[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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