Submit your comments by Sept. 25 to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about its expanded Renewable Fuel Standard regulations, known as RFS II. This proposed standard could drasticaly impact the future of U.S. corn-based ethanol because it creates an unlevel playing field for corn ethanol, while ignoring the impacts of oil and gas production.
A study from Informa Economics estimates the annual recurruing costs to comply with the renewable biomass provisions whithin the RFS II will be approximately $420 million or nearly $.09/bushel.
The RFS II also places significant burdens on U.S. farmers by requring proof that feedstocks used for ethanol production came from cropland that was in production prior to 2007. In addition, the RFS II doesn’t take into account corn growers’ ability to continually produce a larger supply of corn through increased yields.
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has several serious concerns about the EPA’s proposed rule to implement the expanded RFS II. For an outline of these concerns, visit: http://www.ncga.com/ncga-growers-help-us-respond-epa-ethanol-standard-9-15-09.
These concerns can easily be incorporated into your comments to the EPA. To download sample letters or e-mail messages, visit the NCGA Action Center online at: http://capwiz.com/ncga/issues/alert/?alertid=14028181.
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