Biofuel Industry Urges Congress to Leave Biofuels Provision in Energy Law
Advocates of the biofuels industry sent Congress a letter urging lawmakers "to stand firm in the face of calls to waive or repeal the groundbreaking biofuels provisions included in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), including the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS)."
The letter was delivered to leadership of the congressional committees now considering measures that could help or hinder the domestic biofuels industry, Rep. Fred Upton. R-Mich., chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and its ranking member, Rep. Henry Waxman. D-Calif., as well as Sen. Barbara Boxer. D-Calif, chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and its ranking member, Sen. James Inhofe. R-Okla.
The group emphasized "the domestic biofuels industry is already creating jobs, helping to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil," and "now contributing more than 400,000 jobs and $53 billion in new activity to the nation's economy. A recent report found that additional job creation from advanced biofuels production under the RFS could reach 807,000 by 2022."
The industry leaders wrote they are "committed to ensuring the U.S biofuels policy is implemented in a way that builds upon current technologies and fosters the development of new ones."
They cautioned lawmakers, "calls to reduce, waive or eliminate the RFS would send a chilling signal to markets at time when dozens of new biofuels technologies are traversing the so-called "Valley of Death" to first commercialization."