It was disheartening to hear that Governor Perry of Texas was requesting a one year ethanol mandate waiver.  I believe granting this request would set an unfortunate precedent that other states would likely follow.  

Senator Grassley’s response was spot-on.  He said, “The ethanol industry has taken an unfair amount of criticism for the rise in food prices.  In fact, an April 10 report by Texas A&M’s Agricultural and Food Policy Center, right in Governor Perry’s own state, concludes that corn prices have had little to do with rising food costs.”   

Grassley went on to say, “Instead of scape-goating the growing renewable fuels industry, Governor Perry should have looked closer at the results of this study.  If he’s serious about lowering the cost of groceries for Texans or helping the beef ranchers in his state, his time might be better served by having a heart-to-heart conversation with the huge oil and gas companies in Texas encouraging them to produce more oil and refine more gasoline. If high energy costs are the problem, less energy is surely not the solution.”   

Let’s hope other leaders in this country have the same courage to stand up to others who will try to maneuver their way out of this important mandate.  The RFS mandate will help move our country forward and reduce our independence on others. We must keep in mind that even though it hurts a little now, it will certainly hurt worse in the future if we don’t take action now.

Here is the Original Research Report: http://www.afpc.tamu.edu/pubs/2/515/RR-08-01.pdf