Chairman Hall, Vice Chair Lear, Ranking Member Rogers, Jr., and members of the Committee,

Thank you for the opportunity to provide written testimony regarding House Bill 358. Growth Energy is the world’s largest association of biofuel producers, representing 97 U.S. plants that each year produce more than 9.5 billion gallons of renewable fuel, 123 businesses associated with the production process, and tens of thousands of biofuel supporters around the country. Together, we are working to bring better and more affordable choices at the fuel pump to consumers, improve air quality, and protect the environment for future generations. We remain committed to helping our country diversify its energy portfolio, sustain family farms, and drive down the costs of transportation fuels for consumers.

We write today in support of Ohio’s efforts to establish primacy in the approval and regulation of Class VI carbon dioxide sequestration wells for potential projects in the state. Carbon sequestration is a critical tool for the bioethanol industry, particularly as demand for low-carbon liquid fuels continues to rise. Ohio is positioned as one of only a relatively handful of states with optimal carbon sequestration geology.

Liquid fuels are expected to continue to dominate the nation’s transportation fuel matrix in the coming decades. Domestic markets, as well as an increasing number of international markets, are placing a premium on low-carbon liquid fuels. By establishing primacy, Ohio’s bioethanol industry, coupled with favorable geology for sequestration in several regions of the state, will provide additional economic benefits to the biofuels industry and the rural Ohio economies it supports via increased access to these low-carbon domestic and international markets.

With the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicting further decreases in farm incomes, these new markets and economic opportunities are particularly important for rural communities dependent on grain prices and biofuels production. As of November 11, 2024, 154 Class VI permits were currently under review by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Many of these permit applications have experienced delay after delay, preventing bioethanol producers from moving forward on capital- and labor-intensive carbon sequestration projects.

By establishing primacy, Ohio can move forward with CCUS projects without delays from federal agencies. Growth Energy’s members, and the corn growers with whom we work, will benefit greatly from Ohio’s efforts on Class VI primacy. Ohio can join North Dakota, Wyoming, and Louisiana in taking advantage of this economic opportunity for a variety of industries.

We thank State Representative Robb-Blasdel for introducing this legislation and working with stakeholders to ensure the economic benefits of CCUS projects can benefit Ohioans across its energy industry. Given our industry’s experience and expertise in carbon reduction, we are happy to assist the Committee with technical questions as they consider this important legislation.

The post Growth Energy Submits Testimony on Ohio Class VI Primacy appeared first on Growth Energy.

Chair Shink,

Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony on SB 1171. Growth Energy is the world’s largest association of biofuel producers, representing 97 U.S. plants—including two plants in Michigan—that produce more than 9 billion gallons of renewable fuel annually; 123 businesses associated with the production process; and tens of thousands of biofuel supporters nationwide. Together, we are working to bring consumers better and more affordable choices at the fuel pump, improve air quality, and protect the environment for future generations. We remain committed to helping diversify our country’s energy portfolio, grow more energy jobs, decarbonize our nation’s energy mix, sustain family farms, and drive down the costs of transportation fuels for consumers.

Growth Energy supports SB 1171, which provides certain updates to the Motor Fuels Quality Act of 1984. As a partner with fuel retailers across the country, we work to ensure statutory and regulatory certainty in the fuel retail market so that consumers have access to fuels with higher blends of ethanol, which will help them save money at the pump while using a lower carbon fuel.

We appreciate the efforts in SB 1171 to streamline Michigan’s statute with federal regulations regarding dispenser labeling for retailers offering E15. E15 is a blend consisting of 15 percent bioethanol, has been approved for use by the EPA in all passenger vehicles model year 2001 and newer, more than 96 percent of the vehicles on the road today. It is now for sale at more than 3,400 locations in 32 states.

Provisions in SB 1171 ensure the federal label required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 40 CFR 1090.1510 for retailers offering E15 is sufficient for the state and provides consumers the assurance they are filling their tank with a more affordable fuel option that is safe for their engines. The EPA label is the standard for E15 dispensers and consistent for fuel retailers across the country.

