Agriculture Energy Coalition Letter to House and Senate Agriculture Committees
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More than 100 organizations representing a broad and diverse array of renewable energy, energy efficiency, farm, ranch, commodity, environmental, and other groups sent a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees asking for reauthorization and funding of Farm Bill energy title programs .</p>
Dear Senators Stabenow and Roberts and Representatives Lucas and Peterson:
The U.S. is experiencing strong growth in the development and commercialization of biofuels, bioproducts, biopower, biogas, energy crops, renewable energy and energy efficiency. These important and growing industries all benefit agriculture and forestry and are poised to make huge contributions to our economic, environmental and national security in the coming years, provided that we maintain stable policies that support clean energy manufacturing and innovation.
The Energy Title programs contained in the 2002 and 2008 Farm Bills are vital components in the continued growth of these industries. Programs like the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), Biorefinery Assistance Program (BAP) and Biobased Markets Program (Biopreferred) strongly support American agriculture and ensure broad public benefits to the entire country. Since some of these programs are just getting started, the next five years will be crucial for achieving success.
