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The National Corn Growers Association supports the introduction of the Next Generation Fuels Act.
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The bill was introduced to the Senate by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and supported by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.
The bill is being applauded by the National Corn Growers Association and was also a bipartisan effort.
“For corn growers, we really see the Next Generation Fuels Act as a way to update fuel and vehicle policy and to take greater advantages of the benefits that ethanol has to offer in terms of helping to clean up transportation, to lower prices and to really give consumers more choices that are cleaner and affordable,” Kathy Bergren, director of public policy for renewable fuels for National Corn Growers Association, said.
With inflation on the rise, gas prices have surged through the summer before beginning to taper off recently. NCGA has been reminding policymakers that ethanol is a price savvy alternative to gasoline and drivers are saving anywhere from 30 to 40 cents or more per gallon when choosing to fill up their vehicles with E15, which is 15% ethanol.
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The Biden administration wanted to make sure consumers had access to higher blends of ethanol through the late spring and summer months, allowing consumers to have access to a lower cost fuel. The Next Generation Act would continue with this traction and provide higher ethanol blends and much more.
“That price difference has really come even greater in recent months,” Bergren said. “It really shows how low the cost of ethanol is and really helps bring down those fuel prices in areas where drivers have access to higher blends like E15.”
Bergren also said the the ethanol market is an important way to increase demand for corn, resulting in rising corn prices for growers. This will give corn producers more options when it comes to marketing their crop.