According to recent data from Environmental Health and Engineering, today’s bioethanol reduces greenhouse gases (GHG) by nearly 50 percent compared to gasoline and can provide even further GHG reductions with additional readily available technologies. A national analysis showed a reduction of 580,000 tons of GHGs annually in Michigan if E15 replaced E10 gasoline. This is the GHG reduction equivalent of removing more than 126,000 vehicles from Michigan’s roads without impacting a single driver just by using a higher ethanol-blend fuel. These emissions reductions also come with meaningful consumer cost-savings. During the summer of 2023, E15 was sold at 15 cents less per gallon where available on average nationwide.

We thank Chair Shink for introducing this bill, appreciate the collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and urge all members of the committee to support the bill.

The post Growth Energy Provides Testimony on Dispenser Labeling in Michigan appeared first on Growth Energy.

Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, seen here in an NFL photo from 2006, announced in congressional testimony that he has Parkinson's disease, possibly related to his many concussions. He was discussing a scandal in Mississippi involving the transfer of millions of dollars in funds meant for poor families to help pay for a volleyball stadium that was a pet project of Favre. Getty Images photo. (Mark Konezny | NFLPhotoLibrary)

In a moment that sent shockwaves through the sports world, Hall of Fame quarterback – and Green Bay Packers legend – Brett Favre revealed that he was suffering from the neurological disease known as Parkinson’s. In front of a U.S. congressional committee, Favre was testifying about a business scandal that has dealt his reputation a major blow in recent years. Favre had been the top investor in a drug company called Prevacus. The shady firm was handed $2 million in welfare funds from the state of Mississippi. In July, Prevacus’ founder Jacob VanLandingham confessed to using this welfare money to pay his gambling debts and pled guilty to wire fraud. Favre has been blamed for also profiting from this theft, a charge he strongly denies.

Favre’s congressional testimony produced emotional whiplash as, within his opening remarks about this grubby caper, he revealed his shattering diagnosis. “Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others,” Favre said. “And I’m sure you’ll understand why it’s too late for me, because I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. This is also a cause dear to my heart.”

The announcement, while tragic and shocking, was also not surprising. Parkinson’s disease can be spurred by excessive blows to the head, traumatic brain injuries, or repeated concussions. Perhaps the most prominent sufferer of Parkinson’s was the boxer who late in his career took punches like no other: Muhammad Ali. Favre played football like the older Ali: repeatedly pummeled yet always coming back for more. No one is close to Favre’s record 297 games started in a row. That’s not just a number for quarterbacks: that’s all players. In Favre’s time, unlike today, shots to the QB’s head or driving him into the turf was legal and lauded. In a 2018 Today Show interview, Favre says that while playing, he was diagnosed with “only” three or four concussions but also commented, “When you have ringing of the ears, seeing stars, that’s a concussion. And if that is a concussion, I’ve had hundreds, maybe thousands, throughout my career, which is frightening.”

There will be apologists for the game who will no doubt say that one cannot “blame football” for Favre’s condition. They sound like the tobacco company executives disavowing any connection between smoking and lung cancer. In a wide-ranging survey produced by Boston University, the forefront institution on concussion research, people who suffered traumatic brain injuries were 61% more likely to develop Parkinson’s. That is staggering. The National Football League and their feckless commissioner Roger Goodell would be wise to get in front of this, to not play the role of clueless tobacco executive, and speak to the league’s funding efforts to find new treatments. They should articulate how they are trying to make the game safer. They should take accountability for the fact that their sport can have horrific outcomes.

This announcement could also mark an inflection point for Favre. For even his most die-hard fans — and he has legions — it has been exhausting to laud this person as any kind of athletic hero. He has, under a bright public eye, displayed myriad flaws. There were the pill addictions, the attempted infidelities, and now most shamefully, accusations that Mississippi’s favorite son was stealing funds meant for the state’s poorest residents. But Favre always kept a loyal following from people – particularly in Wisconsin – who will always appreciate how he laid it all on the line week after week with a boyish, daredevil grin. They adore the player more than the man, but when these categories inevitably spill over, they are fine with the contradictions because he has their hearts: his flaws are just part of what makes him human. 

Now Favre gets to be the suffering saint of football: a great quarterback brought down by the game he played like a little kid in the backyard. He can be a receiver of sympathy instead of a source of shame. Favre will undoubtedly be offered support from all corners. If there is one thing we have learned about Parkinson’s, even with new treatments being developed, he is truly going to need it. 

This commentary is published as a joint project of the Wisconsin Examiner and The Progressive magazine.