(Alexandria, VA) – Today, in a letter to Capitol Hill, National Taxpayers Union (NTU) announced its strong support for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Reform Act, a bi-partisan measure that would reduce the economically damaging and onerous ethanol requirements for fuel imposed by the federal government.
The bill, introduced in the House by a group consisting of Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Steve Womack (R-AR), and Peter Welch (D-VT), would relieve the problem of dwindling corn supplies by eliminating the corn ethanol mandate, reducing the cellulosic ethanol mandate, and capping ethanol blends at the current “E10” formula.
“Taxpayers and families are suffering as a result of heavy-handed ethanol mandates that drive up costs for essential items like food and gas,” said NTU Federal Affairs Manager Nan Swift. “Our ethanol policy has not helped reduce reliance on fossil fuels, but it has cost American families dearly as they try to cope with a painfully sluggish economy.”
Food costs are of particular concern: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2010 consumers spent, on average, 13% of their annual expenditures on food. For poor families this percentage is even higher, disproportionately affecting those who can least afford it. Further unintended consequences of RFS have been as far reaching as to cause pig farmers to cull livestock because corn feed had become prohibitively expensive.