Rep. Enyart Calls for Energy Independence, Growing Agriculture Economy With New Bill

(Congressman Bill Enyart (D-IL)) Legislation Would Support Research & Development for Biofuels in U.S. Air Force
Surrounded by agriculture leaders at a farm near Scott Air Force Base, Congressman Bill Enyart (D-IL) today announced a major push to power the nation’s military aircraft with biofuels.
Congressman Enyart announced support for his Biofuels Development Act of 2013. The bill would establish a pilot program for the Air Force to support research and development for a bio-based aviation fuel for use by the Air Force. At a press conference at the SIU-Belleville Research Farm near the military base, Illinois agriculture leaders hailed the plan.
Enyart, a member of both the House Armed Services and Agriculture Committees, said it’s time to boost the local economy and sever the nation’s ties to foreign oil.
“We stand beside fields of corn and soybeans that will be harvested in the coming weeks,” Enyart told a gathering of agriculture leaders Monday afternoon. “Across the fence from those crops are runways that support fighter jets and refueling tankers that keep our country strong and secure from threats from throughout the world. We have an idea whose time has come. Here in Southern Illinois, we can lead the way to both an energy independent country and a vibrant economy here at home.”
Building on existing programs between the US Departments of Agriculture, Energy and the Navy promoting biofuels, Enyart’s legislation would direct the Air Force to develop a program to provide competitive grants to existing biofuel research centers. The grants would fund pilot-scale research, development and testing of bio-based fuels for use by the Air Force as an aviation fuel for jet aircraft.
The Air Force is a large-scale consumer of fuel which comes at a substantial cost to its budget and the American taxpayer. Aviation consumes 86% of the Air Force’s $8.3 billion energy consumption expenditures, Enyart said.
“Southern Illinois is home to a huge agriculture industry and Scott Air Force Base. A federal initiative like the one proposed would create a partnership between the agriculture community, Scott and existing biofuels research centers in the region that could be of huge benefit to the country as the nation moves to secure new sources of fuel to power the best Air Force in the world,” Enyart said.
Enyart’s legislation has been endorsed by a number of Illinois-based agriculture groups, including the Illinois Farm Bureau, the Illinois Corn Growers Association and the Illinois Renewable Fuels Association.
“The Biofuels Development Act leverages our region's existing resources – our natural transportation network, the most fertile farmland in the nation, a skilled workforce, and more than a century of combined biofuels expertise at our Center – and brings those assets together to advance our nation's energy security,” National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) at SIUE Director John Caupert said.
Others speaking in support of the legislation were Adam Nielsen of the Illinois Farm Bureau, Ken Hartmann of the Illinois Corn Growers Association, and Mike Campbell, chair of Congressman Enyart’s 12th District Ag Advisory Committee.
The bill also won support from Growth Energy, a leading organization representing renewable fuels producers and their supporters across the nation.
“We can not only feed the world, we can fuel the world,” Enyart said. “This plan is good for our farmers. It’s good for our economy. It’s good for our country. And it’s my belief that the federal government should not only promote these kinds of policies, but it should lead the way and set the example.” READ MORE