Environmental policy is a hot topic these past few months in Washington, and around the country. The Biden Administration campaigned heavily on improving the environment and combatting climate change. Biofuels have long said that they can be a part of those plans. However, there are calls for updating the data concerning biofuels at the United States Department of Agriculture. One Iowa Senator is one of those asking for updates to the modeling.
Iowa Junior Senator Joni Ernst says that while the benefits of biofuels have been corroborated by scientific studies, the latest information is not being considered. Ernst cited a study by the Environmental Research Letters is showing that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from corn ethanol is 46% lower than gasoline. Ernst says that the Biden Administration should look at the modeling data it has and update it.
Ernst has joined a bipartisan group of senators in sending a letter to U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, explaining why they are making this push to the Biden Administration, and asking USDA to update the GHG modeling data by the end of the year.
While the Biden Administration is pushing hard for an electric car future, Ernst says that biofuels are a viable alternative for helping clean the environment.
Ernst says that working with Secretary Vilsack makes it easier to have the ear of the Biden Administration. With Secretary Vilsack?s history in Iowa, he is uniquely positioned to understand the benefits of biofuels and help advocate their future with President Biden.
Senator Ernst earlier this year helped introduce legislation aimed at getting the Administration to update its modeling. You can read more about the Adopt GREET (Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use Act in Transportation Model) Act here.
