July 23, 2024

Duckworth Discusses Importance of Production of U.S. Biofuels with Renewable Fuels Association

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with leaders and members from the Renewable Fuels Association Board of Directors (RFA) to underscore her support for U.S. ethanol production to help strengthen our national and energy security, drive down gas prices, support our farmers, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and expand rural economic opportunity in Illinois and across the country. A photo from today’s meeting can be found on the Senator’s website.

“America has always relied on our nation’s farmers to produce the food and fuel we need, and I’m proud to be their biggest advocate on the national and international stage,” Duckworth said. “When we prioritize homegrown biofuels, we’re encouraging job growth, prioritizing our national security, reducing gas prices, protecting our environment and securing Illinois’s leadership in the energy sector for years to come. I was glad to meet with leaders from the Renewable Fuels Association today, and I look forward to continuing to work together to ensure our U.S. biofuels industry is strong.”

In the Senate, Duckworth has been a leader in supporting biofuels, including expansion of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and permanent authority to use E15 fuel year-round. To help increase the availability of E15 year-round, Duckworth helped introduce the bipartisan Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act and the bipartisan Next Generations Fuel Act to allow the year-round, nationwide sale of ethanol blends higher than 10 percent. Duckworth additionally helped introduced the bipartisan Home Front Energy Independence Act to ban Russian oil and expand use and production of biofuel that’s grown in the American heartland, while providing American families with a less expensive option to fuel their vehicles. Earlier this year she helped introduced the Farm to Fly Act to help accelerate the production and development of SAF.

Last week, Duckworth traveled to Vietnam for an official Senate visit that included meetings with government and trade officials to highlight the benefits of increasing imports of corn and soy ethanol from Illinois. As demand for gasoline has increased throughout Vietnam, biofuel imports from our Illinois farmers can help meet this demand while providing a more reliable, cost stable and environmentally friendly fuel alternative with ethanol blends.

Duckworth’s official visit builds on her continued efforts to help advocate for Illinois and Illinois agriculture across the globe—following an official visit to Taiwan she helped secure a commitment from Taiwan to purchase an estimated $2.6 billion of Illinois’s corn and soybeans, and following an official visit to Japan, Japan announced a regulatory change that will lead to an increase in imports from U.S. biofuel producers, supporting our farmers and growing Illinois’s economy. Last year, South Korea also committed to several biofuels expansions, including a mandate 3.5 percent biodiesel blending, which will be achieved with increased U.S. imports.

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