Oct. 10, 2007 - A coalition consisting primarily of environmental groups is pressuring Democratic leadership to abandon the renewable fuel standard as the House and Senate wrangle over the energy bill.

In a letter sent today to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the group warns that the RFS passed by the Senate earlier this year could significantly harm the environment. The RFS would mandate the use of 36 billion gallons of biofuel by 2022, which would likely push currently conserved acreage into agricultural production and require expanded use of pesticides and fertilizers.

While hailing the energy bill’s steps to ease global warming pollution, Kate Horner of Friends of the Earth has labeled the RFS a “bad biofuels provision [that] will harm both the people and environment of our planet.” The group warns that deforestation resulting from increased crop production will lead to an increase in global warming emissions. The pressure from environmental groups come as the ethanol industry labors through a mini-recession, with overproduction causing a slump in prices.

The coalition is joined by Family Farm Defender, which believes the RFS mandate will accelerate consolidation in the industry. “The U.S. government’s relentless push for biofuel expansion will mean greater control and profit for big oil and agribusiness cartels,” says John Kinsman, president. — Bulletin exclusive from U.S. News