Members of Congress and representatives from a variety of organizations held a media event Wednesday morning in support of an increased Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) in the Energy Bill.

House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is in full support of the RFS.

“The speaker understands that this is critical for this industry,” Peterson said. “She gets it and she understands what the problem is and she understands why this needs to be done.”

Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) described his conversion to being an ethanol supporter. “As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee for many years I voted against the ethanol mandate,” Engel said. “I changed my position 180 degrees, and I changed my position because it’s good for America.”

All of the speakers noted the importance of the RFS to cellulosic ethanol development, which is still in its infancy. In the meantime, Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) said, “Conventional corn ethanol is the bridge we need to move forward.”

It was a long press conference, which got underway late, and the lawmakers had to leave by the time the supporting organizations got to give their statements – which meant many of the media who were there also left. But, those who did stick around heard first from the unusual suspects in the lineup of those supporting the RFS. They were the AMVETS, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the Truman National Security Project.