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The Honorable Harry Reid Majority Leader United States Senate |
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House United States House of Representatives |
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The Honorable Mitch McConnell Minority Leader United States Senate |
The Honorable John Boehner Minority Leader United States House of Representatives |
Re: Allow the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit to Expire
Dear Congressional Leaders:
The undersigned diverse group of business associations, hunger and development organizations, taxpayer advocates, agricultural groups, religious organizations, environmental groups, budget hawks, and public interest organizations urge you to allow the refundable Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) to sunset this year.
In particular, Congress has the opportunity to end the $6 billion a year subsidy to gasoline refiners who blend corn ethanol into gasoline. At a time of spiraling deficits, we do not believe Congress should continue subsidizing gasoline refiners for something that they are already required to do by the Renewable Fuels Standard.
Experts like the Congressional Budget Office and the Government Accountability Office have concluded that the subsidy is no longer necessary, and leading economists agree that ending it would have little impact on ethanol production, prices or jobs.
Letting the VEETC expire will help control deficit spending without in any way hindering the development of advanced biofuels, which can help us meet our energy, environmental and food security needs in a fiscally responsible manner.
Sincerely,
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ActionAid US Africa Action Africa Faith and Justice Network American Bakers Association American Conservative Union American Meat Institute American Frozen Food Institute California Dairies, Inc. California Dairy Campaign Center for Biological Diversity Center for Food Safety Clean Air Task Force Clean Water Action Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach Competitive Enterprise Institute Dairy Producers of New Mexico Dairy Producers of Utah Earth Day Network Environment America Environmental Working Group Foreign Policy in Focus FreedomWorks Friends of the Earth Grocery Manufacturers Association Heartland Institute Idaho Dairymen’s Association International Center for Technology Assessment International Dairy Foods Association KyotoUSA Leadership Conference of Women Religious |
League of Conservation Voters Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns Milk Producers Council Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate MoveOn.org Political Action National Audubon Society National Catholic Rural Life Conference National Chicken Council National Council of Chain Restaurants National Meat Association National Taxpayers Union National Turkey Federation National Wildlife Federation Natural Resources Defense Council NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby Oregon Dairy Farmers Association Oxfam America PLANT (Partners for the Land and Agricultural Needs of Traditional Peoples) Pew Environment Group Public Citizen Safe Climate Campaign Sierra Club Snack Food Association Taxpayers for Common Sense Union of Concerned Scientists Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth Washington Cattle Feeders Association Washington State Dairy Federation World Wildlife Fund |
CC: United States House of Representatives and United States Senate
