Take time to comment on biofuels

Should you care about the Renewable Fuel Standard?
Even if you’ve never farmed, even if you don’t have a single acre of corn, the answer is yes.
Over the past six or seven years, it’s the requirement that gasoline sold at the pump contain a certain percentage of renewable fuel like ethanol that has helped push corn prices higher and provided a boost to farm incomes.
And those farm income dollars have a multiplier effect in the local economy, whether you farm or not.
Now the Environmental Protection Agency is weighing action to reduce the advanced biofuel requirements and total renewable fuel standards for 2014. A formal proposal by the EPA has been published in the Federal Register and the 60-day period for public comment comes to an end next week.
The net effect of the change would be a reduction in the amount of grain-based ethanol — the type POET Biorefining produces locally — from 14.4 billion gallons to a little over 13 billion gallons. That’s down from last year’s total of 13.8 billion, and there’s little doubt the reduced demand would put downward pressure on corn prices.
A key issue is what percentage of biofuels or ethanol would have to be blended with fossil fuels. Currently it’s 10 percent, and the oil industry would like to keep it there. Tests by the EPA last year indicated a 15 percent blend wouldn’t have a negative impact on newer cars.
Gasoline consumption has been down in recent years, a reflection of the weak economy, and the logical way to meet the Renewable Fuel Standard would be to make a modest increase in the percentage of the blend.
That’s the question confronting the EPA.
Why does this matter? Beyond the local impact on farm incomes and a local employer, there’s the fact that renewable fuels reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Energy independence simply makes good sense in a dangerous world.
So how do you weigh in on this?
Letters and comments must be received by the EPA by Jan. 28. When commenting, you should mention Docket Number: EPA-HQ-OAR-2013-0479 so the EPA will know what issue you are commenting on.
You can mail comments to Administrator Gina McCarthy at Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20460.
Or you can email them to [email protected].
Or you can go to www.regulations.gov and search for RFS, then click on Renewable Fuel Standard Program; 2014 Standards, then click on Comment Now.
The ethanol and biofuels industry also recommends sending your comments — whatever they happen to be — to your representative and senator in Congress and to the White House. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]