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555 Dirksen Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Ph: 202.224.6342
Fax: 202.224.1100
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Raleigh Office:
310 New Bern Avenue
Suite 122
Raleigh, NC 27601
Ph: 919.856.4630
Toll Free: 866.420.6083
Fax: 919.856.4053
Salisbury Office:
225 North Main Street
Suite 304
Salisbury, NC 28144
Ph: 704.633.5011
Toll Free: 866.420.6084
Fax: 704.633.2937
Western Office:
401 North Main Street
Suite 200
Hendersonville, NC 28792
Ph: 828.698.3747
Fax: 828.698.1267
Eastern Office:
306 South Evans Street
Greenville, NC 27835
Ph: 252.329.1093
Fax: 252.329.1097
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Hot Topic - Food Prices
The recent sharp rise in food prices is taking a toll on American families and businesses, as well as leading to severe food shortages in places around the globe. The increase in prices can be attributed in part to food-to-fuel mandates, which have led to more than 25 percent of America’s corn crop being diverted to make fuel.
I am cosponsoring legislation to freeze the corn-based ethanol mandate at this year’s level, preventing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator from increasing the corn-based ethanol mandate included in the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 to the mandated 15 billion gallons. Instead, my legislation maintains the current level at 9 billion gallons.
In the last two years, the price of corn has nearly tripled, thereby resulting in feed price increases that impact the cost of items such as milk, eggs and meat. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, food inflation rose by 4.9 percent last year and studies suggest that the cost of food will continue to escalate over the next few years.
Congress needs to take immediate action to correct these unintended negative consequences and prevent this problem from worsening.
Elizabeth Dole
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