President Obama Voices Support To Iowa Governor Culver For Biofuels Development And The Existing Ethanol Industry

June 1, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC — In his development of a comprehensive national biofuels strategy to reduce America’s dependence on imported oil, President Barack Obama invited Iowa Governor Culver and other members of the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition to partner with key members of his administration to achieve his vision for energy independence. Governor Culver and North Dakota Governor John Hoeven serve as the Coalition’s vice chair and chair respectively.

In a May 27, 2009 letter to the Coalition, President Obama praised the Coalition for its leadership in biofuels policy and public education. The President asked the Coalition to join him in implementing his Presidential Biofuels Directive, which was issued earlier this month. The directive outlined the President’s vision for biofuels development and his expectations for key cabinet and administration officials to lead the Administration’s biofuels initiatives. The President noted that the Coalition’s February 2009 recommendations helped form key points of the directive, and led to the President’s request for the Coalition to work with “members of my cabinet to implement the directive.”

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In the letter, President Obama notes that his Administration is committed to the rapid development of cellulosic ethanol. “But this transition will be successful only if the first-generation biofuels industry remains viable in the near-term, and if we remove long-standing artificial barriers to market expansion…”, the letter states.

“The President has a clear vision of the nation’s energy future and the role that biofuels will play in that future. The President understands that the next generation of biofuels will be built on the extraordinary accomplishments of Iowa’s first generation fuels – our ethanol industry. To have a President who so clearly understands the future of biofuels is enormously helpful,” said Governor Culver.

The President also noted the important economic development role that biofuels can play. “It is my hope that the Presidential Biofuels Directive will lead to new jobs, new businesses and reduce dependence on foreign oil,” he wrote.

“The Governors’ Biofuels Coalition stands ready to help President Obama implement his biofuels directive,” said Governor Culver. “This is a national challenge we simply must meet – and I believe we are up to the task. States can and should play a leading role in building a bio-based transportation economy, while reducing our carbon footprint and creating jobs.”

President Obama’s Letter to the Coalition can be viewed at: http://www.governorsbiofuelscoalition.org/

The Coalition’s Letter and Recommendations to President Obama can be viewed at: www.governorsbiofuelscoalition.org/assets/files/GBC_ObamaLetter1.pdf

Source: Iowa Governor