Tom Vilsack Responds To Studies On Evolution Of Ethanol Production

On February 16, 2016, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack responded to two recent reports on ethanol and renewable fuels. The first report was published by USDA and is on "2015 Energy Balance for the Corn-Ethanol Industry," and the second report comes from the University of Missouri Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) and is a "Literature Review of Estimated Market Effects of U.S. Corn Starch Ethanol." Both studies demonstrate the growth of the United States' renewable energy industry with improved ethanol and biodiesel production resulting in doubled renewable energy production and a reduction in foreign oil imports. The energy used to produce corn has fallen as well, which has made the production of ethanol more efficient so that "more energy is being produced from ethanol than is used to produce it, by factors of 2 to 1 nationally and by factors of 4 to 1 in the Midwest." Both studies point towards a solid future of growth and innovation for the U.S. renewable energy industry.