LANSING – As the Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday it would reduce the nation’s renewable fuel target it first set back in 2007, ethanol corn growers and supporters of biodiesel expressed grave disappointment in seeing the agency “cave” to opponents.
The EPA set an overall ceiling of 15.21 billion gallons for renewable fuels in 2014, about 16 percent lower than the 18.15 billion gallons Congress had originally set back in 2007, and lower than the 16.55 billion gallon requirement for this year.
The downgrade means less business for ethanol corn growers, of course, and some of them said in a teleconference Friday that would eventually hit the local economy, too.
“$433.3 million is generated every year because of the renewable fuel standard,” said Jim Zook, executive director of the Michigan Corn Growers Association, in a press call. “If eliminated or reduced, you’d see a negative impact on our economy.”
Zook said the industry contributes 400,000 jobs to the national economy.
“All of these are economic engines in rural communities and they spur our economic development,” he said.
It was not immediately clear why the EPA decided to reduce its target for the first time ever, but Zook chalked it up to caving to oil company interests and said the move was “disappointing.”
“It is disappointing that the EPA is caving to pressure from big oil companies and their lobbyists instead of standing up for American consumers, businesses and communities,” he said through spokesperson Dianne Byrum of Byrum and Fisk Communications.
“This law was put into place in 2007. We know ethanol is homegrown,” Zook said. “We have five facilities within the state of Michigan that produce ethanol, and as long as we have the ability to grow corn in our state, we’ll be able to keep those jobs in this state as well.”
Mitch Miller, CEO of Carbon Green BioEnergy in Lake Odessa, estimated that the use of ethanol in biofuels saved $1.09 per all gallons of gas consumed in the United States. That, he said, amounts to about $1,200 per family.
“This is a fight over market share,” Miller said. “Ethanol and other biofuels are doing its part to lower the cost of gasoline.”
Although the matter is predominately a federal issue, Zook said he has rallied his members and supporters to talk with representatives in the Legislature, especially those on the House Agriculture Committee.
“We’ve communicated the same benefits and we do have bipartisan support for making sure that consumers and everybody understands that the renewable fuel standard is critical.”
TV AD: The Michigan Corn Growers Association launched a new statewide radio ad recently, pushing back on attacks on the biofuels industry and calling on Congress to support the Renewable Fuel Standard.
“Using more biofuels keeps more of our money here in Michigan where it creates jobs, sparks new businesses, and drives rural economic growth,” said Jim Zook, executive director of the association, in a statement. “Lawmakers in both parties should support the Renewable Fuel Standard and not be fooled by Big Oil lies.”
The ad states that Michigan farmers and agriculture are growing “clean, high-tech biofuels,” which is “helping reduce the cost of gas at the pump so consumers can keep their hard-earned money.”
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