Biodiesel board chairman testifies at Farm Bill hearing
The chairman of the National Biodiesel Board told lawmakers at a House Agriculture hearing May 18 that biodiesel production benefits rural economies across the country and urged them to continue key programs in the 2012 Farm Bill.
Gary Haer, NBB's chairman and a vice president at Renewable Energy Group, a leading U.S. biodiesel producer, testified before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry on issues relating to the energy title of the pending Farm Bill. He highlighted the biodiesel industry's growth and diversity, pointing out that more than half of the lawmakers on the panel have at least one biodiesel production plant in their districts.
"NBB estimates that those plants and others like them across the country supported more than 39,000 jobs in all sectors of the U.S. economy in 2011," Haer said. "Most of the more than 200 biodiesel production facilities in the U.S. are located in rural areas, and a majority of the feedstock used to produce biodiesel is grown or originates in rural areas."
Haer specifically called for the committee to continue funding for the Biodiesel Fuel Education Program and the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels, programs that are critical to raising awareness of biodiesel and stimulating new production. The programs are succeeding, he noted, pointing out that they helped the industry produce a record of nearly 1.1 billion gallons of fuel last year.
"Biodiesel is part of the ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy outlined by many energy leaders across the country," Haer added. "The recent oil price spikes should remind us all why this is important. With domestically produced alternatives to oil, we can reduce the influence that global forces such as OPEC have over our economy."
Biodiesel is produced in nearly every state in the country and last year supported more than 39,000 jobs and $3.8 billion in GDP, according to a recent study conducted by Cardno ENTRIX, an international economics consulting firm. NBB is the U.S. biodiesel trade association.
2 Responses
Christian Thalacker
2012-05-18
1As a parent, PTA-member, former teacher, former NRA member, former Trout Unlimited member, former editor for two of the largest energy brokerages in the world, and currently a director of the non+profit Louisville Biodiesel Cooperative that recycles waste to Biodiesel, I encourage Kentucky's Senators McConnell and Rand to reverse their decisions against local, community-scale biodiesel ... and initiate legislation that will promote local, high performance, non-toxic, non-cancer causing, recycled from waste biodiesel. The alternative? Business-as-usual promoting waste-to-lipstick & animal feed & pet food ... and a trickle of biodiesel. Unfortunately today in Kentucky: A. home to the 99% worst polluted county (Jefferson County) from fossil fuel in the country ... says ABT Associates. B. every single Kentucky stream is too polluted from Mercury+ to eat the fish out of ... says the Kentucky Department of Wildlife. C. country's highest (~40%) exposure to second-hand smoke = #1 cause of pre-mature death ... says the American Lung Association. D. 100% of school buses, ambulances, fire trucks, trains, generators, boats, cars, trucks powered by ~98% petroleum diesel = #2 cause of pre-mature death ... says the Kentucky Department of Energy. E. 92% of electricity is coal-powered = #3 cause of pre-mature death ... says the Kentucky Department of Energy. F. #1 polluted river in the nation = the Ohio River ... says Business Journal+.
Albert Coburn
2012-05-21
2as a former operator of a Bio-Diesel facility,Monsanto and Cargill controlled a lot of feedstock,then there was the 'money problem', our lenders turned down our recapitalization loans through political pressure, If any farther progress in bio-fuels are to happen it must take place out of the mainstream with private money. Small scale production can be accomplished,sadly the cold process seed crushers are made in communist china,the chemicals are easily gotten at good price. The best system I have seem that is easily scaleable comes from eastern europe. If we want to reach the emmission and fuel economy goals we can do it with Diesel cars and Bio-Diesel
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