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NCGA: Ethanol part of energy solutionNational Corn Growers president addresses Louisville forum In 2008 the United States will import nearly two-thirds of its oil needs, the vast majority from unstable regimes in the Middle East. Already, corn-based ethanol is making a difference, displacing 330,000 barrels of imported oil a day--more than one large oil tanker a week--and shifting our reliance from foreign sheiks to farmers across Kentucky and the Midwest. Our vision is to be an industry producing 15 billion bushels of corn and providing 15 billion gallons of ethanol by the year 2015," said Ron Litterer, president of the National Corn Growers Association, and farmer from Greene, Iowa. "We're going to do this while still providing enough supply for our export markets and our biggest customer--the livestock industry." Litterer addressed the Louisville Forum's September meeting "Energy: We Know the Problems. What are the Solutions?" He noted the industry was already nearing its goal with a predicted harvest of more than 12 billion bushels of corn this fall, a portion going to the production of 9 billion gallons of ethanol. Importantly, for every barrel of ethanol that is produced, 1.2 barrels of petroleum is replaced. Ethanol also has an even more important impact on drivers by helping keep the cost of gasoline from being higher. A commodity strategist for Merrill Lynch recently estimated that expanding biofuel production has helped reduce the price of gas by 15 percent. "By using ethanol to keep gas prices 15 percent lower, that means U.S. consumers save approximately $70 billion at the pump each year," Litterer said. Further, in 2007 the ethanol industry added more than $47 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product, according to a study by the Renewable Fuels Association. Litterer said ethanol was responsible for putting $8.2 billion into federal, state and local government treasuries and for supporting 240,000 jobs. And when it comes to tax credits or government subsidies, in 2006 ethanol received only about a third of all federal subsidies for energy. Ethanol isn't just important for our economy; it also helps protect the environment. "Research by Argonne National Laboratory showed that in 2006 the use of ethanol reduced carbon dioxide-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions by about 8 million tons. That's like taking 1.2 million cars off American roads for a year," he said. Litterer went on to note that due to technology advances on the farm--and even in the seed--growers are using pesticides and nutrients more efficiently than ever before, producing more bushels of corn on less acres of land and with fewer inputs. "Our energy solution must be as well-rounded and diverse as our energy needs. Ethanol has a valuable role to play in that quest." 9/22/08 Date: 9/16/08
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