Farm Compliance

Washington, DC - Another Fourth of July is upon us and as we prepare to celebrate this nation’s independence it is also a good time to reflect on our dangerous reliance of imported petroleum and ask what more we should we be doing to assure our energy independence.

This Independence Day we should be resolute and re-commit ourselves to making the right choices for America. We can pursue a strategic national initiative that will lead us to energy independence - and put America back in control of its destiny. We can start by looking for ethanol fuel at the pump. It is readily available as a 10 percent blend and E85 is becoming more common - as are the flexible-fuel vehicles that can utilize this clean-burning fuel.

“Achieving energy independence won’t be an easy task, but will require the same tenacity and strength Americans have shown in the past. It will take hard work, innovation, investment, conservation, collaboration and patience,” says Joshua Morby, executive director of the Wisconsin Bio Industry Alliance.

The challenge is real because we import 60 percent of our petroleum today, which adds up to more than $1 billion leaving our shores daily. We are mortgaging our futures. However, we are well-positioned to continue making substantive progress on renewable fuels. The U.S. biofuels industry is leading the renewable fuels effort, providing more than half of our country’s renewable energy last year. Ethanol alone displaced 200 million barrels of imported oil.

Don’t be fooled by sensational headlines and pseudo-science funded by anti-ethanol factions. Ethanol continues to be as good an idea today as it has always been because of its contributions to our environment, energy security and economy.

Productivity on America’s farms is at an all time high and through technology and innovation farmers are growing five times more corn than they did in the 1930s on 20 percent less land. And this is being accomplished in a more sustainable way, with soil erosion cut more than 44 percent in the last 20 years and fertilizer used to grow a bushel of corn down 36 percent since 1980.

Iowa alone has the capacity to produce more corn than the entire United States three decades ago. Family farmers have proven their ability to produce enough corn for all purposes. Yields are expected to grow at an increasing rate, so expanding ethanol production and use makes perfect sense to break our petroleum addiction.

Ethanol in gasoline can favorably impact mobile source emissions in at least four main air quality areas. Researchers note that understanding health impacts are equally important as calculating environmental impacts.

In ongoing research at the University of California’s Energy Biosciences Institute, researchers are finding that a biofuel eliminating even 10-percent of current gasoline pollutant emissions would have a substantial impact on human health in this country, especially in urban areas.

So, at the family barbecue or fireworks this weekend, tell your friends and family to do their part by using ethanol. Ask them to encourage their elected officials to continue to support using increased blends of this proven American fuel.