A bill that would gradually phase out government support for corn-based ethanol over five years and encourage the commercial development of second-generation biofuels has been introduced in the House of Representatives.

The bipartisan bill, HR 3187, “The Affordable Food and Fuels for America Act,” was introduced by Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY) and Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA).

The American Meat Institute is joined by members of the Balanced Food and Fuel Coalition (BF&F) in applauding the introduction of the legislation:

“We commend the leadership of Reps. Crowley and Bono Mack for introducing legislation that is absolutely critical to both producers and consumers of food by controlling volatile commodity markets and ensuring all users of feedgrains compete on a level playing field,” said the BF&F statement. “If passed, the bill would permit badly needed adjustments in the corn-based ethanol mandates required by law. It represents an important step in weaning ethanol from its reliance on government protections to be commercially viable and compete with other commodities that rely on corn as their major input.”

The BF&F coalition is an alliance of animal agricultural groups concerned about the impact that the corn-based ethanol policy may have on the competitiveness of animal agriculture, exports, the food industry and the consumer. The coalition supports efforts to relieve the volatility and escalation of feed costs, which have significantly raised the cost of livestock and poultry production, negatively impacted rural jobs and the cost of raising protein for consumption.

For more information, go to Balanced Food and Fuel Coalition, and for a copy of the statement released by the coalition, go to http://www.balancedfoodandfuel.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/51623.