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Nebraska Corn Board defends RFS

An official of the Nebraska Corn Board says renewable fuels have created a win-win situation for farmers, rural communities and consumers.  And Corn Board director of research Kelly Brunkhorst says they’re urging Congress to resist the temptation to modify the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS).

“There was a built-in flexibility when they adopted and passed the standard years ago—and so allow the EPA to go through that flexibility and keep the Renewable Fuels Standard as is,” Brunkhorst says. “It’s really working, it’s reducing our dependence on foreign petroleum—so let’s just allow that flexibility that was built in, to continue to work through the system.”

Brunkhorst says the growth of the ethanol industry has been positive for many rural communities by creating jobs and providing tax revenue.  He compares it to the advent of rural electricity many years ago.

“It brought economic vitality, it brought new economics to these rural communities—jobs, good paying jobs,” he says, “and really it’s brought a good connection that we’ve had in Nebraska with our grain and our livestock—now we’ve got ethanol in there, too.”

AUDIO: Kelly Brunkhorst (:40 MP3)

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