It has survived over the last two years only through a combination of state and federal subsidies (totalling from $1 to $2 per gallon, depending on the state), blending mandates, and the ability to first collect U.S. subsidies and then sell its product in Europe for around $4 per gallon.

Congress should admit it made a mistake, provide generous unemployment and retraining subsidies for workers put out of work as a result of biodiesel plants going out of business, and end all production-related subsidies for biodiesel.

The National Biodiesel Board is committed to safeguarding our planet’s valuable resources. The biodiesel industry is built on sustainable practices in the production of a fuel that is proven to lower greenhouse gas emissions and provide energy from a renewable resource.

Industry goals to expand access to renewable biodiesel are based on domestically available feedstocks – that is resources to make biodiesel that exist right here, within our borders.

We support protecting the rainforest and formalized guiding principles for our young industry that recognize the full spectrum of sustainable practices, including a commitment to climate change mitigation, human rights, food security, and respect for natural resources.

The solution to reducing deforestation is improving global sustainable agriculture practices and addressing the major causes of deforestation, such as logging and infrastructure development. Biodiesel is a part of that solution, driving research that increases crop yields, and improves supplies of protein and higher outputs for food and feed on the exact same acres of land.

Do you know that one acre of corn produces over 450 gallons of ethanol and over 1.25 tons of protein?  That protein represents over half the value for that acre production.

Ethanol creates American Jobs.
Ethanol can displace oil 2 to 1 by energy content and volume.
Ethanol offers a reduction in emission and green house gases.
Ethanol in higher blends (E15) in non flex vehicles will not hurt the vehicle and on average will not reduce mileage, have studies to show this.
Ethanol does not displace the amount of corn as reported; the amount of protein that remains from the ethanol process is being feed to cattle, dairy and poultry. This amount is displacing over half the market value of corn heading to the ethanol plant verses the original feeding value.
Ethanol does not raise food prices like reported on the news. Less than 17% of corn goes directly to the food industry while speculators in Chicago drove up the commodities just like they did with oil and precious metals.
Ethanol can feed people; new plant designs can separate the protein from the starch prior to the fermentation and allow production of food grade protein. We always hear about diet issues here and abroad, we are a starch rich protein deficient world.
Ethanol does not use vast amounts of water unless you want to figure in the rain, most ethanol plants are zero water discharge with only the cooling towers giving off water vapor for cooling. Look at the water use for refining gasoline.
Ethanol is not responsible for rain forest destruction. There was a 4% reduction in acres of corn planted last year with another reduction forecasted this year. Reports are that vast amounts of rain forest are being harvested for the hard wood while we shut down our forest and subject them to fire.
Ethanol can displace most if not all the oil we import from the Middle East. With the combination of corn based, cellulose & wood ethanol production. When we trade with ourselves we have both the product and the money. We need a fair and balanced approach

Secondly, the way sugar cane is planted and harvested in Brazil is more sustainable and much more responsible than the mono culture, petroleum intensive farming we do in the US. Most fields go 5 years before needing replanting and some go as long as 10 years. Also, sugar cane ethanol production is so efficient that the distilleries do not use any utility power at all. In fact using nothing but sugar cane they produce many billions of gallons of ethanol and 77% of all the electricity in Brazil.