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February 21, 2003

Daschle says new legislation will be boon to Chancellor Ethanol Plant

WASHINGTON, DC—Senator Tom Daschle introduced the Fuels Security Act of 2003, which responds directly to our nation’s unhealthy reliance on imported oil by establishing greater flexibility in our gasoline regulations, and by tripling the use of domestic renewable fuels over the next ten years. The bill is being co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of senators, including Republican Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana and Senator Tim Johnson.
“With the instability abroad and the sagging rural economy at home, the Fuel Security Act of 2003 is the right approach at the right time,” said Senator Daschle. “This bill will be an enormous boon to Chancellor. Nearly tripling the use of homegrown renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel would revolutionize South Dakota’s economy by increasing farm income and creating high-quality jobs.”
Ethanol contributes more than $1 billion in new wealth and thousands of jobs a year to South Dakota’s economy.
The Daschle bill, which is identical to legislation passed the Senate last year as part of the Energy Bill, makes several important changes in federal law, including:
Creating a nationwide renewable fuels standard that will nearly triple the use of renewable fuels over the next ten years;
Providing special encouragement to biomass based ethanol;
Banning MTBE in four years;
Authorizing funds to cleanup MTBE contamination and fix leaking underground tanks;
Providing all states with additional authority to address air quality concerns;
Eliminating the oxygen requirement from the reformulated gas program.
The U.S. is currently importing close to 60 percent of the oil it uses. Over the next ten years, the United States is expected to consume roughly1.5 trillion gallons of gasoline. At the same time, the U.S. holds only three percent of the known world oil reserves.
“Ethanol comes from American farmers, passes through American refineries, and fuels American energy needs. No soldier has to fight overseas to protect it. And no international cartel can turn off the spigot on it,” said Daschle.
The Daschle bill is supported by, the American Coalition for Ethanol, the American Petroleum Institute, the Northeast States Coordinated Air Use Management Agency, the Clean Fuels Development Coalition, the Renewable Fuels Association, the Governor’s Ethanol Coalition, the National Farmers Union, the American Farm Bureau, the National Corn Growers Association, and the American Corn Growers Association.
Daschle said that with the support of Senators from both parties and these groups, he is optimistic that the bill will become law this Congress. During consideration of the Energy Bill last summer, the Senate endorsed the Renewable Fuels Standard package by a vote of 69 to 30.
“The renewable fuels standard will be a win-win-win. It will help the environment, it will help the rural economies which are hurting right now, and it will help reduce America’s dangerous dependence on foreign oil.”

Source: Lennox Independent 

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