[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]USDA to invest up to $100 million in a Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership[/title][fusion_text]Monday, June 1st 2015
USDA today said it will invest up to $100 million in a Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership with the goal of doubling the number of fuel pumps capable of supplying higher blends of ethanol to American consumers. The department said it will administer competitive grants to match funding for state-led efforts to test and evaluate new approaches to market higher blends of renewable fuel, such as E15 and E85. Currently the typical gas pump can deliver fuel containing a maximum of 10 percent ethanol (E10), limiting the amount of renewable energy consumers can use to fuel their cars. Vilsack’s earlier attempt to fund blender pumps ran into problems in Congress, and this one could, too. Congress previously barred USDA from continuing to use a farm bill program, the Rural Energy for America Program, to fund the pumps. This time, the department is planning to dip into a fund, the Commodity Credit Corp., that has traditionally been used to provide financial assistance to farmers. USDA recently got approval from the White House to use CCC funds to compensate poultry producers for losses from avian influenza. Poultry producers have been among the strongest opponents of government biofuel policy, which they argue increases the cost of feed. USDA’s announcement was made just as the EPA released its long awaited proposal for volume requirements for blending of biofuels with gasoline under the Renewable Fuel Standard through 2016.
[/fusion_text][/fullwidth]