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Biofuels Package Gets Positive Reception at Public Hearing

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Testimony highlights job creation and economic impact

MADISON – A legislative proposal that would encourage the continued growth of biofuels in Wisconsin received strong support during a public hearing on the bill in Madison today. Senate Bill 279 was created through a bipartisan Legislative Council Study Committee which included members representing agriculture, the energy industry and environmental groups. Senator Pat Kreitlow (D-Chippewa Falls) and Representative Scott Suder (R-Abbotsford) co-chaired the study committee.

“Despite our state’s limited financial resources, we need to encourage investment to grow our economy and create new jobs,” said Kreitlow. “That’s why, among other things, this plan makes new types of fuels and equipment eligible for existing tax credits without expending additional tax dollars. We believe that this approach, combined with reduced bureaucracy and increased coordination, will provide the tools and support necessary to help the biofuel industry create good paying, long term jobs in Wisconsin.”

SB 279 includes a series of recommendations made by the committee, including efforts to organize the way biofuel research and development is managed in Wisconsin, streamlining the bureaucracy and regulatory burdens faced by the industry and a plan to set realistic benchmarks for the industry. A key component to the plan is the way it reallocates current resources, including tax credits, instead of creating new exemptions or spending.

“Whether it’s farmers in the field, scientists in the lab, or motorists on the road, clearly biofuels are an important part of our state’s economy,” said Suder. “This comprehensive package of bipartisan proposals has the potential to create jobs, lower our dependency on foreign oil, and perhaps most importantly, set our state up to be a leader in the production and usage of biofuels now and in the future. I’m proud of the hard work that went in to crafting these policies and look forward to supporting their passage in the legislature this session.”

Next, the bill faces executive action in both the Senate Committee on Rural Issues, Biofuels and Information Technology, chaired by Senator Kreitlow, and the Assembly Committee on Renewable Energy and Rural Affairs. The two committees held a joint public hearing on SB 279 and its Assembly companion, AB 408.