Biofuels Industry Group Pushes Lawmakers on Corn Ethanol Views
by Zack Coleman (The Hill/E2Wire) … The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) has been warning its political allies on Capitol Hill that attacks against corn ethanol will hinder next-generation fuels, too.
BIO has reached out to lawmakers such as Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.), who both promote advanced biofuel research, BIO Managing Director Matt Carr told E2-Wire on Thursday.
Those lawmakers sponsor legislation that would let states opt out of meeting the renewable fuel standard (RFS) requirement of blending 13.2 billion gallons of corn ethanol into traditional fuel this year, Carr said.
“We want to make sure there are not unintended consequences in altering the program,” Carr said.
Carr said tinkering with that would spook investors in advanced biofuels, which are generally understood as those made from non-food products such as switchgrass and algae.
…BIO contends that the advanced biofuels industry is just about to hit its stride, so preserving investor confidence is essential. The group says advanced biofuels will directly create 29,000 jobs this year and 190,000 by 2022. READ MORE
