Ethanol Mandate Under Fire
By James Baxter, NMA President
The NMA has railed against the ethanol mandate for years. I won’t repeat all the reasons for our opposition to this extremely wasteful and misguided federal policy. I’m raising this issue now (again) because the political climate has changed radically and Congress is seriously considering killing off the ethanol subsidies, actually letting them expire. Members of both parties are starting to admit reality and even environmental groups are getting on board in a vocal manner.
Now is a good time to send your Representative and both US Senators a short and personal note asking that they not renew ethanol subsidies and they repeal the requirements that force the blending of ethanol in motor fuels. You can state your reasons, if you wish, it certainly won’t hurt, but they already know the reasons to get off the ethanol bandwagon.
What they don’t know is where you stand on this question. They know where the ethanol industry stands, but they don’t know if their constituents care or don’t care. This is a great time to let them know where you stand on this issue.