NCERC Director Testifies at EPA Public Hearing
News Release
Contact: Courtney Breckenridge
cbreckenridge@ethanolresearch.com
Office: 618-659-6737 ext. 230
EDWARDSVILLE – NCERC at SIUE Director John Caupert testified against proposed cuts to the Renewable Fuel Standard during an Environmental Protection Agency hearing last week in Arlington, VA.
As director of the NCERC, a biofuels research center that conducts contractual research services for both the public and private sectors, Caupert testified about the proposal’s impact on investment in biofuels research and development.
“This proposal has already created uncertainty in the marketplace, resulting in the postponement of millions of dollars of biofuels research projects,” Caupert said. “If the proposed levels are finalized, the results will be financially devastating to many sectors of the U.S. economy. Investment in research, development, and commercialization won’t be postponed or slowed down – it will stop.”
Caupert was joined at the hearing by representatives from the Illinois Corn Growers Association, National Corn Growers Association, and hundreds of biofuels advocates from across the country. The hearing allowed stakeholders to issue oral comments in response to the EPA’s proposed Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) for 2014, which drastically slashed the biofuels requirements outlined in the Renewable Fuel Standard.
The 2014 RVO proposal will remain on the Federal Register for public comments for 60 days before the EPA issues a final rule.
About The NCERC
The NCERC is a nationally recognized research center dedicated to the development and commercialization of biofuels, specialty chemicals and other renewable compounds. The Center’s fully functional dry grind pilot plant and laboratories are equipped with advanced biofuels capabilities including corn fractionation, pretreatment, and a fermentation suite with 5, 30, 150 and 1500L scale-up. Facilities are staffed by industry veterans with more than 100 years of collective experience in fermentation and biofuels production. This knowledgeable team has the flexibility and expertise to design and carry out projects in any region of the advanced biofuels or specialty chemicals space. For more information, contact Courtney Breckenridge, (618) 659-6737 ext. 230, cbreckenridge@ethanolresearch.com, or visit http://www.ethanolresearch.com.
