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Support for Iowa jobs

By Staff | Apr 10, 2009

To the editor,

The Iowa legislature can take an important leap in protecting Iowa jobs and energy security. Thanks to the leadership of Senate President Jack Kibbie and other champions, the Iowa Senate are considering SF464, which will maintain green collar jobs as it expands Iowa’s leadership role in biodiesel use and production.

The legislation will set a B5 blend (5 percent biodiesel and 95 percent diesel) as the state’s diesel fuel standard.

I urge Iowans to join me in contacting their state senators and representatives in supporting this bill. It is vital to Iowa fulfilling its role as a national leader in biodiesel production and helping our nation reduce its dependence on foreign oil. Iowa is home to 14 biodiesel plants that have created 12,000 jobs in the state and provide an annual economic impact of $1.6 billion.

Despite the growth in recent years, the Iowa industry faces extreme economic pressure because of difficulty in accessing capital, volatility in the marketplace and more. Half have been forced to cut or stop production.

Our state has the ability to produce 318 million gallons of biodiesel made by Iowa workers from Iowa’s agricultural resources, like soybeans and animal fats. This legislation will put that cleaner burning fuel to good use right here in Iowa. A total of seven states, from Washington to Minnesota to Pennsylvania, have already passed biodiesel requirements.

Now is the time for Iowa’s leaders to fulfill campaign promises to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and keep Iowa’s workers, working.

-Delayne Johnson,

General manager, Galva Holstein Ag, LLC and Maple River Energy, LLC