Letter from Senator Mike Crapo

June 5, 2003

Please join with me later this month in Twin Falls to discuss an opportunity that will bring jobs and new income into rural areas of our state and, at the same time, help protect our air and water. As you may know, the U.S. Senate is considering legislation establishing a comprehensive national energy policy; a key part of that debate is an effort to increase the use of ethanol and biofuels in our national energy portfolio. As a founding member of the Senate Renewables and Energy Efficiency Caucus, I am a co-sponsor of this measure, which has many benefits for Idaho.

Ethanol and biofuel production will assist in meeting the growing demand for energy; alternative fuels are an issue we must fully explore as a nation. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, on which I serve, has endorsed a plan to authorize $750 million in federal grants to encourage the production of up to five billion gallons of ethanol and biofuels. Ethanol is being proposed as the replacement product for MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether), as ethanol helps gasoline burn more efficiently. In addition, federal grant dollars encouraging the production of biofuels are also available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is likely that the demand for, and the creation of, biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel will only increase in the future.

Ethanol means jobs for Idahoans and new markets for our farm goods. It is good news for our rural communities in search of new revenue streams and for our cities needing cleaner air. Other states have recognized the potential of such alternative energy sources as we in Congress continue to pursue new markets and uses for biofuels. I look forward to the day when Idaho joins the more than a dozen other states already active in ethanol and biofuels production.

Much has been said about creating a market for ethanol products to make them truly cost-effective for investors and cooperatives. There are, of course, local planning and zoning decisions than can be sensitive local matters, and I support the role and authority of local citizens to resolve such matters. However, there are factors that can be addressed at the federal level and it is those efforts I want to discuss.

Please join me for meeting on ethanol and alternative fuels planning now underway in the U.S. Congress. I would like to meet with you on June 21st, from 10:45 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. in the Twin Falls City Council Chambers at 305 3rd Avenue East in Twin Falls. The Senate schedule demands we make this meeting on a Saturday morning, so I apologize for any inconvenience, but I would appreciate it if you would contact Heather Tiel in my Twin Falls office by no later than June 18th to confirm your attendance at (208) 734-2515.

Sincerely,

Mike Crapo
United States Senator
Idaho