Testimony supports Farm Bill energy programs

Agriculture is key to the successful development and commercialization of clean, abundant, renewable, domestic energy and bio-based products in the United States. This is the sentiment coming from several organizations in an effort to convince the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry to reauthorize Farm Bill energy programs and provide them with mandatory funding.

Speaking at a hearing on "Formulation of the 2012 Farm Bill: Energy and Forestry Programs" Ryan Stroschein, Co-Director of the Agriculture Energy Coalition (AgEC) testified that, "If the Federal government retreats from its commitment to clean energy, in the Farm Bill and elsewhere, the U.S. will risk losing even more ground to China, Europe, India, Brazil, and other proactive nations… A clean energy future provides domestic economic growth and jobs and improves national security and environmental quality."

Also testifying at the hearing BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood presented a timeline of the Farm Bill energy programs with examples of biorefineries that provide tangible results of the programs spearheading economic revitalization in rural communities.

"[Farm Bill energy programs] are ushering a new generation of advanced biofuels, renewable chemicals, and biobased products to the cusp of commercialization," Greenwood said in his testimony. "Farm Bill energy programs, such as the Biorefinery Assistance Program, BCAP, and the Biobased Markets Program, in combination with complementary federal policies like the Renewable Fuel Standard and supportive tax policies, are speeding technologies to commercial reality."

For more:
- see the timeline
- see this release