Ag Committee Hears Testimony on LCFS
Witnesses say they would support it if done correctly.
Compiled by staff
Published: May 22, 2009
The House Committee on Agriculture held a hearing Thursday on the Low Carbon Fuel Standard and proposals being considered at both the state and federal levels. Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis told the panel the LCFS is a worthy cause, and one that Growth Energy members would support if done correctly.
"It should apply equally to all transportation fuels and based on universally accepted science and economic modeling," said Buis. "The international land use requirement should be eliminated."
Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., voiced his concern that some of the RFS provisions under consideration are short on science and long on obstructive and excessive restrictions.
Ray Gaesser, vice president of the American Soybean Association told the panel that EPA's assumptions do not adequately consider other market factors such as population growth, food and feed demand, and timber prices that have historically driven international land use decisions.
As for the requirement that renewable fuel manufacturers prove that their feedstocks meet the definition of renewable biomass, the ASA leader pointed out that the EPA proposed rule would limit eligibility to biofuels produced only from feedstocks grown on existing cropland. This requirement could result in the need to provide feedstock certification.
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Tagged: EPA, soybean, biofuels, soybean association, American Soybean Association
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