The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) has announced that U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) is confirmed to address its members assembled in Washington, D.C., on March 29 during the organization’s third annual “Biofuels Beltway March.” Thune is newly appointed to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over ethanol tax credit issues.
Grassroots members of ACE from across the country are meeting in D.C. on March 29-30 to visit members of Congress and their staffs on important issues such as ethanol tax incentives and market access, including the E15 waiver, flexible fuel vehicles and consumer choice blender pumps. Thirty ethanol advocates participated in the fly-in last year, and ACE hopes to double that number this year.
“We are pleased that Senator Thune will be meeting with us as we gather in DC later this month,” says Brian Jennings, executive vice president of ACE. “I encourage all ethanol supporters to consider making the trip to visit personally with Sen. Thune and other members of Congress in their offices on the Hill. Given two recent votes in the U.S. House of Representatives against ethanol, we need to rally ethanol advocates, and meeting one-on-one is the most effective way to get our important message across.”
Sen. Thune will address the group at a reception on Tuesday evening, March 29, after the first day of Hill visits. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Dallas Tonsager, USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development, are also invited to speak to the ACE group while in DC.
ACE members come from across the ethanol industry, including farmers, investors, ethanol producers, rural electric cooperatives, agriculture associations, small businesses, and more.
To learn more about the event or to register, visit the “Get Involved” tab at http://www.Ethanol.org. Questions may be directed to Shannon Gustafson at 605-334-3381 or mailto:sgustafson@ethanol.org.