[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 8, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H1336]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   FARM BILL IMPACT SERIES: BIOFUELS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Mann) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, in preparation for reauthorizing the farm 
bill in 2023, I rise today to deliver the next installment of my farm 
bill impact series, where I am highlighting various aspects of the farm 
bill that deserve Congress' awareness and support.
  If America is going to thrive, then the people who feed, fuel, and 
clothe America must thrive, and the farm bill contains certain programs 
that have been critical to the success of agricultural producers in my 
district and the energy independence of our country.
  Every committee in this Congress should work to develop a sound, 21st 
century energy policy, one that embraces American energy independence, 
one that employs an all-of-the-above strategy embracing both fossil 
fuels and biofuels, and one that is not a mandated approach from the 
government.
  For example, the House Energy and Commerce Committee should continue 
to pressure the Biden administration to reapprove the Keystone XL 
pipeline while it also considers the Year-Round Fuel Choice Act, and 
the House Agriculture Committee should weigh in on the enforcement of 
the renewable fuel standard while it also includes strong biofuels 
language in the next farm bill.
  Energy policy has an impact on every American and cannot be crafted 
in a vacuum. When it comes to the farm bill, we know that we can 
strengthen our access to reliable, affordable, and efficient energy, 
like biofuels.
  The Rural Energy For America Program provides financial assistance to 
promote energy independence and efficiency and renewable energy 
development for agricultural producers and rural small businesses.
  Kansas Ethanol LLC, based in Lyons, Kansas, has utilized the REAP 
program twice. The first time they used it, they were able to expand 
their facility and went from producing 65 million gallons of ethanol to 
80 million gallons of ethanol per year. The second time, the program 
helped them put in the infrastructure to produce their own electricity. 
They now produce their own heat and power through a gas turbine for 
their facility and export some power to the grid.
  As Kansas produces nearly 500 million gallons of ethanol each year, 
programs like the Biodiesel Fuel Education Program and the Biomass Crop 
Assistance Program are important for Kansas and for the rest of this 
country. The Biodiesel Fuel Education Program awards competitive grants 
to nonprofit organizations and institutes of higher education that 
educate the public, as well as government and private entities, about 
the benefits of biodiesel fuel use.

                              {time}  1030

  The Biomass Crop Assistance Program supports the establishment and 
production of eligible crops for conversion to bioenergy and assists 
agricultural landowners and operators with the collection, harvest, 
storage, and transportation of eligible material for use in a biomass 
conversion facility.
  These programs, and many more, are investments in the future of our 
country, and they must remain strong in the 2023 farm bill if America 
is going to be energy independent. That is why the farm bill is so 
important. It is not just about food and farming. It is about ensuring 
the security and self-determination of our country. We must support not 
only the efforts of farmers, ranchers, and agriculture producers who 
aim to keep us food-secure, but also the efforts of the renewable 
energy pioneers in our country, like Kansas corn growers and Kansas 
sorghum growers who aim to keep us energy independent.
  I will be back on the floor soon to deliver another installment of my 
farm bill impact series and highlight more programs and titles within 
the bill that I believe Congress must understand and support to ensure 
that agriculture thrives in America.

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