<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="636">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="636">
<p>The Agriculture Energy   Coalition today expressed great disappointment Nov. 18 that a deficit   reduction proposal unveiled by the House and Senate Agriculture Committees   reauthorizes energy programs only at modest levels and without mandatory   funding. The Agriculture Committees will soon submit the joint Farm Bill   proposal to be included in the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction&rsquo;s   legislation, should it emerge in the next several days. The coalition of   trade groups and organizations representing renewable energy, energy   efficiency, farm and environmental interests called for support of a previous   proposal to reauthorize programs with robust mandatory funding.</p>
<p>Ag Energy Coalition   Co-director Lloyd Ritter released the following statement on behalf of member   organizations:</p>
<p>&ldquo;The Ag Energy Coalition   thanks the members of the Agriculture Committees for their hard work and   dedication to rural America in proposing to reauthorize the Farm Bill in the   midst of this very difficult budget environment. We especially thank   Chairwoman Stabenow for being a strong supporter of clean, ag-based energy.   However, we believe the proposal is missing an opportunity to promote   national imperatives such as job creation, energy security and sustainability   in every state, by failing to provide significant mandatory funding to the   energy title. With continued support for these programs, Congress can help   the farmers, foresters and others in the renewable energy and energy   efficiency sector create hundreds of thousands of new jobs over the next five   years.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The REFRESH Act, Senator   Lugar&rsquo;s forward-thinking Farm Bill proposal, included hundreds of millions of   dollars and baseline funding for core energy title programs, such as the   Renewable Energy for America Program and the Biomass Crop Assistance Program.   That is what the agricultural and renewable energy industries need. We urge   others in Congress to support his efforts on a bipartisan basis.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We will look for   opportunities to build upon these proposals in the coming days to ensure a   brighter, more secure and sustainable future for rural America through   modest, cost-effective but fundamentally necessary support for ag-based clean   energy.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The Ag Energy Coalition is   a diverse group of renewable energy, energy efficiency, agriculture,   environmental, and rural development groups that have come together to   support important ag-based energy programs, secure funding in the   appropriations process, and make policy recommendations to Congress and USDA   on how to make programs more effective and impactful. Member organizations   include the Advanced Biofuels Association, Biomass Power Association,   Biotechnology Industry Organization, Distributed Wind Energy Association,   National Farmers Union, Novozymes, the Environmental &amp; Energy Study   Institute, and others.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="636"><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="636"><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="636"><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="636"><br /></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

2011/11/13216486470987_thumb.jpg

2011/11/13216486470987.jpg

The Agriculture Energy Coalition today expressed great disappointment Nov. 18 that a deficit reduction proposal unveiled by the House and Senate Agriculture Committees reauthorizes energy programs only at modest levels and without mandatory funding.

Ag Energy Coalition disappointed in Farm Bill proposal

Related Stories

DOE announces up to $23 million to propel renewable chemicals and fuels

DOE issues notice of intent to fund research and development to advance biofuels and bioproducts

Brown introduces bill to create tax credit for biobased chemicals

ChemCatBio launches survey to learn about community response to new biorefining projects

USDA celebrates second National Biobased Products Day

Upcoming Events

North American SAF Conference & Expo

2026 International Biomass Conference & Expo

Ag Energy Coalition disappointed in Farm Bill proposal .css-7jxktu{position:absolute;bottom:0px;left:0px;right:0px;height:3px;border-radius:3px;background-color:var(--chakra-colors-brandBlack);}