Opposition to Corn Ethanol Subsidies Reiterated

US - The National Chicken Council joined a diverse group of business, hunger and development, agricultural, environmental, budget, grassroots and free market organizations in urging Congress to reject any efforts to include continued or expanded federal support for corn ethanol in any legislation.

In a letter sent 22 March to Senate leadership, the groups expressed their opposition to:

Any renewal of the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit or any other similar tax credit;

Altering the requirements of the Renewable Fuels Standard in a way that would open the definition of advanced biofuels to include corn-based fuels;

Any expansion of current alternative fuel tax credits that would allow ethanol blends (E10, E15, or E85) or related infrastructure projects to qualify for the credit; and

Funding for ethanol “blender pumps” or any other ethanol infrastructure projects.

“Any one or combination of these policies would only serve to subsidize the market for fuels derived from corn, especially corn ethanol, and exacerbate the many environmental, social and economic challenges associated with those fuels,” the groups wrote. “Again, we urge you to reject efforts to include continued or expanded federal support for corn ethanol in any legislation.”