Colorado Corn

NATIONAL CORN GROWERS ASSOCIATION

(ST. LOUIS) April 24, 2009 – National Corn Growers Association President Bob Dickey released the following statement today on the California Air Resources Board’s passage of a proposed low carbon fuel standard:

“This new standard will hurt the domestic biofuels and related industries and increase our nation’s reliance on foreign oil. Board members ignored important estimates of corn yield growth trends as well as the expertise of more than 100 scientists, who disagreed with the proposal’s one-sided focus on indirect land use changes that will only penalize biofuels.

“This decision will also be harmful to our national economy. We may lose a tremendous opportunity to spur economic growth in agricultural communities. Furthermore, this decision will cost us the opportunity to continue reducing greenhouse gas emissions by expanding American-grown biofuels and decreasing our reliance on fossil fuels.

“The Air Resources Board has also decided to set up an expert workgroup to look into the issue of indirect land use, and we are looking forward to collaborating with this group in the future so that the Board can help California succeed in its mission to reduce environmental impact without negative economic implications.”

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Founded in 1957, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) represents approximately 35,000 dues-paying corn growers and the interests of more than 300,000 farmers who contribute through corn checkoff programs in their states. NCGA and its 48 affiliated state associations and checkoff organizations work together to help protect and advance corn growers’ interests.

NATIONAL CORN GROWERS ASSOCIATION
632 Cepi Drive
Chesterfield, Missouri 63005
Visit the NCGA Web site, http://www.ncga.com, or e-mail at corninfo [at] ncga [dot] com

For Information Contact:
Ken Colombini, NCGA, 636-733-9004, ext. 115