Washington Farms Could Benefit From Renewable Fuel Standards
A new report shows agricultural organizations across the country are joining a growing trend to support renewable energy standards that help make energy a profitable crop for farmers and local communities. Renewable energy standards ensure that a minimum percentage of electricity and vehicle fuels are produced from renewable sources.
Larry Albin, former Washington State Director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency, supports a renewable fuels standard because it can help launch a new clean energy economy for Washington state farmers. Albin is leading the Straw-to-Energy Project, a demonstration project conducted by Farm Power 20 miles Southeast of Spokane, Washington that is showing farmers how to create energy from crop residue like grass and wheat straw.
"We started this project because the farm economy was tough and we needed value-added ways for producers in the West to keep farming. Renewable energy was a real obvious solution," says Albin. "The USDA's Agricultural Research Service estimates that farmers can make an additional $300 to $400 per acre turning crop residues into electricity, liquid fuels and other high-value bioenergy products. A 10% renewable energy standard would help get this new economy off the ground."
The report released today shows that Albin is part of a national trend. Farm groups including the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union and more than 20 other state and national organizations now support renewable energy standards.
"We support the use of renewable electric standards to stimulate development of renewable energy sources available from agriculture, such as timber, wind, biomass and biogas," says Bob Stallman, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation. "We support a goal of at least 10% of energy coming from renewable sources."
Other Northwest farmers agree: "Our members support the use of renewable fuels for three main reasons. It is a homegrown fuel that we can produce right here," said Frank Priestley, President of the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation. "Second, renewable fuels significantly reduce emissions from vehicles and that is good for our air. And finally, every drop of fuel we grow and produce here in Idaho means one less drop we have to import from overseas, and that is good for our national security."
Albin, Priestley and other leaders point to the thousands of jobs created by Minnesota's renewable fuels standard, which requires a 10% blend of ethanol in all gasoline sold in the state.
"The renewable fuels standard has stimulated the creation of more than 2,500 jobs and a statewide ethanol economy that's worth $587 million," says Ralph Groschen, Minnesota Department of Agriculture. "Before this program, we had corn stacking up in the streets. Now, instead of a surplus, we have increased our production and created a new ethanol economy, providing thousands of jobs to Minnesota's farmers and rural communities," said Groschen.
Continue reading this story from Climate Solutions:
Farmers Support Renewable Fuels Standards
