U.S. Senator John Thune today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack urging him to reconsider the Farm Service Agency request from South Dakota that would enroll 20,000 additional acres in the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) program. The USDA recently denied the original... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today commented on a memo compiled by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) which warns of the negative economic consequences of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recently released “endangerment finding,” which would pave the way for the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions under the... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune was today joined by representatives from the South Dakota Corn Growers Association, the South Dakota Soybean Association, the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council, POET, and the American Coalition for Ethanol to voice their opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to include carbon outputs resulting from... Continue Reading
U.S. Senator John Thune released the following statement after today’s announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that it will institute new models to measure ethanol’s lifecycle carbon emissions, including measurements of carbon resulting from “indirect land use” in other countries: “While I am pleased the EPA issued a range... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today emphasized his support for the Open Fuel Standard Act (S. 835), which would significantly increase the number of flex fuel vehicles produced by U.S. auto manufacturers. Senator Thune is an original cosponsor of the bipartisan bill. “Flex fuel vehicles can create jobs in both the automobile... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune issued the following statement in response to the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) approval of a so-called low-carbon fuel standard that unfairly penalizes biofuels: “The California Air Resources Board’s decision to unfairly target ethanol for carbon emissions from around the world is one that could have a... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune today criticized an announcement from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson that could result in the implementation of new regulations on carbon dioxide and methane gases, including the creation of a “cow tax.” EPA’s proposed endangerment findings could result in further regulation of carbon dioxide and... Continue Reading
U.S. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), John Thune (R-SD) and Tim Johnson (D-SD) today introduced legislation that authorizes loan guarantees for the construction of renewable fuel pipeline projects. While the Midwest and Plains states produce the majority of the biofuels in the United States, the nation is currently lacking the infrastructure... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune expressed new concerns about a potential cattle tax this week after learning the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent a proposal to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on Friday that could pave the way for new regulations on carbon dioxide and methane gases. Following a ruling... Continue Reading
Senators John Thune (R-SD), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) today reintroduced legislation that would fix the flawed definition of renewable biomass in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The definition of “Renewable Biomass” in the 2007 Energy Bill excludes any material removed from national forests and... Continue Reading
Senator John Thune praised a waiver request submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on behalf of over 50 ethanol producers for the approval of up to 15 percent ethanol (85 percent gasoline and 15 percent ethanol) for use in non-flex fuel vehicles. Senator Thune has been working for the... Continue Reading
U.S. Senators John Thune and Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) today introduced a bill (S.527) that will once and for all prevent the government from imposing an onerous “cow tax” on farmers across the country. Late last year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) discussed regulating greenhouse gases in its Advanced Notice... Continue Reading
