Bill would extend ethanol subsidies to 2015

The Senate legislation mirrors a bill introduced in the House by Reps. Earl Pomeroy, another North Dakota Democrat, and John Shimkus, an Illinois Republican.

Ethanol industry representatives urged Congress to support the bills.

“Domestic ethanol use is lowering the price of gasoline, reducing imports of foreign oil, and helping stabilize and reinvigorate rural economies all across the country,” said Bob Dinneen, president of the Renewable Fuels Association.

“Extending these measures will ensure job growth and economic development across the entire country—all while reducing our dependence on foreign oil and cleaning our skies,” said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, another ethanol group.

The Natural Resources Defense Council’s Nathanael Greene offered a different perspective in this blog post. He says the jobs number ethanol producers tout are “wildly inflated.”