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For Immediate Release Contact: Betsy Hart
May 06, 2008 (202) 226-8555

HERSETH SANDLIN WORKS TO FIX BIOMASS DEFINITION IN RENEWABLE FUEL STANDARD

Argues Case for Counting Biomass from Federal Lands towards RFS –SD Company Also Testifies at Congressional Hearing

May 6, 2008 Washington, DC- U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin today continued her efforts to broaden the definition of cellulosic ethanol under the new Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to include woody biomass gathered from national forests, including the Black Hills National Forest. Herseth Sandlin testified before the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality at a hearing entitled “The Renewable Fuels Standard: Issues, Implementation and Opportunity” in support of her bill, H.R. 5236, the Renewable Biomass Facilitation Act. The Energy and Air Quality subcommittee has jurisdiction over Herseth Sandlin’s bill, and today’s hearing was an important step in the legislative process.

Click here to view video from today’s hearing, including Herseth Sandlin’s testimony and questions from the Committee.

The Renewable Biomass Facilitation Act would amend a misguided provision, added late in the process during consideration of the 2007 Energy Bill, that prevents almost all federally sourced biomass, such as trees, wood, brush, thinnings, chips, and slash removed as part of preventive treatments, from counting toward the new RFS mandate. Approved preventive treatments include reducing hazardous fuels, and minimizing and containing disease or insect infestation. Additionally, the bill would allow RFS credit for broad categories of biomass from non-federal lands.
Herseth Sandlin said “While inclusion of a forward-looking RFS in the Energy Bill was great news for renewable energy producers across the nation, the limited definition of renewable biomass included in the RFS is a misguided policy that squanders what could be an important source of renewable, homegrown energy. It is a wrong-headed disincentive to use an available cellulosic feedstock and simply doesn’t make sense.”

Additionally, Rep. Herseth Sandlin arranged for Randy Kramer, President of KL Process Design Group to testify at today’s subcommittee hearing. KL Process Design Group, headquartered in Rapid City, has opened a pioneering wood waste ethanol plant in Upton, Wyoming. Including its use of wood waste from the Black Hills National Forest, the fully operational plant has the capacity to produce about 1.5 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol. Herseth Sandlin’s legislation would allow this cellulosic ethanol to count toward the new RFS.

Herseth Sandlin noted in her testimony that her bill does not alter federal forest management policy. In fact, the bill, if enacted, could help foster responsible public forestland management by supporting efforts to reduce the incidence of destructive wildfires. The altered definition simply means that these forest byproducts, which would otherwise not be used, or perhaps, in the case of slash piles, be burned – thereby releasing more carbon in the air – are instead able to be counted toward the RFS if used to produce biofuels.

Earlier this year, Herseth Sandlin hosted a roundtable discussion in Rapid City with a group including forestry product industry leaders and representatives of the Black Hills National Forest, and heard their concerns regarding the restrictions on use of woody biomass included in the Energy Bill. These discussions helped lead to the introduction of her legislation, H.R. 5236, that was a subject of the hearing today.

Herseth Sandlin’s bill enjoys support from 21 bipartisan cosponsors.

Dr. Mark Stowers, Vice President for Research & Development at POET, based in Sioux Falls, also testified today before the subcommittee, addressing current cellulosic ethanol developments and keys to future growth.

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Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin serves South Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats committed to fiscal discipline and strong national security, and is co-chair of the Rural Working Group, which is dedicated to raising the profile of issues important to rural America. She also serves on three committees vital to South Dakota’s interests: Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs and Natural Resources. In the 110th Congress, Rep. Herseth Sandlin was one of only 15 members appointed to serve on the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.