U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees

 

2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

 

 

For Immediate Release

June 20, 2006

CONTACT:    Cody Wertz – Comm. Director

                        303-455-7600

Andrew Nannis  – Press Secretary

                        202-224-5852


 Sen. Salazar Hails Increased Use of Renewable Fuels, Calls for Additional Benchmarks in Achieving Energy Independence

WASHINGTON, D.C. – From his seat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, United States Senator Ken Salazar yesterday lauded the increased use of renewable fuels nationwide but emphasized the need to set higher standards if the Nation is to achieve energy independence.

In a committee hearing aimed at addressing the implementation of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), Senator Salazar expressed optimism at the quick adoption of such energy alternatives as biodiesel, cellulosic ethanol and E85. One of the provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the RFS is a requirement that motor fuels contain at least 7.5 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2012.

“By passing the RFS last year, we set a solid, attainable goal on our path to energy independence,” said Senator Salazar in his opening remarks. “In the few months that they have been in place, the RFS and the renewable fuels incentives we included in last year’s energy bill have helped spur a sizable expansion of renewable fuels production across the country.”

Noting that Colorado already has three fully functioning ethanol plants, Senator Salazar nonetheless urged his fellow legislators to consider raising their energy expectations, saying, “If we are to succeed in growing our way to energy independence, we must make dramatic, even revolutionary, new commitments to renewable energy production. As I understand it, we will easily meet the 7.5 billion gallon target of the RFS by 2012. We should set the bar higher, so that renewable fuels can make a greater dent in our petroleum imports.”

Senator Salazar, who recently introduced a congressional resolution aimed at increasing the use of renewable energy, also praised the work of Colorado’s National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, Colorado. “We should continue to press forward by supporting new research at the National Renewable Energy Lab, and we should increase renewable fuel production and access for consumers,” Senator Salazar remarked. “But this is only the start.”

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