America’s Renewable Future (ARF) is asking Governor Walker to clarify his position on the Renewable Fuel Standard after his remarks at the Iowa State Fair on the Des Moines Register Soapbox. Walker called for ethanol mandates to be phased out; yet acknowledge that the industry created around the RFS must stay in place. Click here to read about his speech.
Listen to why Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker said about ethanol and the RFS:Scott Walker on the RFS
In response, ARF responded in a statement, “Gov. Walker’s intention to phase out the RFS over the next couple of years needs clarification. It is unclear whether the governor’s time frame would mean an immediate repeal upon entering office, if elected president, whether it might mean two years from the current date, or two years from achieving full market access.
Anything short of full market access being achieved would be a catastrophic blow to America’s farmers and rural economies. It is also a blow to those who have invested into the renewable fuel industry. Billions of dollars were invested by famers and local investors to produce biofuels with the promise of an RFS that lasts at least until 2022. Ending the RFS prematurely will only strand capitol and punish the pioneers who invested in clean, home grown renewable energy. The RFS has created jobs here in Iowa and around the country that cannot be outsourced, reduced our dependence on foreign oil, helped clean our air, and provided consumers savings at the pump.
If we are to take Gov. Walker’s comments to mean a two year phase out upon entering the White House, then he is opening the door to an immediate repeal and that means putting an end to over 73,000 Iowa jobs. Keeping in mind what’s already happened just this year due to the uncertainty surrounding the RFS—from over 800 layoffs at John Deere, to $13.8 billion in investment shortfalls, to lower corn prices and farmland values—such a position would be devastating.
While the governor’s position is murky, it is absolutely clear that a phase out anytime before full market access is realized would be disastrous for farmers and rural communities in Iowa and all over the United States, which were hit hardest during the recession and are finally starting to get back on their feet.
We urge Gov. Walker to clarify his position regarding the RFS and stand with our nation’s farmers for a strong RFS until full market access is a reality.”
Click here to read our coverage of the Des Moines Register Presidential Soapbox series at the Iowa State Fair.