Illinois organisations comment on anti-ethanol campaign

Kenneth Harman, Jr., Illinois Corn Growers Association President, Richard Guebert, Jr., Illinois Farm Bureau President, and Raymond E. Defenbaugh, Illinois Renewable Fuels Association President, have issued the following joint statement regarding the anti-ethanol campaign currently underway in Illinois:

"The anti-ethanol smear campaign currently underway in Illinois is heavy on rhetoric and short on facts. The timing is suspicious, as we're just about 10 days away from the deadline that requires the US Environmental Protection Agency's release of its final rule making on the Renewable Fuel Standard RVO requirement. Such a desperate, expensive spend on advertising reflects the precarious position of big oil. They don't have a leg to stand on.

"We know that the Renewable Fuel Standard has been one of the most successful energy policies ever enacted. It has rejuvenated rural economies, created jobs nationwide, and lowered prices at the pump, all while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"EPA recognises that corn ethanol provides a significant reduction in greenhouse gasses. In fact, global ethanol production and use is estimated to reduce those emissions by 100 million t. That's like taking 20 million vehicles off the road. US ethanol production each year displaces the gasoline equivalent of 512 million bbls of crude oil. That's more than we import annually from Saudi Arabia.

"The science is clear. So should be the choice. Supporting the RFS is the right thing to do for all of us. We certainly hope that as President Obama heads to the Paris climate talks that he has not handed a victory to oil interests. We stand ready to help the President lead by example in improving air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

Adapted from press release by Rosalie Starling

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/clean-fuels/24112015/illinois-organisations-discredit-anti-ethanol-campaign-1795/