WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) led a bipartisan group of Senators in calling on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to include provisions aimed at expanding biofuels markets in energy legislation pending in the Senate. Additionally, the Senators asked that Leader Reid consider legislation to extend the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEECT) beyond its current expiration date of December 31, 2010. In the letter, the Senators point out that these steps are crucial to reducing the nation's dependence of foreign petroleum, creating jobs in the United States and addressing the issue of climate change. It is estimated that the enactment of these policies will enable as much as a 5-fold increase in biofuels' displacement of oil-based fuel use in transportation within the next two decades. Joining Harkin in signing the letter were Senators Christopher Bond (R-MO), Tim Johnson (D-SD) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). A copy of the letter can be found here.
"One of our most pressing energy issues is our continued dependence on imported petroleum for fueling our transportation systems. On this issue, we are encouraged by the progress that is being made by vehicle efficiency gains and by the increasing contributions from domestic biofuels. However, we are also deeply concerned that continued expansion of biofuels is being constrained by marketplace limitations," wrote the Senators. "We therefore urge you to include biofuels market expansion provisions addressing these barriers in energy legislation considered by the Senate."
As the former Chairman and now senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Harkin has been a long-time leader in promoting the production and use of biofuels as an important part of the nation's energy strategy. Recent Harkin initiatives and actions aimed at promoting biofuels include :
"One of our most pressing energy issues is our continued dependence on imported petroleum for fueling our transportation systems. On this issue, we are encouraged by the progress that is being made by vehicle efficiency gains and by the increasing contributions from domestic biofuels. However, we are also deeply concerned that continued expansion of biofuels is being constrained by marketplace limitations," wrote the Senators. "We therefore urge you to include biofuels market expansion provisions addressing these barriers in energy legislation considered by the Senate."
As the former Chairman and now senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Harkin has been a long-time leader in promoting the production and use of biofuels as an important part of the nation's energy strategy. Recent Harkin initiatives and actions aimed at promoting biofuels include :
- On August 4, Harkin led a bipartisan group of Senators in introducing an amendment to the pending energy bill to expand the U.S. biofuels market by increasing the percentage of vehicles manufactured for sale in the U.S. that are flex-fuel capable; increasing the number of blender pumps at refueling stations so more consumers can buy fuels with higher percentages of ethanol; and authorizing loan guarantees for renewable fuel pipelines. More information can be found here.
- On August 2, Harkin convened a meeting between a bipartisan group of senators and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and Department of Energy Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman to urge prompt approval of E15 ethanol blend for use in all gasoline-fueled vehicles. At the meeting, Harkin urged for the approval of E-15, as well as E-20, which EPA is also reviewing. More information can be found here.
- On June 28, Harkin and six other senators wrote to President Obama urging his Administration to move rapidly to integrate biofuels into the nation's transportation fuel supply. In the letter, the senators expressed concern that the Department of Energy (DOE) had not yet completed testing of higher blends of ethanol in gasoline, which would allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to approve the use of gasoline containing more than 10 percent ethanol. More information can be found here.
- On June 23, Harkin spoke on the Senate floor expressing his disappointment in EPA and DOE's delay in making a decision on E-15 and calling for an end to the delay. Audio of that can be found here.
