Dear farmers and friends,
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a set of new regulations regarding the expanded Renewable Fuel Standard. The deadline for comment is Sept. 25, and the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the National Corn Growers Association are now preparing a comprehensive response.
We invite you to help us with this. Please click here for the NCGA Action Center where you can choose and modify the messages you wish to send the EPA. This is a quick and easy project - TAKE ACTION TODAY!
These messages include:
A vital flaw in the proposed rule remains. The methodology used to measure the impacts of U.S. corn and ethanol production is the issue of International Land Use Change or Indirect Land Use is flawed and immature. There is no evidence to support EPA's claim that corn production in the U.S. has any impact on the production of crops in other countries such as Brazil.
- The current proposed rule has the potential to place a huge burden on Corn Growers, by requiring proof that feedstocks used for ethanol production came from cropland which was in production prior to 2007. These proposed methods are unreasonable and unworkable.
- Continued growth in the ethanol industry has been made possible by America's corn farmers with increased yields and record corn crops. Because of these advancements, we will continue to grow enough corn to meet all the needs of feed, food, and fuel markets both in the United States and abroad.
- EPA's analysis creates an unlevel playing field for corn ethanol, while ignoring the impacts of oil and gas production and penalizing the biofuels industry.
- Today's farmers are growing more with less fertilizer, water and land. We will continue to be good stewards of the land but we must ask the EPA to follow through with an RFS rule that is based on sound science and a transparent process.
Thank you for your time and for taking action.