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Panelists Discuss the Future of Ethanol During State Fair Event

HURON, S.D. – South Dakota Farmers Union (SDFU) hosted an E-30 panel discussion today at the State Fair to talk about the economic and environmental benefits ethanol brings to South Dakota and its agriculture producers.

“Producing higher levels of ethanol does not only benefit farmers but consumers as well,” explains Marc Rauch, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of The Auto Channel.

“The more ethanol we use the cleaner the air is and the better our engines run. That’s good for everyone. My own tests and tests conducted by others, show that E30 ethanol-gasoline blends produce the best MPG (mile per gallon) results in most current gasoline-optimized vehicle engines, including E85 flex fuel vehicles. This means that consumers save money and get better mileage. “



Rauch discussed the potential benefits higher levels of American production of ethanol would bring to the national economy.

“I’d rather give my fuel money to American farmers than to foreign dictators, so we can keep more money in the country,” said Rauch. “By using E30 nationally we could save hundreds of billions of dollars that leave the country to be spent on importing foreign fuel.



If we can avoid sending the $1 billion a day ($360 billion per year) out of the country and instead, use those dollars here to pay salaries and buy domestically produced goods, those dollars become stimulus for the economy without having to print additional dollars and devalue those already in circulation. Then, if those dollars are spent on American workers and American products, we actually wind up recycling the dollars and multiplying its stimulus effect several fold. It could be possible to recycle the $360 billion three, four, five, six times, giving us a trillion dollar-plus stimulus every year for every year that we can avoid importing petroleum oil.”

Rauch is among three panelists who discussed the opportunities and benefits associated with fuels containing higher blends of ethanol. Other panelists include: Doug Sombke, S.D. Farmers Union President and Dale Christensen, Board member of Glacial Lakes Energy.

“Having this panel at the State Fair will encourage people to use more ethanol and in return better our rural economies,” says Doug Sombke, South Dakota Farmers Union President. “Using more ethanol would enhance the bottom line for family farms.”

For more than three decades, S.D. Farmers Union members have shown their support for the ethanol industry. This support is the motivation behind SDFU’s decision, alongside National Farmers Union and other state organizations, to unveil a recent initiative to advance federal policies that support U.S. renewable energy sources including ethanol.

To learn more about South Dakota Farmers Union and E30, visit http://www.sdfu.org.

–South Dakota Farmers Union