Obama Comments on Ethanol During Rural Tour Kickoff
The Obama administration embarked on a National Rural Tour this week that will include discussions about green jobs, a new energy economy, climate change and renewable energies.
During an interview for the National Association of Farm Broadcasting with Michelle Rook of WNAX, Yankton, SD, Obama was asked about the role renewable fuels will play in the future for rural America. “Obviously, I come from a farm state – Illinois – and ethanol has been a big boon for a lot of rural communities,” the president said. “But we also are recognizing the key for us is to move into the next generation of biofuels, how can we use wood chips and refuse and switchgrass and how can we improve the efficiency of first generation biofuels. Farmers are going to be critical to that entire process.”
“We want to be able to compete with countries like Brazil that now are running basically their entire automobile fleet on biofuels,” he continued. “If Brazil can do it, there’s no reason why America can’t do it.”
Obama also commented on the climate change bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last week, saying that the legislation provides “a whole host of opportunities for rural communities to profit even as they are helping to achieve America’s energy independence.”
The first stop on the administration’s rural road trip was in Wattsburg, Pennsylvania on Wednesday where the topic was rural broadband service. Future dates where energy will be the focus include July 18 in Ringgold, Virginia; August 12 in Bethel, Arkansas; and August 16 in Zanesville, Ohio.
Listen to Obama’s ethanol and climate bill comments here:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.4MB)
2 Comments
Obama comments on role of renewable fuels | Biodiesel and Ethanol Investing
[...] Fuel reports that U.S. President Barack Obama and his administration went on a national rural tour that will [...]
Jaske Hamar
Does anyone find it funny that when O’bama announced higher CAFE standards (average MPG vehicles must meet) most of the auto industry applauded it? these are the same people who fought putting seat belts in cars. The reason is that our government is in lock step with their handlers (lobbyists). Automakers have a loophole from which to pass through which is known as “flex fuel vehicles” what the government has decreed in their simple minds is that E85 capable vehicles MPG is given credit for only the 15% gasoline contained in E85. Therefore a Hummer that is rated at 11 mpg that is E85 capable (regardless of whether they use it or not) is rated on the amount of gasoline (15%) used to travel the 10 miles. To reach the multiplier you divide 100% E85 by 15 (gasoline) and you get a multiplier of 6.66% (Ironic eh?) so that gas guzzler is shown as getting 67 mpg allowing the automakers to pretend fuel efficency.
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