WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Pete Domenici, ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today submitted the following opening statement to the Subcommittee on Energy regarding renewable fuels infrastructure:

 

           “I’m very pleased that the Senate came together last month to pass a bipartisan bill that will diversify America’s fuel supply. The way that this Committee accomplished that goal was to expand the Renewable Fuel Standard, which was first established in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

 

            I believe that we must embark on a comprehensive approach to solving our nation’s energy problems.  While that means developing our own sources of production, it also means reducing the amount of energy we use.  In addition to energy efficiency provisions included in the Senate-passed bill, the work we have done to mandate the use of biofuels to displace gasoline is an important part of this strategy.  By 2022, over 20 percent of project motor vehicle fuel use would be biofuels, including advanced biofuels like cellulosic ethanol.

                       

            As exciting as these advances will be, they do present challenges.  Today’s infrastructure needs updating if ethanol is to realize its full potential. Ethanol has different properties than traditional fuel – it is more corrosive than gasoline, and it is more easily affected by water.  However, I have confidence that our scientists will be able to make progress in these areas by developing new materials and additives.   The federal government can play a role in this, which we have done by authorizing new research in the Senate-passed bill.

 

            Diversifying America’s fuel supply is not just an energy issue, it is a security issue.  By moving our nation toward the use of alternative fuels, we will be less reliant on foreign sources of oil.  I look forward to learning more about improving our infrastructure and to the eventual completion of legislation in the fall. 

 

 

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