July 21, 2010
Gen. Clark Testifies Before Senate Ag Committee
This morning General Clark testified before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on a Panel titled "Empowering Rural Communities, the Status and Future of the Farm Bill's Energy and Rural Development."
Gen. Clark gave an overview of Growth Energy's mission and explained the value of our Fueling Freedom Plan. He said that our continued dependence on foreign oil is detrimental to our national security, our economy and our environment, but we have a solution now and that solution is renewable, homegrown ethanol.
According to Gen. Clark, ethanol can compete against oil if the barriers to entry are removed. These barriers include the current "blend wall" which caps the amount of ethanol that can be blended into our fuel at 10 percent, and the lack of dispensing infrastructure to deliver higher blends of ethanol to the consumer.
Our Fueling Freedom plan calls for the redirection of current ethanol tax credits toward the buildout of ethanol infrastructure, including blender pumps and Flex Fuel Vehicles.
An investment in blender pumps and flex fuel vehicles would give drivers a choice of mid- and high-level ethanol blends at filling stations across the country. Choice is important: at a time when we are coping with the worst ecological disaster in U.S. history, we need a fuel that is cleaner and friendlier for our environment than oil.
And, raising the blend wall will send a signal to investors, financial institutions and others that a viable market exists to invest into the next generation of biofuels, ethanol from cellulose.
Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) both voiced support for the industry and moving forward with policies to encourage the increased production and use of ethanol as a means to reduce our dependence on oil and clean our environment.
You can also read some of Gen. Clark's comments from the Q and A period by checking our our twitter page, located here, and see photos of the hearing by visiting our multimedia page by clicking here.
