US Farm Bill headed for passage, but not before year end: $1 billion for biofuels

In Washington, the Farm Bill appears headed for Senate passage after more than 260 amendments were offered to the bill, creating a month-long delay in consideration of a final bill. The bill includes more than $1 billion in research and incentive dollars for biofuels. It is not clear whether the Farm Bill will be passed in 2007, and President Bush has threatened to veto the bill over the amount and type of planned spending.

Among the 2160 amendments, Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson and South Dakota Senator John Thune have co-sponsored an amendment to the Farm Bill, adding a Renewable Fuels Standard target of 36 billion gallons of ethanol by 2022. 21 billion gallons would come from next-generation biofuels.

Thune and Nelson say that the Renewable Fuel Standard, originally included in the 2007 Energy Bill, is a “better fit” for the Farm Bill. The Energy Bill is stalled as members of Congress has been unable to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill.

Earlier, Senator Pete Domenici (R- New Mexico) proposed an amendment to Farm Bill mandating 15 billion gallons of ethanol usage by 2015.

The need for either amendment would be removed by the passage of the Energy Bill, which is slated for passage in the House as early as this week.

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