The ongoing battle between the ethanol industry and big oil has been a longstanding one, but renewable fuels continue to fight for their place in the market. Buckman Laboraties General Counsel, Jonathon Scharff, says he is confident that ethanol will prevail.
“It’s just a question of what changes will be made to the RFS and the impact it will have on the ethanol industry, farmers, everything. The other thing that seems to be misunderstood is that we don’t believe that renewable energy will be a 100 percent replacement for oil, we don’t see that; but we think we are important as part of cohabitation with oil because we are a necessary ingredient to help contain and reduce the dependence on oil.”
Scharff says the biofuels industry has made and continues to make a difference in the United States’ energy security.
“The more ethanol that’s created and used in the oil industry, then the less oil we have to use. Right now it’s 90 percent oil, 10 percent ethanol. If we continue to grow that, in addition to the U.S. continuing to grow its own oil development, then we are less dependent on the world for our oil needs. It’s critical for our economy, creating jobs, improving communities that have ethanol plants popping up and creating jobs locally, you’re giving back to the community. I just think it’s instrumental in the long run for this country.”
Scharff recently spoke with various members of Congress as well as administration officials in the nation’s capital. He says the lack of understanding on renewable energy and the importance of domestic energy production has been common, but it hasn’t deterred interest.
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