Source:  Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 1/27/11

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) is the lead sponsor of a new Senate bill aimed at expanding markets for biofuels, according to a news release from Harkin’s office.

The bill intends to increase the number of flex-fuel vehicles on the road, increase the number of blender pumps dispensing biofuels and authorize loan guarantees for the construction of renewable fuel pipelines, the release said.
 

“Because we import 60 percent of the petroleum we consume, our country is vulnerable to disruptions in the supply of petroleum and our economy faces a constant threat from volatile oil prices,” said Sen. Harkin, the former chairman and now senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “With more than two-thirds of our petroleum supply consumed by our transportation sector, there is a tremendous opportunity to expand the production and use of biofuels. Biofuels displace close to 10 percent of our gasoline supplies, and they have the potential to make significantly larger contributions.”

The bill’s co-sponsors are Senators Tim Johnson (D-SD), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Al Franken (D-MN).

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