moving to a 15 percent ethanol blend, while net farm income is expected to increase $460 million. Previous studies have shown a higher ethanol blend will create and support more than 130,000 new green-collar jobs and inject $24.4 billion into the U.S. economy annually. We urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to closely examine the results of this study as it considers the approval of Growth Energy’s Green Jobs Waiver. We look forward to working with the Obama Administration and Congress to ensure that renewable fuels like ethanol remain part of the solution to our economic, energy, national security, and environmental challenges.”
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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.