Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin Responds to Ethanol Critics

Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) said that critics of the biofuels industry were using "misguided and inaccurate" claims, according to a report in The Daily Republic.

She went on to describe opponents further: "They are using misguided and inaccurate arguments in an attempt to derail aggressive provisions for the future of home-grown renewable fuels like ethanol”

Representative Herseth Sandlin is a strong backer of renewable fuels and supports raising the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) to 36 billion gallons by 2022. The senate has a passed a bill with that amount while the house's bill does not.

Unlike some politicians who have suddenly discovered ethanol, she has authored several opinions pieces over the past few years that are worth reading:

• The Solution is Growing in our Fields, April 2006

She identifies the real cost to imported oil and those who want to keep the status quo.

"We know that our addiction to oil costs us a great deal - both at the pump and in terms of our national security. Renewable biofuels present us with a tremendous opportunity to address that problem - the opportunity to end our reliance on foreign oil; the opportunity to create thousands of good jobs in rural America; the opportunity to strengthen national security; and the opportunity to get a handle on out of control gas prices.

Unfortunately, for the last six years, we've been fighting a tough battle against big oil companies, who have fought us tooth and nail in our efforts develop a vibrant, sustainable ethanol industry. The good news is that the tide is turning. I believe that people of all political parties - especially those in rural America - just aren't going to stand by and be held hostage any longer."

• Renewable Fuels: An Essential Part of National Energy Policy, April 2005

She advocates renewable fuels as vital to national security.

"development of homegrown, renewable energy sources, such as ethanol and biodiesel, is a fundamental form of homeland and energy security. It puts our energy needs in our hands, and reduces the power of OPEC over our economic stability. As gas prices skyrocket, investing in renewable energy sources is a powerful way to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and develop homegrown sources that are clean, efficient and environmentally friendly. And in many rural states like South Dakota, renewable energy development, especially ethanol, has become a proven economic driver, creating new and high-paying jobs."

• Big Oil Standing in the Way of Relief at the Pump, May 24, 2007
  

And most interestingly, she comments on statements made by leader of oil group:

In a May 23, 2007 Roll Call article titled, “Big Energy Decries Democratic Policy Reversals,” Red Cavaney, President and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute derided Congressional efforts to promote biofuels like ethanol, calling such efforts “a joke that is being played on the American people.” With respect to E-85, Cavaney said, “The demand is not there.” He also criticized and dismissed the value of anti-price gouging legislation that passed the House of Representatives today, which would give the Federal Trade Commission the authority to investigate and punish companies that artificially inflate the price of gas.

READ MORE

• Food for Fuel: Myth vs. Reality - Daschle Responds
  
• Former CIA Director Warns Foreign Oil is a Threat to America's Economy
  
• Economist Explains High Food Costs Caused by Energy Costs
• New Report Explains Corn, Ethanol and Food Price Increases
• How Much Corn is Actually Represented in Meat?
• Big Oil's Big Stall on Ethanol
• Big Oil's War on Ethanol

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