China trade trip includes biofuels executives
May 07, 2014 | 05:04 PM
Agriculture Undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Michael Scuse is leading a trade delegation to China that includes several representatives of biofuels companies, the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service announced today.
The trade mission, which is promoting U.S. agricultural exports in northeast China, started Monday and will continue until next Tuesday.
Leaders from state departments of agriculture in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Washington are participating, along with representatives from 28 U.S. agribusinesses.
Among the biofuels leaders are representatives of Abengoa Bioenergy, Green Plains Renewable Energy, Growth Energy, POET, LLC, and the Renewable Fuels Association.
In what appeared to be an effort to address the anger of many biofuels leaders over the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to reduce the volumetric biofuels requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that biofuels would be part of the USDA export strategy.
National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson, a strong advocate for corn-based ethanol and other biofuels, is also on the trip.
In a news release today announcing his participation in the trade mission, Johnson said EPA’s proposal “is hampering the ethanol industry’s further development by proposing to reduce biofuel production targets under the Renewable Fuel Standard.”
“I hope American-grown biofuels can comprise a significant part of China’s long-term clean energy strategy, and I urge the EPA to withdraw its proposal in order to continue to drive demand for ethanol both here and abroad,” Johnson said.
The trade mission, which is promoting U.S. agricultural exports in northeast China, started Monday and will continue until next Tuesday.
Leaders from state departments of agriculture in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Washington are participating, along with representatives from 28 U.S. agribusinesses.
Among the biofuels leaders are representatives of Abengoa Bioenergy, Green Plains Renewable Energy, Growth Energy, POET, LLC, and the Renewable Fuels Association.
In what appeared to be an effort to address the anger of many biofuels leaders over the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to reduce the volumetric biofuels requirements under the Renewable Fuel Standard, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that biofuels would be part of the USDA export strategy.
National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson, a strong advocate for corn-based ethanol and other biofuels, is also on the trip.
In a news release today announcing his participation in the trade mission, Johnson said EPA’s proposal “is hampering the ethanol industry’s further development by proposing to reduce biofuel production targets under the Renewable Fuel Standard.”
“I hope American-grown biofuels can comprise a significant part of China’s long-term clean energy strategy, and I urge the EPA to withdraw its proposal in order to continue to drive demand for ethanol both here and abroad,” Johnson said.
