Minnesota Farmers Union

St. Paul (June 2, 2010) - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is working on a label for ethanol blends at the pump.  Minnesota Farmers Union is urging the FTC to use labels that are accurate, descriptive, and not harmful to the ethanol blends so that consumers who drive flex-fuel vehicles can have a real, home-grown, domestic fuel choice.

"Currently, the ethanol industry replaces 364 million barrels of imported oil each and every year," said Doug Peterson, Minnesota Farmers Union President.  "A major study by the Windmill Group identifies 645,000 jobs created by ethanol, and $92 billion to our country's Gross Domestic Product."

A study by Yale University's Journal of Industrial Ecology states that grain ethanol has 59 percent fewer Greenhouse Gas Emissions when compared to conventional gasoline, and the use of ethanol reduces carbon emissions by 16.5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions.  Cellulosic ethanol, the second generation of renewable fuels, is 90 percent cleaner than gasoline, and with the current feed stock of biomass, there is enough biomass in the country to produce 85 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol annually!

WASHINGTON (June 15, 2009) - National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson last week told the House Agriculture Committee NFU could not support climate change legislation, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, as passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Johnson made the following statement.

"If the legislation approved by the Energy and Commerce Committee is not improved with regard to agricultural offsets, National Farmers Union will urge members of Congress to vote against the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009.

"NFU has been proactive and constructive throughout the legislative process and would very much like to support climate change legislation. However, the Energy and Commerce Committee failed to adequately address any of our priorities.

"NFU policy supports a national, mandatory carbon emission cap and trade system to reduce non-farm greenhouse gas emissions if the U.S. Department of Agriculture is granted control and administration of the agriculture offset program, early actors are recognized, no artificial cap is placed on domestic offsets, carbon sequestration rates are based upon science and producers are permitted to stack environmental benefit credits.

From Growth Energy

Since the publication of a controversial study last year (Searchinger et al 2008), a new term has entered the policy debate around biofuels - indirect land use change (ILUC).  The debate is focused on whether or not the carbon intensity of fuels like ethanol can or should include a penalty for theoretical indirect, economic effects.  Land use is just one of many indirect effects that could also increase the greenhouse gas emissions of different fuels, including gasoline.

In December 2008, the European Union decided not to include an ILUC penalty against biofuels.  More recently, in April 2009, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) voted for regulations that would add an "indirect land use change" penalty to biofuels as part of its Low Carbon Fuel Standard.  ARB also agreed to investigate the indirect effects of other fuel types.  In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to release a proposed rule that could include an indirect land use change penalty for biofuels in determining that fuel's capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to gasoline.

What Is ILUC Theory?

St. Paul (April 17, 2009) - Farmers Union is advocating for the inclusion of a robust and voluntary agriculture offset program in climate change legislation, urging lawmakers to support legislation that addresses the unique role America's agriculture producers can play in combating global climate change.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just announced that it plans to regulate greenhouse gas emissions on the grounds that these pollutants pose a danger to the public's health and welfare.

"Because agriculture and forestry lands have the potential to sequester nearly 25 percent of all annual greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, it is critical that a flexible offset program, that ensures maximum voluntary participation by the agricultural and forestry communities, is developed," said Roger Johnson, National Farmers Union President.