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Before Congress, NCGA stands proud behind Renewable Fuels StandardIn testimony May 6 before members of Congress, National Corn Growers Association Chief Executive Officer Rick Tolman countered a massive disinformation campaign against ethanol and offered a clear and concise defense of the expanded Renewable Fuels Standard that was overwhelmingly passed by both House and Senate in December. "This policy has been critical to the growth and economic development of rural America and has added value to our product, which for so long has been priced below the cost of production," Tolman said in his submitted testimony. "The energy bill was sound policy that encouraged a diversification of renewable resources and further reduced our reliance on foreign oil." In his testimony to the House Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality, Tolman took to task naysayers who blame corn and ethanol for rising food prices and world hunger. "A look at the facts surrounding food prices simply doesn't support that logic," Tolman said. "More so, the effects of $120 barrel oil have far reaching effects on the consumer price for food. A recent study by the Oregon Department of Agriculture details the factors affecting food price: a growing middle class in Latin America and Asia, drought in Australia, low worldwide wheat stocks, increases in labor costs, a declining U.S. dollar, regional pests, diseases, droughts and frosts, and marginal impacts from ethanol demand for corn and sugarcane." Tolman also directed the members to a White House fact sheet on hunger issued May 1, which states: "Increased production of corn-based biofuels is estimated to account for only three percent of the 43 percent increase in global food prices." In his conclusion, Tolman said the RFS is crucial to our nation's energy security. "NCGA sees the Renewable Fuels Standard as a critical part of domestic energy security," he said. "Its inclusion has strengthened our energy policy and further diversified our nation's fuel supply in a time of global volatility and increasing demand for energy. Corn growers will continue to meet the growing demands of food, feed and fuel in an economical and environmentally responsible manner."
Date: 5/21/08
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