U.S. Sen. McCain seeks vote on amendment to bar federal investment in ethanol fueling infrastructure, such as blender pumps; RFA criticizes move, says it would also limit ethanol from non-food sources
Rachel Carter
WASHINGTON
,
October 18, 2011
(press release)
–
With tens of millions of Americans still unemployed or underemployed, Arizona Republican Senator John McCain is seeking a vote on an amendment to limit the increased use of domestically-produced ethanol and the job creation that goes with it. Sen. McCain is specifically seeking to bar federal investment in ethanol fueling infrastructure like blender pumps capable of offering a variety of ethanol blend levels.
Sen. McCain offered this same amendment during the ethanol tax debate in June. It was roundly defeated 41-59.
Responding to Sen. McCain’s latest attempt to protect oil’s monopoly over American transportation fuels, the Renewable Fuels Association issued the following statement:
“Sen. McCain’s amendment is little more than a jobs bill for OPEC nations and other oil interests dedicated to keeping Americans addicted to costly and dangerous imported oil. American ethanol producers are providing the nation with a domestic renewable alternative, creating jobs here at home, and reducing America’s vulnerability to the whims of petro-dictators.
“Policies like this are a relic of a bygone era in which oil was the only game in town. America’s ethanol and biofuels industries are rapidly evolving to include a wide range of feedstocks and developing groundbreaking technologies. By specifically singling out the ethanol molecule for exclusion, this amendment is seeking to kill new technologies using algae, wood waste, garbage and other feedstocks that would produce ethanol in their infancy. America needs jobs and domestic ethanol production is a proven method to create those opportunities. We already know what we get by outsourcing our energy future.”
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