Voters in this country might be split along political party loyalties, but if biodiesel were on the ticket, it would be a landslide victory for the green fuel. This news release from the National Biodiesel Board says tax incentives and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) are polling a lot better than lots of pols.
Three out of four voters (75 percent) support a tax incentive for biodiesel, the survey found. Seventy-six percent said they support a national renewable fuel standard. The survey of nearly 1,200 registered U.S. voters was conducted by Moore Information Opinion Research between Sept. 30 and Oct. 2. It was commissioned by the National Biodiesel Board (NBB).
“These numbers reflect overwhelming public support for developing cleaner, alternative fuels so that we’re not so dangerously dependent on petroleum,” said Anne Steckel, NBB’s vice president of federal affairs. “These policies are popular because they are effective. We’re gradually reducing our dependence on oil. We’re reducing harmful and costly pollution. And we’re creating jobs and economic activity at home. Congress and the Obama administration should take cues from the people who elected them and step up to make sure we have strong, stable policies supporting biodiesel production.”
Despite the popularity of biodiesel, NBB says it’s being held hostage by folks in Washington who maybe aren’t reading the same polls, as the Environmental Protection Agency still has its proposal to drastically cut the amount of biodiesel to be blended into the country’s fuel supply, and Congress has failed to renew the $1-per-gallon federal biodiesel tax incentive that expired at the end of 2013.
“This is one of those issues that illustrates why voters are so fed up with Washington,” Steckel said. “You have policies with overwhelming support from the public and strong bipartisan support in Congress, yet Washington seems paralyzed with inaction. Jobs are at stake here, and we urge the Obama administration and Congress to act quickly to get this industry back on track.”
NBB’s survey also found that 85 percent of respondents said a candidate’s position on energy issues was somewhat important or very important in their voting decision, and 78 percent said a candidate’s position on alternative fuels was very important or somewhat important.