Steve Pearce: “I rise in support of the Abercrombie amendment. What we are engaged in today is just trying to find commonsense…”

“I rise in support of the Abercrombie amendment. What we are engaged in today is just trying to find commonsense suggestions to really sustain the American way of life. Affordable energy, affordable agriculture are two things that sustain the American way of life. This accomplishes good work toward both. I will submit more comments for the Record. But I do want to support the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Abercrombie Amendment. This amendment will authorize a modest program to develop ethanol from sugar cane, which would be added to fuel in Hawaii to meet the EPA Clean Air Act requirements for oxygenated fuels. The State of Hawaii also mandated a 10 percent ethanol blend for gasoline in the state in order to improve the state's air quality. Hawaii must meet Federal standards for clean air by mandating clean burning fuel. Ethanol is currently the only acceptable ingredient to blend with gasoline to meet Clean Air Act requirements. Unfortunately for Hawaii the dominant crop is sugar instead of corn. If Hawaii grew corn, they would already be receiving tax credits for ethanol production like almost every other state in the nation. According to the Congressional Research Service the tax credits for ethanol production will total more than $1.4 billion. Congress annually provides tax credits, research funding and grants to turn rice straw, biomass, agriculture waste, woody debris and corn into ethanol.…”