Senator John Thune announced the U.S. House of Representatives included a substantial portion of his Biofuels Innovation Program (BIP) in its final version of the 2007 Farm Bill passed by the House on Friday. Thune’s legislation is designed to spur the production of cellulosic ethanol to help reduce our nation’s dangerous dependence on foreign sources of oil. 

“My biofuels legislation is designed to complement the already successful and growing corn-based ethanol industry. If cellulosic ethanol, produced from homegrown sources like corn stover, wheat straw, switchgrass and wood chips, is to achieve its potential then Congress needs to help establish bioenergy facilities and sources of feedstock within reasonable distances of these facilities. My legislation would spur the construction of biorefineries across the country and provide incentives to farmers in surrounding areas to grow perennial energy dedicated crops that can eventually supply these biorefineries in a cost-effective, environment-friendly way,” Thune said. 

Senator Thune’s BIP legislation, which he introduced in the U.S. Senate May 23rd as S. 36, takes a two-pronged approach to assist farmers and ranchers with the transition to biofuels production. The House passed 2007 Farm Bill includes a version of Senator Thune’s legislation called the Biomass Energy Reserve Program 

Senator Thune is Ranking Member of the Energy Subcommittee of the Senate Agriculture Committee.